The application for the 2027 cohort will open on Monday, Aug. 3.
The Flinn Foundation Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program enables Arizona early-stage bioscience companies to access funding, professional support, connections, and networking opportunities. Since 2014, the Program has selected 66 companies in a competitive process to receive funding through a nonprofit partner. The 12 program cohorts have received more than $2.1 million in funding support.
The application for the 2027 cohort marks the start of the Foundation’s five-year renewal of the Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program. The revamped program provides a pathway for the most promising participants in the Flinn Foundation Translational Seed Grants Program to attain direct admission, while expanding support for other pre-seed and seed companies across the state. The new program also places greater emphasis upon advisorship and learning through programmatic components, focused upon longitudinal engagement of prospective funders for earlier, higher-confidence diligence.
Each Flinn Foundation Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program selectee will receive $75,000 in funding support, administered through the Foundation’s nonprofit partner, the Arizona Bioindustry Association, plus programmatic benefits over the year-long program. The program culminates in an Investment Readiness Committee for participant companies to pitch to funding partners in an IC-style format.
The application for the 2027 cohort will open on Monday, Aug. 3.
Advancing the Biosciences in Arizona
The Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program was created to help reach the objectives of Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap by fostering entrepreneurship and helping bioscience founders develop their early-stage companies into successful and sustainable businesses in Arizona.
The Flinn Foundation in 2002 commissioned the Roadmap, the longest-running, statewide bioscience strategic plan in the nation. The Roadmap was most recently updated in September 2025 with five new goals to advance the biosciences. “Elevate Arizona’s Startup Ecosystem,” calls for Arizona to nurture and empower bioscience entrepreneurs and startups to launch, scale, and retain the ventures in the state.
The most recent selectees — Anuncia Medical and Macula Vision Systems — received $100,000 each in funding support through the Arizona Bioindustry Association, the nonprofit partner. Eight additional companies were selected to leverage the benefits of our network and advisors to advance their progress over the 12-month period.
Contact
For more information about the program or application process, contact Joanna Yang Yowler, Ph.D., Flinn Foundation program manager, Translational Biosciences and Entrepreneurship.
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