Jibe Therapeutics won the Pegasus Park-hosted Golden Ticket Pitch Competition, offered by the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) BrightEdge in collaboration with AbbVie and Research Bridge Partners.
For its win, Jibe Therapeutics receives one year of fully paid individual bench space and membership at BioLabs Pegasus Park, a $25,000 cash prize to support research, and guidance from the sponsor companies and industry professionals.
“We’re excited to provide Jibe Therapeutics with the opportunity to truly move the needle to advance their efforts and meet their goals,” Alice Pomponio, American Cancer Society VP of innovation and impact investing and managing director of BrightEdge, said in a statement. “Supporting companies at early stages is a strategic tool in the fight to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. By engaging companies at critical development stages, we can accelerate progress and deepen their downstream impact.”
BrightEdge, the innovation and impact investment arm of ACS, is dedicated to investing in innovative for-profit, early-stage companies focused on developing cutting-edge, therapeutics, diagnostics, devices, and technologies to combat cancer.
Relocating research operations to Pegasus Park
Jibe Therapeutics is developing a next-generation cancer treatment that helps the immune system better recognize and attack tumors, BrightEdge said. Its universal T-Cell Engagers (uTCEs) connect a patient’s naturally occurring tumor-targeting antibodies to T-cells, enhancing the body’s ability to fight cancer.
Jibe Co-Founder and CEO Austin Boesch is based in Somerville, Massachusetts. As a result of the ACS Golden Ticket award, Jibe Therapeutics is relocating its research operations to Pegasus Park in Dallas.
Bridge Labs at Pegasus Park [Photo: 2024 RW Collective]
ACS BrightEdge said that as part of the award package, Jibe Therapeutics will be able to leverage various resources from sponsor companies. ACS BrightEdge is providing access to its team of scientific and industry advisers and the ACS BrightEdge Texas Accelerator online learning platform.
Global pharma company AbbVie is offering guidance from their team of oncology experts.
Research Bridge Partners, which cultivates novel biomedical startup companies based on the breakthroughs of preeminent innovators at mid-continent research universities, said it is providing coaching services and will evaluate Jibe Therapeutics unique needs for potential further support.
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