MassChallenge announced its 2023 U.S. Early Stage Accelerator cohort, a diverse group of 186 startups ready to drive change through innovation and collaboration. Chaya Pomeranz-Sherman, director of the U.S. Early Stage Program, made the announcement ahead of its official kickoff at the inaugural MC | Innovate Conference at Dallas’ Pegasus Park in July.

The Boston-based nonprofit, which opened a Dallas hub last year, also revealed new support for startups in the program.

Pomeranz-Sherman says the MassChallenge community has “geared up” to embrace its new founders. This year’s cohort is poised for impact in their respective industries, from high tech to clean tech—and the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem, she said.

The selection process was rigorous, with over 1,100 applicants vying for a spot in the prestigious program, according to Pomeranz-Sherman. Applications are evaluated by “experienced judges” in the MC community, who look for the most promising and high-potential startups.

An attendee at the MC | Innovate conference in Dallas, which kicked off MassChallenge’s 2023 U.S. Early Stage Program in July. [Photo: Jackie Loubriel/MassChallenge]

Ch-ch-ch-changes for 2023

MassChallenge recognizes that early-stage founders have diverse needs and levels of readiness, Pomeranz-Sherman says. By customizing support for its startups, the nonprofit can help them achieve greater success.

“Like our founders, we continue to iterate and explore ways to support entrepreneurs and subsequently evolve our acceleration framework,” wrote Pomeranz-Sherman in a letter to startups earlier this summer.

She says one of the most notable changes in MassChallenge’s 2023 program is the adoption of the ‘Lean Canvas’ as a cornerstone of its curriculum.

MassChallenge partnered with LEANSTACK, founded by Ash Maurya, to equip early-stage entrepreneurs with battle-tested, stage-based playbooks and advanced tools to help them discover repeatable and scalable business models, according to the director.

For the first time, the MassChallenge cohort is split into two categories: Growth and Foundations.

The Growth cohort, comprising 127 startups, is part of MC’s flagship four-month accelerator. Participants will also be able to engage in specialized tracks focused on HealthTech, Safety and Security, Climate, and Social Impact.

The startups will connect with corporate partners, investors, alumni, and mentors through a mix of virtual and in-person events, residencies in MassChallenge’s U.S. offices, and Market Access events, MassChallenge says.

The Foundations cohort consists of 59 “promising, high-potential startups,” which will receive a 30-day LEANSTACK training where they can refine their business models and solutions.

MassChallenge partner Ash Maurya “wrote the book” on running lean. [Photo: Jackie Loubriel/MassChallenge]

20 countries and a range of industries

The diversity of this year’s cohort is broad, with startups hailing from 20 different countries, including Argentina, India, Kenya, and the United Kingdom, showcasing the global appeal and influence of MassChallenge’s programs. Notably, 20% of the startups are located outside of the U.S., and 47% of the U.S.-based startups represent regions beyond one of MC’s U.S. hubs, such as its newest at Dallas’ Pegasus Park.

The startups represent a wide range of industries, with HealthTech leading the way at 39%, followed by General startups at 25%, and Climatetech at 13%. The primary industry breakdown shows a strong representation in Healthcare & Life Sciences, High Tech, Social Impact, Energy & Clean Tech, and General & Retail.

Inclusivity and diversity are also at the forefront of this year’s cohort, with 50% of the startups having at least one BIPOC founder (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and 40% of the startups with at least one female or non-binary founder.

Meet the 2023 MassChallenge U.S. Early Stage Program startups

Information provided by MassChallenge with additional research by Dallas Innovates.

TEXAS STARTUPS 

In North Texas, startups include:

Glydr

• Location: Plano, Texas
• Stage: Growth
• Sector: High Tech – Hardware & Robotics, Internet & Web, Internet of Things, Online Commerce & Marketplaces
• Founder: Rick Tett
• Pitch: Glydr is revolutionizing video game control methods with an intuitive foot device, aiming to reduce hand and finger injuries in gamers.

NavTide Therapeutics Inc.

• Location: North Texas
• Stage: Growth
• Sector: Healthcare / Life Sciences – Therapeutics (Pharma / Biotech)
• Founder: Kobin Caddick
• Pitch: NavTide Therapeutics is aiming to save lives with a new vaccine developed by researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center. The vaccine trains the patient’s own immune system to target tumor cells at their weakest point. They have human clinical trial data to prove its effectiveness, especially for non-small cell lung cancer patients with limited treatment options.

Elsewhere in Texas, startups include:

Bairitone Health Inc

• Location: Houston, Texas
• Stage: Foundations
• Sector: Healthcare / Life Sciences
• Founder: Meagan Pitcher
• Pitch: Aiming to redefine sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment, Bairitone offers home-based solutions to provide detailed airway anatomy information, allowing personalized clinical decisions without the need for invasive procedures.

Corveus Medical

• Location: Houston, Texas
• Stage: Growth
• Sector: Healthcare / Life Sciences
• Founder: Tyler Melton
• Pitch: Corveus is addressing heart failure head-on by developing a device that can provide significant benefits for patients. Having completed various feasibility studies, they’re now looking to raise funds for first-in-human heart failure trials.

CultureLancer

• Location: Houston, Texas
• Stage: Growth
• Sector: High Tech – Education Technology
• Founder: Brianna Brazle
• Pitch: CultureLancer is helping companies source diverse talent and build efficient teams. In just over a year, they’ve secured 500 scholarships through Grow with Google and built a talent pipeline of over 100 students.

DioQuest

• Location: Sugar Land, Texas
• Stage: Foundations
• Sector: Energy / Clean Tech
• Founder: Brian Mueller
• Pitch: DioQuest is turning waste into treasure by transforming waste aqueous streams into valuable materials, potentially revolutionizing sectors from desalination to blue hydrogen, mining, and oil and gas water treatment.

Ember Sleep

• Location: Houston, Texas
• Stage: Foundations
• Sector: Healthcare / Life Sciences
• Founder: Aaron Glick
• Pitch: Ember Sleep is developing a novel, point-of-care medical device to treat sleep apnea. The retainer-like device, used during sleep, promotes better breathing and overall health.

EverChew

• Location: Austin, Texas
• Stage: Growth
• Sector: General – Retail
• Founder: Kirby Kendall
• Pitch: EverChew is helping to keep dogs safe with its SafetyChew product, a long-lasting, natural chew that promotes mental stimulation and prevents choking hazards.

FluxWorks

• Location: College Station, Texas
• Stage: Growth
• Sector: Energy / Clean Tech
• Founder: Bryton Praslicka
• Pitch: With their non-contact magnetic gears, FluxWorks is looking to create self-healing gearboxes that can withstand even the harshest environments, offering potential solutions for defense, space, and commercial applications.

HireVolume

• Location: Austin, Texas
• Stage: Growth
• Sector: High Tech – Enterprise Software
• Founder: Ankur Kapadia
• Pitch: HireVolume is automating and improving hourly hiring workflows, with the potential to lower time to fill, decrease cost per hire, and reduce manual processes for companies hiring hourly workers.

Nominal Inc.

• Location: Austin, Texas
• Stage: Growth
• Sector: High Tech – Software
• Founder: Cameron McCord
• Pitch: Nominal, Inc. is a software company that builds tools and data infrastructure for complex hardware development and testing.

OneStep Power Solutions Inc.

• Location: Houston, Texas
• Stage: Growth
• Sector: Energy / Clean Tech – Efficiency
• Founder: Sarah Whiteford
• Pitch: OneStep Power Solutions provides robust, reliable, and repeatable power system testing to the offshore industry, helping vessel owners leverage decarbonization opportunities while demonstrating their safety performance. They are a key provider of OEM-agnostic testing solutions to the maritime and offshore energy sectors.

Plugin House Company

• Location: Austin, Texas
• Stage: Growth
• Sector: Social Impact – Poverty Alleviation
• Founder: Anmol Mehra
• Pitch: Plugin House is a modular low-cost home designed for backyard homes in urban infill areas or for institutional social housing for humanitarian purposes. Their proprietary system includes insulation, structure, interior, and exterior finishes molded into one modular sandwich panel. Their smallest unit can be installed in less than 2 hours and costs $15,000.

Predyct Inc.

• Location: Sugar Land, Texas
• Stage: Growth
• Sector: Energy / Clean Tech – Efficiency, Internet of Things
• Founder: Himanshu Maheshwari
• Pitch: Predyct delivers zero-power sensor networks automating energy infrastructure monitoring. Hybrid AI, pre-trained on a large physics model, utilizes field data for predictive management of operations reducing cost & emission. They have exclusively licensed MIT-developed technology and have ongoing pilots with major energy operators.

SafetyKay

• Location: Houston, Texas
• Stage: Foundations
• Sector: Social Impact – Education Technology
• Founder: Krystle Hodge
• Pitch: SafetyKay promotes safety awareness to children ages 5-13 years old by teaching them how to recognize and respond appropriately to unsafe situations. Through interactive and gamified safety content, SafetyKay helps children acquire safety skills. In 2022, SafetyKay’s safety video material has been viewed 101,507 times on YouTube.

Surf Therapeutics

• Location: Austin, Texas
• Stage: Growth
• Sector: Healthcare / Life Sciences – Medical Devices
• Founder: Nishant Doctor
• Pitch: Surf Therapeutics is developing an at-home novel ultrasound therapy device that can safely and effectively induce an anti-inflammatory effect to treat patients suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease who do not achieve remission with the currently available therapies.

Taurus Vascular

• Location: Houston, Texas
• Stage: Growth
• Sector: Healthcare / Life Sciences – Healthcare, Healthcare Delivery
• Founder: Matthew Kuhn
• Pitch: Taurus Vascular is focused on improving long-term outcomes for patients with aortic aneurysms. They are developing a minimally invasive catheter solution for addressing the most pressing complication of endovascular aortic aneurysm repair – endoleaks, which can lead to rupture of the aorta.

VerdeCode

• Location: Austin, Texas
• Stage: Foundations
• Sector: Energy / Clean Tech – Efficiency
• Founder: Leon Vanstone
• Pitch: VerdeCode provides the services to measure, estimate, predict, & improve software power consumption for enterprise computing, data centers, & cloud computing.

Waltech International Inc

• Location: Austin, Texas
• Stage: Growth
• Sector: Energy / Clean Tech – Efficiency
• Founder: Rockey Roger
• Pitch: Waltech provides a smart thermostat that works equally on both DC and AC power and is enabled with built-in cellular and Wi-Fi to ensure connectivity on the road. They have over 200 active users and a community of 450 members.

Xplosion Tech

• Location: Houston, Texas
• Stage: Foundations
• Sector: Healthcare / Life Sciences – Health and Wellness
• Founder: Kehlin Swain
• Pitch: Xplosion has developed a mobile solution that leverages real-time photos of foods, blood sugar monitors, and AI to assist carbohydrate calculation and food experiments for diabetic patients, aiming to reduce uncontrolled blood sugars and associated healthcare costs.

U.S. STARTUPS BEYOND TEXAS

States represented include: Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington D.C., and Washington State.

3D Architech

Growth | High Tech – Hardware & Robotics
Founder: Hideaki Nishioka, Massachusetts

3D Orthobiologic Solutions (3DOS)

Foundations | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Medical Devices
Founder: Prakash Kolli, Virginia

ABBY by GOGOTECH Inc.

Growth | High Tech – Medical Devices, Social Impact
Founder: John DeBenedette, New Jersey

AC3D

Growth | High Tech – Materials, Social Impact, Environment
Founder: Max Bezrukov, New Hampshire

Accessum LLC

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences
Founder: Aroonsiri Howell, Pennsylvania

AcDiTo, Inc.

Foundations | High Tech – Online Commerce & Marketplaces, Retail & Advertising Technology
Founder: Gilbert Mbeh, Delaware

Amectron

Growth | High Tech – Financial Technology
Founder: Irena Vodenska, Massachusetts

Anviron

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Therapeutics (Pharma / Biotech)
Founder: Bradley Morrison, California

Arnav Biotech Corp

Foundations | Healthcare / Life Sciences
Founder: Pooja Tiwari, Georgia

Astra Wellbeing

Foundations | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Health and Wellness
Founder: Johar Singh, Massachusetts

Astron Medtech Corporation

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Medical Devices
Founder: I-Lin Tsai, California

Auspex Diagnostics

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences
Founder: Andy Wang, New Jersey

Axiom Technologies

Growth | High Tech – Telecommunications & Mobile
Founder: Bill Brooks, Virginia

Azul Bio

Growth | Energy / Clean Tech – Water Treatment & Technology
Founder: Benjamin Alva, New York

BallotBox

Foundations | High Tech – Social Impact
Founder: Josefina Correa Gutierrez, New York

Birth By Us, Inc.

Foundations | Social Impact – Healthcare, Healthcare IT, Internet & Web
Founder: Mercy Oladipo, Massachusetts

Blast Learning

Growth | High Tech – Education Technology
Founder: Bruce Lewolt, California

Blue Halo BioMedical, LLC

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Medical Devices
Founder: Tony Ruben, Florida

BlueIQ

Growth | Energy / Clean Tech – Environment
Founder: Kim Gavin, Massachusetts

Buffr

Foundations | High Tech – Financial Technology
Founder: George Nekwaya, Massachusetts

Cellorama

Foundations | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Therapeutics (Pharma / Biotech)
Founder: Ranan Aktas, Massachusetts

Chasing Stars

Foundations | High Tech – Environment
Founder: Marco Qin, Massachusetts

ClassHook

Foundations | High Tech
Founder: Alexander Deeb, New York

Code 1 Medical Devices, LLC

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Medical Devices
Founder: Nicholas Travis, Florida

ComplyAI

Growth | General
Founder: Dheekshita Kumar, Massachusetts

CranioSense

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Diagnostics, Health and Wellness
Founder: Ryan Myers, Massachusetts

Curio Digital Therapeutics, Inc

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Medical Devices
Founder: Shailja Dixit, New Jersey

dataArrows Inc.

Growth | Energy / Clean Tech – Efficiency, Internet of Things
Founder: Issa Ramaji, Rhode Island

DetoXyFi

Growth | Social Impact – Water Treatment & Technology
Founder: Rishon Benjamin, Massachusetts

DEX Insight, INC

Foundations | High Tech – Enterprise Software
Founder: Blake Woodrow, Arizona

do nexus

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Healthcare / Life Sciences
Founder: Gordon Silverman, District of Columbia

DoubleLock Healthcare, Inc.

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences
Founder: Elizabeth Wong, California

Dream Team Baby

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Health and Wellness
Founder: Conner Herman, District of Columbia

Drizzle Health

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Diagnostics
Founder: Digvijay Singh, Maryland

Earnest Agriculture

Growth | General – Manufacturing, Therapeutics (Pharma / Biotech), Environment
Founder: Eddy Mejia, Illinois

Earthbond

Growth | Energy / Clean Tech – Generation
Founder: Chidalu Onyenso, Massachusetts

Elythea

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Health and Wellness, Healthcare, Healthcare IT, Poverty Alleviation, Public Health
Founder: Reetam Ganguli, California

Enamel Pure

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences
Founder: Charles Dresser, Massachusetts

Engora

Growth | General – Aerospace, Design, Hardware & Robotics
Founder: David Anderson, Massachusetts

Even Mental Health, Inc.

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences
Founder: Chris Woods, Massachusetts

Eztia

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Consumer Products, Materials, Sports Technology, Public Health
Founder: Tiffany Yeh, Pennsylvania

Flagler Health

Foundations | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Healthcare IT
Founder: Albert Katz, New York

Flourish Science Inc.

Growth | Social Impact – Public Health
Founder: Xuan Zhao, California

Foresightcares Inc.

Foundations | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Health and Wellness
Founder: Mona Azarbayjani, North Carolina

Form Biologics

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Medical Devices
Founder: Amir Erfani, Massachusetts

Freshean

Growth | Energy / Clean Tech – Environment
Founder: Xiwang (Michael) Qi, Arizona

From Women For Women LLC

Foundations | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Health and Wellness
Founder: Monica Jackson, Georgia

Full Circles Therapeutics

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Therapeutics (Pharma / Biotech)
Founder: Howard Wu, Massachusetts

GreenGear Supply Company Inc.

Growth | General – Energy / Clean Tech, Social Impact, Environment
Founder: Monika Dharia, Massachusetts

Growbie

Growth | Social Impact – Education
Founder: Jashin Lin, Massachusetts

Haylon Technologies

Growth | Energy / Clean Tech – Efficiency
Founder: Dante Vaisbort, New Jersey

Helthy

Foundations | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Health and Wellness
Founder: Lisa Zhu, California

HR Geckos

Growth | High Tech – Enterprise Software
Founder: Jay Polaki, Maryland

Hybridwerx

Foundations | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Healthcare IT
Founder: Corey Mack, North Carolina

GLOBAL STARTUPS

Countries represented include: Argentina, Benin, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Estonia, France, India, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Namibia, Nigeria, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom

Activate Health

Foundations | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Healthcare Delivery, Healthcare IT, Therapeutics (Pharma / Biotech)
Founder: Siim Saare, Estonia

Aevice Health

Foundations | Healthcare / Life Sciences
Founder: Adrian Ang, Singapore

Atma Leather Pvt. Ltd.

Growth | General – Art & Fashion
Founder: Jinali Mody, India

Azooka Labs

Foundations | Healthcare / Life Sciences
Founder: Alex Dass Paul Rabidass, India

AZUL Energy Inc.

Growth | Energy / Clean Tech – Efficiency
Founder: Masayuki Hayashi, Japan

Babl

Foundations | General
Founder: Sary Jalkh, Canada

Bug Mars

Growth | General – Efficiency, Internet of Things, Environment, Fundraising
Founder: Nat Duncan, Canada

Curespec

Foundations | Healthcare / Life Sciences
Founder: Rotem Kaynan, Israel

Dart Bioscienes

Foundations | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Therapeutics (Pharma / Biotech)
Founder: Tal Jeffrey, United Kingdom

electronRx

Foundations | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Healthcare
Founder: Bipin Patel, United Kingdom

GleWe

Growth | General
Founder: Oceane Gognon, Benin

Gyani

Growth | Social Impact – Education
Founder: Bhavna Choudhury, India

HME Square

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Medical Devices
Founder: Yoonho Khang, South Korea

IC Innovations

Foundations | High Tech
Founder: Vader Johnson, Chile

LAVAA

Foundations | Healthcare / Life Sciences
Founder: Nir Lieberman, Israel

Lighthouse Tech

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Medical Devices
Founder: Franco Burlando, Switzerland

Mister Bee Limited

Growth | Social Impact – Agriculture
Founder: Joseck Matheri, Kenya

Moon Innovations Limited

Foundations | Energy / Clean Tech – Telecommunications & Mobile
Founder: Michael Osumune, Nigeria

MPost

Growth | High Tech – Telecommunications & Mobile
Founder: TWAHIR MOHAMED, Kenya

MZP Tech

Foundations | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Medical Devices
Founder: Dario Antonio, Argentina

Narval

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Therapeutics (Pharma / Biotech)
Founder: Jose Luis Nuno, Mexico

PlusVitech

Foundations | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Therapeutics (Pharma / Biotech)
Founder: Fran Guillen, Spain

QONECT

Foundations | Social Impact – Healthcare Delivery
Founder: Lian Thangvung, India

QuitSure

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Health and Wellness
Founder: Kriti Bajaj, India

Red Arrow Therapeutics

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Therapeutics (Pharma / Biotech)
Founder: Takuya Miyazaki, Japan

Rhythmitica INC.

Foundations | Social Impact – Education, Poverty Alleviation, Public Health
Founder: Hooman Tootoonchian, Canada

Scrapp

Growth | High Tech – Energy / Clean Tech, Materials
Founder: Mikey Pasciuto, United Kingdom

Sendchamp

Growth | High Tech – Enterprise Software
Founder: Goodness Kayode, Nigeria

Speratum Biopharma

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Therapeutics (Pharma / Biotech)
Founder: Christian Marin Muller, Costa Rica

Tabiri Health Afrika

Foundations | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Medical Devices
Founder: Longinus Okumu, Kenya

The Blue Box Biomedical Solutions

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Diagnostics
Founder: Judit Giró Benet, Spain

Walk With Path

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences
Founder: Lise Pape, United Kingdom

YouthBio Therapeutics

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences
Founder: Yuri Deigin, Canada

ZiO Health

Growth | Healthcare / Life Sciences – Medical Devices
Founder: Neel Patel, United Kingdom

Dallas Innovates is a media sponsor of MassChallenge MC | Innovate. This story is independently written by the author for Dallas Innovates.