Radically Rural biotech
Radically Rural biotech (RRb) is a national rural biotech network formed to create a more geographically dispersed and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem for the biotech sector by leveraging local assets, resources, and expertise through partnerships. The creation of this network was made possible through funding from the Small Business Administration’s Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC). The $50,000 award provided support to the Hannah Grimes Center to identify rural biotech entrepreneur support organizations and catalyze these Founding Partners to support the creation of RRb. HGC has applied for Stage Two GAFC funds to support the work of the founding partners to create the national rural biotech network.
Radically Rural biotech (RRb) Founding Partners Radically Rural biotech Founding Partners include New Hampshire’s Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship (HGC), New Mexico Bioscience Authority, Ohio University Innovation Center, Dirigo Labs – Central Maine Growth Council, and KY Inventors. Each organization offers a range of experience working in rural communities and supporting STEM focused rural businesses. In the upcoming year, the group will be expanded to include other entrepreneur support organizations as partners and other key players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem as affiliates.
The RRb Founding Partners have set out to demonstrate how rural communities can be a vibrant part of the U.S. biotech sector. They believe that connecting their dispersed assets, resources and expertise through a national network will create a robust and integrated ecosystem enabling rural communities to fully participate in the innovation economy.
“Prevailing culture, not facts, have kept biotech companies from exploring the advantages of rural communities. The Radically Rural biotech network can be at the forefront of overcoming that cultural norm and establishing a more geographically dispersed and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem for the U.S. biotech sector.” – Mary Ann Kristiansen, executive director of the Hannah Grimes Center for Entrepreneurship (HGC).
HANNAH GRIMES INCUBATOR PROGRAM INCLUDES A BIOTECH FOCUS
Biotech entrepreneurs who prefer the business and lifestyle advantages that a vibrant rural hub can offer have an expanding pool of resources.
Hannah Grimes’ award-winning entrepreneur support platform includes one-on-one coaching, workshops, mentors, access to capital, an eight-week Business Lab, incubator program, co-working and extensive network. In addition, the national RRb collaboration offers a high-quality, extensive biotech support network to benefit the Monadnock region’s biotech entrepreneurs.
Scientific development of biotechnology is expensive. Locating a startup company in a major metropolitan center is even more expensive. And entrepreneurs often overlook the competitive edge given them by considering manufacturing, regulatory and business aspects early in the development process – great science alone is not enough to compete.
The resources at Hannah Grimes are geared to help the biotech entrepreneur pay attention to business and regulatory processes early in their go-to-market strategy to get the business across the finish line faster and stronger, conserving critical resources at this perilous stage and getting to revenue generation sooner.
Keene and the Monadnock region are in close proximity to burgeoning activity in well-known biotech hubs in Boston, Manchester and Hanover, this offers a tangible benefit to biotech companies locating in the region. Further, Keene State College offers faculty, student, equipment and facility resources in Life Sciences and Sustainable Product Design.
Altogether, the region offers proven entrepreneur support, a low-cost environment to stretch early investment dollars, a rich array of much-needed biotech resources, a diverse and robust advanced manufacturing sector, and a powerful and engaged network.
Incubator Current Biotech Companies
Detact Diagnostics is a privately held, life science-biotech company founded in 2014 in the Netherlands. To meet the need for rapid, scalable, and direct pathogen detection, Detact has developed a novel and disruptive detection platform technology named VIPER®. This technology is innovative, highly sensitive, specific, and fast (seconds – minutes) that lends itself to application development in the healthcare and food industries.
Biotech Incubator Advisory Board:
Roy Wallen, Julie Garcia, Sara Powell and Mary Ann Kristiansen
Press for biotech incubator at Hannah Grimes:
Business Magazine NH, May 2022
New Hampshire Business Review, August 16, 2018
Keene Sentinel, November 18, 2017
BioTech Pro Bono Coaching
Coaching is offered to biotech entrepreneurs who want to start or grow their company and would like the opportunity to connect with a professional coach or consultant at no cost up to 3 times per topic.
To schedule a coaching session please email programs@hannahgrimes.com.
Julie Coleman
Topics: Biotech, Project Management, Commercialization, Strategy
Julie is a Project Manager at Celdara Medical; she is currently leading a regional Accelerator Hub to promote biomedical entrepreneurship in the Northeast. She received a BA in Biology and English from Bowdoin College, followed by a PhD in Neuroscience at Tufts University. Julie spent two years as a healthcare consultant for biotech and pharmaceutical companies at Putnam Associates where she led projects across diseases areas and varying stages of development.
Christina Ferrari
Topics: Outside general counsel to biotechnology, life sciences, medial device, pharmaceutical, and healthcare
Christina Ferrari is a shareholder of Bernstein Shur, P.A., where she is a member of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Business, and Healthcare Practice Groups. Before entering law, Christina was a dedicated researcher in the fields of neurosurgery and neuropharmacology, and her work has been published in the Journal of Neuroscience. She now puts her industry-specific, technical knowledge to work as an advisor and outside general counsel to her biotechnology, life sciences, medical device, pharmaceutical, and healthcare clients, as they navigate the modern-day health care system’s legal and regulatory challenges. As a skilled litigator, Christina advocates for her clients at all levels and assists them in resolving complex disputes, including in the areas of products liability, toxic torts, healthcare, and professional licensing. She serves as Past President on the Board of Directors of the New Hampshire Women’s Bar Association, as a member of the Board of Directors of the New Hampshire Tech Alliance, where she also Chairs the Government Affairs Committee, and as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law. Christina earned her J.D. from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, where she was a Daniel Webster Scholar and sworn into the New Hampshire Bar prior to graduation, and her M.A. in Medical Science, with Thesis Honors, from Boston University School of Medicine.
Wren Fournier
Topics:Science Writer, Editor, Grant Coordinator
Wren Fournier serves as editor, and science/technical writing consultant to scholars, scientists, and individuals preparing grants, project prospectuses, presentations, books, book chapters, articles, and annual funding reports. With a background and certification in research protocols, and research integrity, her work includes many years editing and writing for faculty at large universities in the fields of science, social science, and academic medicine –– both principal investigators and junior scholars. She holds a degree in English, with an emphasis in writing. Wren currently resides in the Monadnock region.
Julie Garcia
Topics: Technology Transfer, Manufacturing Readiness, Biotech Culture, Research and Development, Design For Six Sigma
Julie has experience in technology transfer and design control with over 20 years of experience in clinical, pharmaceutical, and medical device. She has expertise in Design for Six Sigma (Green Belt), and Management of Product Development transfer to Manufacturing. Her technology transfer process emphasizes the early adoption of documentation and process validation to ensure readiness for release of regulated products. Julie is ready to consult on the systems and requirements to ensure that products and processes are ready to transfer to manufacturing and market release. Julie holds a Masters of Biotechnology from The Johns Hopkins University.
Jason Pellettieri
Jason is professor and chair of the biology department at Keene State College is just down the street, providing an opportunity for recruitment of skilled interns/employees and the potential to develop collaborative projects with faculty in the natural sciences. There are faculty currently doing NIH and NSF funded research. There are multiple opportunities to explore connections with faculty, facility and students.
Emily Snyder
Topics: Life sciences investment opportunities scout
Emily is part of the investment team at Borealis Ventures, a Hanover, NH based venture capital firm focused on healthcare, particularly life sciences and digital health. There she is responsible for sourcing new investment opportunities, executing due diligence before investment, and providing strategic support to portfolio companies. Emily previously spent time as an analyst for a Boston-based venture capital firm and in business development for a digital health company. She is ready to consult on early stage funding options and strategy. Emily holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a degree in Biology from the University of Louisville.
Roy Wallen
Topics: Business strategy, company formation, capital access (fundraising), leadership coaching, branding, business development
Roy Wallen is a management advisor who leads Directional Healthcare Advisors, a NH-based services firm. He has served in executive leadership roles for new product initiatives in medical technology companies ranging from pre-revenue start-up to multi-billion, global concerns. His focus is on the startup community, helping entrepreneurs take their ideas to commercial success. Roy has spent his career managing existing businesses for sustainable profits and bringing new technologies out of the laboratory and into the market. His current work as advisor to emerging companies, supports their need for access to capital markets, crafting the stories that demonstrate market needs, matching technology to those market needs, and translating this into a compelling business case.
Roy also serves on the Board of Directors of a Colorado-based nonprofit, as a mentor and judge for MassChallenge, and as a volunteer for the Youth CITIES Lifescience Learning Laboratory (L3) to teach middle school and high school students how to apply their STEM interests to areas of innovation.