Activate and The Engine Accelerator Join Forces to Empower Scientist Founders
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Going from scientist to startup founder is challenging, but a new partnership between Activate and The Engine Accelerator is set to smooth and accelerate that path. These two leading programs, known for helping technical innovators commercialize their research, are joining forces to support budding “proto-founders” and turn them into successful entrepreneurs.
Engine Accelerator focuses on early-stage scientists and engineers who are beginning to explore the commercialization of their ideas, helping them take the first steps toward entrepreneurship.
Activate takes over when ideas mature, offering two-year fellowships to help founders refine their projects and prepare for fundraising.
The collaboration has already proven effective: many participants in The Engine's Blueprint program moved seamlessly into Activate fellowships.
The alliance aims to accelerate the pace at which scientists can bring innovative solutions to market, particularly in critical areas such as climate technology. “We've normalized too slow a pace, especially when we're talking about climate,” says Cyrus Wadia, CEO of Activate. By sharing resources, refining curricula and identifying gaps, Activate and The Engine hope to get tech startup founders up and running more quickly, though for now they maintain separate admissions processes.
While no formal merger is planned, the collaboration is a critical step toward creating a streamlined pathway for scientific founders. The ultimate goal? To accelerate innovation and ensure that groundbreaking research translates into real-world impact, the sooner the better.
In the words of Emily Knight, CEO of The Engine Accelerator, “The closer we get, the more work we can do together and, ultimately, we will see a greater move from these protofounders to entrepreneurs.”
This partnership represents a bold step forward in empowering scientists to transform their ideas into solutions that address some of the world's most pressing challenges.
