ZCUBE-ZAMBON-RESEARCH
Zcube - Zambon Research Venture announces the fifth edition of Open Accelerator, the international acceleration program for high-potential innovative startups in the field of life sciences. Starting this year, the program will focus on the femtech sector and will feature a new format. The initiative, one of the first internationally in terms of focus and invested capital, invites startups and entrepreneurial ideas aimed at developing products and services to address major medical needs and improve women's health and well-being. The targeted therapeutic areas include gynecology, cardiovascular health, oncology, sexual health, endocrinology, gastroenterology, nutrition, autoimmune disorders, mental health, neurology, reproductive health, and more.
The Call for application will open on Friday, March 8, 2024, on the International Women's Day, and will remain open until June 16. At the end of the selection process, up to 5 startups will be identified to receive an investment of €100,000 each, through a SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) agreement and will have access to a training and mentoring program delivered by experts in the fields of investments, business development, venture capital, intellectual property, regulatory affairs, and market access.
Startups with the highest potential will also have the opportunity to build a partnership with the Zambon group, accelerating their market access phase and commercial positioning on a global scale.
“We are eager to launch the fifth edition of Open Accelerator; we are excited to discover which companies can bring innovative solutions to change the Life Sciences and women’s health sector. The choice to dedicate the 2024 edition to the femtech sector is deliberate: working in unexplored areas can contribute to creating benefits for the global economy. As highlighted by recent studies, bridging this gender gap is essential” - said Giovanni Magnaghi, President of Zcube and Chief Financial Officer of Zambon – “Since 2016, Open Accelerator has allowed us to offer direct access to capital and expertise to new and promising entrepreneurial ideas, thanks to the collaboration with prominent partners participating in the open innovation ecosystem at our scientific campus, OpenZone, where part of the program is hosted”.
The previous four editions of the program selected 46 startups from 23 countries, 8 of which have received up to €100,000 each in seed investment. The winner of the Distinction Award during the last edition of Open Accelerator comes from the femtech sector: Hyivy Health, a Canadian startup developing a medical device for pelvic floor rehabilitation. Founded in 2019 by Canadian entrepreneur Rachel Bartholomew following a diagnosis of cervical cancer, Hyivy Health aims to improve the standard of care for both patients and physicians through a holistic approach. Bartholomew, CEO of Hyivy Health, commented on the launch of the new edition of Open Accelerator: “It is a turning point for the industry. Open Accelerator is one of the first programs to enter this field with resources and real opportunities for femtech startups on a global level”.
“Open Accelerator values the experience of Zcube and best expresses our vision of Zambon as an open company, where open innovation serves as a lever for cultural and entrepreneurial growth for both us and the entire system” - commented Elena Zambon, President of Zambon and creator of Open Accelerator – “Women's health is a fundamental focus for Zambon and a central issue in international health agendas: supporting these entities and helping them bringing their innovative entrepreneurial ideas to market is an additional effort by our group to innovate cure and care to make patients’ lives better”.
Coordinating Open Accelerator will be a team of professionals experienced in Life Sciences and Venture Capital including Federica Destro, External Innovation & Community manager at Zcube, Vittoria Pavoncello, Technology Scouting & Investment Specialist at Zcube, Michele Gaiotto, CEO of HTH and Advisor to Zcube, and Marco Gullà, Investment Associate at HTH.
For more information about the program, visit www.openaccelerator.it/
For more information about Zcube, visit www.zambon.com/en/innovation/zcube
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240226030549/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Thredd Powers Successful Migration of BigPay’s Card Portfolio to Next-Gen Platform26.11.2025 09:00:00 CET | Press release
The transition of millions of cards showcases Thredd’s superior capabilities amid a high-stakes, global trend of sunsetting legacy processing engagements Thredd, the leading next-generation global payments processor, has successfully migrated BigPay’s virtual and physical card portfolio from its previous, legacy processor to Thredd’s next-generation platform, underscoring Thredd’s leadership in complex card portfolio migrations. The migration project, one of several in recent years, included over 2.5 million cards and highlights Thredd’s unique combination of deep migration experience, robust processes, and advanced technology—qualities increasingly critical as the industry faces a wave of modernisation and replatforming. This achievement comes at a pivotal moment for the industry. Industry analysts estimate that retail banks failing to modernise could see 10% to 15% of their payments revenue at risk annually as legacy platforms struggle to keep pace with demands for hyperpersonalizati
With Two in Five Employees Undergoing Fertility Treatment Leaving Their Jobs or Considering Quitting, Are Companies Doing Enough?26.11.2025 08:00:00 CET | Press release
An international survey, spanning Australia, France, Japan, Poland and the UK, has found that many employees experiencing fertility challenges lack support in the workplace, with almost two in five (39%) leaving or considering leaving their roles while undergoing treatment.1 ‘The Impact of Fertility Challenges at Work: International Insights’ survey by Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Fertility Matters at Work and This Can Happen shows that, despite growing awareness of reproductive health, two thirds (67%) who have experienced fertility challenges say that their workplaces do not offer support for employees undergoing fertility treatment, with France the least likely to provide it (88%).1 60% said they were not clearly entitled to time off for fertility appointments, with time recorded as paid leave, unpaid leave or annual leave (26%), and some also reported taking sick leave due to a lack of flexibility (17%).1 With assisted reproduction therapy, including IVF, already accounting for up to 1
Venture Global and Tokyo Gas Announce 20-Year LNG Sales and Purchase Agreement26.11.2025 01:00:00 CET | Press release
Venture Global’s fourth long-term contract with a Japanese company7.75 MTPA of long-term contracts signed by Venture Global to date in 2025 Today, Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE: VG) and Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd announced the execution of a new, long-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA). Under the SPA, Tokyo Gas will procure 1 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG from Venture Global for 20 years, starting in 2030. This deal marks 7.75MTPA of SPAs signed by Venture Global in the last six months. “With nearly 8 MTPA of new long-term commitments signed this year, Venture Global is pleased to build on our commercial momentum through this new partnership with Tokyo Gas,” said Venture Global CEO Mike Sabel. “Tokyo Gas is a pioneer in the LNG industry and leading provider of natural gas to Japan, and we look forward to working with them as we grow our position as a top LNG supplier to Japan. This agreement will contribute significantly to the US-Japan balance of trade o
Airship Study: No-Code Native App Experiences Double Purchase Frequency (+140%), Offering Path to Profitable Holiday Growth26.11.2025 00:08:00 CET | Press release
New research quantifies the massive conversion lift from optimizing native app and web experiences, providing a critical no-code path for retailers to drive profitability Mobile-first customer experience company Airship today released new aggregate data analysis findings showing that no-code native app experiences significantly increase conversion for key lifecycle events and more than double purchase frequency. The Airship "Experience Impact” research, which studied over 1,000 in-app retail experiences and 1.7 billion device sessions, quantifies the impact of optimizing end-to-end customer journeys—not just sending messages—using no-code and AI-powered tools to drive loyalty and retention at scale, leading to sustainable profitability in a volatile economic environment. Key Findings Customers exposed to high-impact no-code native app experiences such as optimized onboarding flows, dynamic surveys, or embedded personalized offers, purchase 140% more frequently than app customers who do
Court Finds That Two Advanced Cell Diagnostics Patents Are Not Infringed by Molecular Instruments’ Proprietary HCR™ RNA-ISH Technology25.11.2025 17:30:00 CET | Press release
Molecular Instruments, Inc. announced today that the Unified Patent Court (UPC) of the European Union has found that Molecular Instruments’ HCR™ RNA-ISH technology does not infringe two patents owned by Advanced Cell Diagnostics, Inc. (a Bio-Techne group company). In a 2024 lawsuit filed in the UPC (proceedings no. UPC CFI 187/2024), Advanced Cell Diagnostics alleged that Molecular Instruments’ HCR™ RNA-ISH technology infringes European patents (EP) 2,500,439 and 1,910,572. The Court in its judgment of 18 November 2025 has rejected that claim and dismissed all of Advanced Cell Diagnostics' lawsuit, ruling that the patents are not infringed either literally or by equivalence (UPC Judgment). This 2025 UPC judgment follows on the heels of an April 2024 UK judgment in which the High Court of England and Wales had already dismissed an earlier infringement lawsuit by revoking the UK parts of the same two Advanced Cell Diagnostics patents (proceedings no. HP-2022-000026), ruling that they wer
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom