January 2026

In this Newsletter:

• Mansfield Bio-Incubator News
• Fifth Pitch-to Portfolio Competition
• Mentoring Program
• Big Tree Start Up Academy News
• Membership Benefits
• Member Company News and Partner Spotlight

We are excited to announce two new additions this month!

Sarah Serou joined us as a new Laboratory Manager. Sarah comes with a wealth of experience in Forensic Science advancing scientific innovation and ensuring operational excellence, including managing compliance with FBI Quality Assurance Standards, and provided expert leadership in cross-functional laboratory teams. Her career highlights include developing innovative workflows, delivering expert training, and optimizing laboratory operations, all while ensuring adherence to the highest regulatory standards. Please join us to welcome Sarah!

We are also thrilled to announce the addition of Zeiss Celldiscoverer7 high-content imaging system to our expanding collection to our expanding collection of state-of-the-art instruments at the Mansfield Bio-Incubator!. This remarkable acquisition, made possible by the generous support of the Technology & Innovation Ecosystem Award grant program, managed by the Innovation Institute at the Mass Tech Collaborative. underscores our unwavering commitment to fostering innovation and growth within the biotech sector and our vibrant community. This cutting-edge technology will enhancing the startups' research capabilities and enabling them to navigate the complexities of their development journeys with greater ease and efficiency. We encourage all our early-stage biotech entrepreneurs to explore the potential of the Zeiss Celldiscoverer7, and accelerate their projects, driving positive change in the life sciences field.

Together, let’s embrace collaboration and harness this advanced instrument to unlock new possibilities and breakthroughs!

Don't Wait! Schedule a Tour and Apply Now!

Building on four successful pitch competitions that have established a lasting BIOINC legacy, we are pleased to announce the Fifth Pitch-to-Portfolio Competition, to be held on June 4, 2026.

This pitch competition will be partnered with the Big Tree Start Up Academy and offer over $100K in non-equity awards as part of the newly created “Big Pitch” event. Together, Big Tree and Mansfield Bio-Incubator will provide curated access to investors as well as preparation for the “Big Pitch” through the Investor Readiness Bootcamp, run by the Big Tree Innovation Fund.

We are excited to offer our members and community a highly structured and industry focused services to help prepare founders to Raise Smarter. Better. Faster.

The prizes will be announced soon! Stay tuned!

Register Here

If you are interested in pitching and/or know strong candidates, please contact Alex Shlyankevich, Investment Relations Director at alexsh@bioinc.org.

As a member, you are eligible to apply for Winter/Spring 2026 Mentoring Program cohort and receive the following benefits:

• Individualized Training: tailored to the company needs training from industry veterans on all the essential topics needed to advance company forward, to obtain funding or increase revenue.

• Investor Connections: We facilitate at least two meetings for investment-ready Mentoring Program graduates with top-tier investors.
• For more information and to apply, please click here.

We are excited to announce that the February 2nd Big Tree Startup Academy 4-Week Investor Readiness Bootcamp being held at the Mansfield Bio-Incubator is sold out. We are currently recruiting for a cohort starting March 9, with a remote option available.  We invite you to register here.

The bootcamp is a hands-on, educational program built around real-time discussion, practical exercises, and direct feedback from experienced operators and investors.

The Academy is led by some of the most experienced Executive Fellows in Residence in healthcare, life sciences, and med-tech. Please click Big Tree Instructors & Advisors to view bios and backgrounds.

Across the Academy, Cohort members will get: 

✅ Interactive Masterclasses and sessions with an investor lens

✅ Practical exercises you can immediately apply to your business

✅ Direct access to seasoned executives who have built, funded, and scaled companies

✅ Honest feedback designed to help you raise Smarter. Better. Faster, and with clarity

We are planning our first Investor Showcase in early April, featuring founders from both the February 2 and March 9 cohorts. More details will be shared as we get closer.

Think you are ready to participate? Please visit the Investor Readiness Bootcamp and enroll now to reserve your seat. The March 9th cohort is already 40% filled. 

Too early for Big Tree? Consider becoming member of a 60+-strong Mansfield Bio-Incubator's community and participating in a highly acclaimed mentoring program to get ready. We are still recruiting for the Winter/Spring 2026 cohort.

If you are looking for a premier lab space at a fraction of a cost of Boston/Cambridge, we have private and shared BSL-1 and BSL-2 lab spaces available. The shared equipment includes a 14-color flow cytometer, atomic force microscope (AFM), real-time qPCR machine, FTIR spectrometer, Raman microscope, and a multi-modal plate reader.

NEW EQUIPMENT: Zeiss Celldiscoverer7 fluorescence microscope is now available!

See the full equipment list here.

Other amenities include a high-speed internet, large breakroom/event space with a kitchenette and a ping pong table, conference and meeting rooms, shared and private offices.

However, we are more than just a lab space. We are a community consisting of more than 60 companies.

By becoming a member, you will be a full-fledged part of Massachusetts life science community. The benefits include:

• Mansfield Bio-Incubator's Pitch Competition: Watch this one-minute video to see the exposure this semi-annual event offers to dozens of companies and hundreds of people. The next pitch competition will take place in the Spring 2026. Stay tuned. For more information and to apply, please click here;

• Mansfield Bio-Incubator's Mentoring Program: Watch this one-minute video to learn about this year-round program and its value for your promotion. For more information and to apply, please click here;

• Incubator-affiliated BigTree Innovation Fund. In addition to funding, Big Tree provides our members with additional preparation to secure funding, refine pitches, obtain investment scorecard ratings, and navigate the current investment landscape;

• Opportunity to present their investor pitch to our leadership team in a constructive, no-pressure setting. This is not a business evaluation or due diligence, but a focused assessment of presentation clarity, flow, and impact—just as investors would experience it. Companies receive actionable feedback and may submit a revised presentation for additional review. Every participant gains valuable insights to strengthen future investor engagements;

• MassBio membership, which include vendor discounts, exclusive events & networking, use of the conference space in Cambridge, programs for innovators/startups, community engagement opportunities, video content, opportunity to promote your organization;

• RI BIO membership benefits;

• Peer advisory roundtable for early-stage founders;

• Funding Programs offered through Massachusetts Life Science Center such as tax incentives, internships, etc;

• MassMEDIC membership privileges, including access to industry leaders for networking, business development, investments, best practices, and more; ability to co-create custom sponsored content and events; invitations to join professional membership sub-groups, as appropriate; access to the MassMEDICEdge, which provides savings on everything from insurance to lab supplies; unlimited free access to live virtual and on-demand programming; invitations to MassMEDIC’s Signature Events, including FDA Showcase, Medtech Impact Gala, Women in Medtech, Medical Device Supply Chain & Manufacturing Summit, and Town Halls; discounted tickets on all paid MassMEDIC partner events; inclusion in the MassMEDIC Member Directory, etc.



Don't Wait! Schedule a Tour and Apply Now!

Vella Bioscience welcomes Joy Allen-Altimare as President of Vella Bioscience. Since joining Vella in November 2025, Allen-Altimare has brought renewed clarity and momentum to the organization, strengthening operational systems, modernizing the commercial and retail strategy, and refining Vella's storytelling to better reflect women's lived experiences across arousal, pelvic pain, menopause, and the hormonal continuum.

We are is proud to announce that right here, at Mansfield Bio-Incubator, Stapgen discovered a new platform technology IAP-Biodefense based on the patent pending IAP technology to combat chronic inflammatory conditions. Twelve (12) different biological agents have been involved to construct the platform, and more to come in the future. 

Cellorama showcased high-resolution 3D imaging at Takeda Symposium in Osaka, Japan from January 22nd to 24th. During the event, the Cellorama team introduced a study featuring their multipurpose cell culture platform, showcasing a simpler and more accurate method for visualizing 3D liver cancer spheroids and lung organoids. The highlight of the showcase was the stunning clarity achieved at extreme magnifications—up to 1,000,000x under electron microscopy—without compromising the structural integrity of the samples.

Back home at the Mansfield Bio-Incubator, Cellorama is pleased to offer collaboration opportunities to our fellow residents.



If your research requires high-resolution visualization of 2D or 3D cell culture samples, Cellorama is here to help. The platform is optimized for:

Immunofluorescence (IF) Labeling: Achieving superior clarity in 3D structures

Electron Microscopy (EM) Processing: Streamlining the path from culture to nanoscale imaging.

Cellorama invites any interested teams to reach out and discuss how the technology can support their specific research goals.

Want to see the data? Visit www.celloramatech.com to explore their high-resolution galleries.

Wholomics has finalized and submitted its large independent validation study of a next-generation multi-cancer early detection (MCED) assay, representing one of the most comprehensive MCED datasets to date and demonstrating breakthrough sensitivity in stage I disease across multiple solid tumors. These results further support the potential of serum-based multi-omics approaches to shift cancer detection toward earlier, more treatable stages.

In parallel, Wholomics has partnered with a European diagnostics provider to launch its MCED test in Europe (available from February 3rd 2026), making broad multi-cancer screening available to individuals who want to take a proactive role in their health. More information on the launch can be found here.

Partner Spotlight: Fluent Software Corporation

A Business Partner of BioElite Innovations

Fluent Software Corporation is a business partner of our member company BioElite Innovations and specializes in designing custom software solutions that transform complex systems into seamless, user-friendly experiences. From intuitive user interfaces to AI-powered analytics, Fluent helps organizations enhance data integration, streamline workflows, and maximize operational efficiency.

Services include:

• Custom software development
• Cost-effective website design
• Comprehensive website audits
• Data integration and workflow optimization
• Bridging hardware and software systems

Fluent Software brings extensive cross-industry experience, including:

• Biotechnology, Biopharma, and Pharma
• Life Sciences and Healthcare
• CRO, CMO, CDMO, CRDMO organizations
• Finance, Manufacturing, and IT Services
• E-commerce, Marketplaces, and Online Education
• Legal Services and Media

If you are interested in exploring how Fluent Software can support your project, please complete the BioElite Project Qualification Form to initiate the conversation.

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