Innosphere would like to send a congratulations to our Innosphere Fund portfolio company, GelSana Therapeutics, and their founder Melissa Krebs, PhD, for being one of ten female-owned, Colorado-based technology businesses that were chosen to participate in the SBDC first-ever Tech Venture Accelerator for Women! Melissa Krebs was chosen based on her company’s potential for commercialization.

DENVER — Yesterday, the Colorado Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network’s statewide TechSource program completed its first-ever virtual Tech Venture Accelerator for Women (TVX-W). Ten female-owned, Colorado-based technology businesses were chosen for the program based on their proposals for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), and their potential for commercialization.

The ten participants of the program were:

• Salina Derichsweiler, Transitional Energy
• Qing Hua, Build a Robot K12
• Laurie Jones, Plain Skincare LLC
• Kim Kelly, Agile RF Systems LLC
• Melissa Krebs, GelSana Therapeutics
• Olga Marinkina, SunCatch Ltd
• Elaine Menardi, LuLu Tech Labs
• Sue Riffel, Self Care Decisions
• Jessica Stone, Virtual Sandtray, LLC
• Arezou Zarafshan, Call Emmy

Tech Venture Accelerator is a highly-focused 10-part cohort series designed to help emerging companies in Colorado’s Advanced Industries (AI) overcome hurdles to accelerate growth and development. TVX focuses on growth through non-dilutive capital sources and technology commercialization.

Unique to this accelerator program is the assistance provided on federal and state innovation grants as a source of non-dilutive capital. Specialized expertise is provided to each business in critical areas, including identifying relevant SBIR agencies and topics, understanding the proposal process and applying research and market data to develop technology commercialization plans that will support grant submissions.

The TechSource program will hold a virtual TVX cohort for City of Boulder-based businesses beginning June 15. Because of funding from the City of Boulder, the cost to participate will be fully offset for accepted businesses. Contact the Boulder SBDC to receive updates regarding applications.