The Pandemic Hyper-Accelerator for Science and Technology (PHAST) accelerates pandemic inventions from out of the lab and puts them into the market where they are needed. Participants in the six-month PHAST program receive entrepreneurial training, funding and mentorship worth over $75,000.
PHAST is specifically intended for inventors wishing to create, advance, or play a role in a new startup business that commercializes their pandemic invention and includes:
Funding
PHAST graduates who complete all program requirements—and who include or are partnered with an eligible principal investigator—will receive $25,000 grants. Grants may be used for further technical development in a CU lab and for eligible startup expenses.
Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIRs)
Get expert mentorship from dedicated EIRs throughout the program. EIRs function as an early executive resource and help plan and launch the innovation into a new venture.
Hyper-Accelerator
All participants will complete the renowned 1-week Hyper-Accelerator by our partner, Rockies Venture Club. Designed for companies who are seeking to become venture capital ready, the Hyper-Accelerator is mentor-driven and is based on a powerful combination of content and hands-on development.
Training Workshops
Innovation ecosystem leaders teach workshops on pandemic innovation, startup formation, ecosystem resources and government regulation.
Research-to-Market (R2M) Customer Discovery Program
R2M is Venture Partners' 3-week customer discovery program that matches your product with market need. PHAST participants will learn and apply customer discovery to build a compelling value proposition and understand their business ecosystem
Demo Day
As the capstone to PHAST, Demo Day connects graduating PHAST ventures with investors, strategic partners and the Colorado startup community.
PHAST Demo Day was held virtually Jan. 25, 2022 from 3 - 6 p.m. Each team presented a five-minute pitch, followed by a live Q&A with all attendees.