Re: [DIYbio] YCombinator for Biotech Open now in SF (Indie Bio prev SynBioAxlr8r)

Just want to throw in my two cents. 

First of all, OpenTrons is part of Haxlr8r, a hardware accelerator based in Shenzhen also run by SOS Ventures. Being here has been an awesome experience for us. We went from a prototype and an idea, to a product and a manufacturing operation through the program -- we're launching our Kickstarter at the end of this month! I think that "in-house," focused accelerators like Hax and IndieB.io are a really great resource for entrepreneurs and start-ups, and SOSV run a lot of them. 

Also, OpenTrons is also going to be working with IndieB.io to automate teams' labwork! 

From my perspective, directly comparing an "in-house" accelerator like IndieB.io (or Hax) with more of a "club" type of accelerator like what YC has grown to be is a little apples to oranges. With IndieB.io you are given a lean early runway, a full lab to work in, direct access to in-house experts + mentors, and immersed in a vibrant peer group every day; with Y-Combinator you are written a nice check, get the prestige (valuation bump) that comes with the YC brand, and rub elbows with important people in Palo Alto once a week (if you are a software company, the laptop space and free coffee are probs nice too). Both approaches are super valuable for entrepreneurs, and I dont see them being mutually exclusive. I could definitely see companies going through IndieB.io, and then joining Y-Combinator to continue scaling up. 

Seems to boil down to a difference in phase. IndieB.io took in a bunch of entrepreneurs/scientists with ideas and launched five real companies. Both the YC biotech companies (Ginko and Glowing Plants) were past the initial proof of concept/market phase when they were accepted, and have since raised money to continue scaling up. Both accelerators are great resources for bio start-ups! The choice is more about where you are as a company and what you need to grow.

Hope that helps and would be happy to talk to anyone thinking about applying to any of the above! 

Thanks,

Will 

On Monday, October 13, 2014 4:43:13 AM UTC+8, Cathal Garvey wrote:

Good question!

So, I'm not going to trash-talk YCombinator, but I think you are right
in pointing out the divergent approaches. IndieB.io is a more
cosmopolitan programme, aiming out of the box to be global, to have a
good gender balance, and to be intensive on mentorship and inter-team
collaboration. The goal is for IndieB.io to be somewhere between a
pop-up biohackerspace and a hackathon-but-with-sleep; exciting, social,
equipped and peppered with people who can share specialities and experience.

The SF and Cork accelerators will certainly differ in many ways, too;
this would be true even if we tried to homogenise them, which we aren't.
Cork and SF are totally different cities and cultures, but in both
places we're trying to build biohacker-friendly support structures and
attract people from around the world as founders and mentors (or both).
Where possible we'll always try to integrate our stuff with what's
already happening; here in Cork the accelerator is helping with the
local biomakerspace, Forma Labs. This isn't the kind of accelerator
where you just get a heap of cash and a deadline; there's a lot of
shared work and long-term commitments.

As far as the software versus wetware, we're definitely leaning toward
wetware, and we know it's ambitious to ask for a proof of concept in 3
months, but then that's what it's all about, right? You don't need to
have a final product; that'd be an unreasonable ask for many projects.
The point of the accelerator is just that; to accelerate the process, to
have something to show for the work that would have been impossible,
working alone.

Software, hardware and other formats are welcome, but with IndieB.io the
point was always to be ambitious about Synbio itself. :)

Anyways, it's early days; SynbioAxlr8r, AFAIK, was the first announced
accelerator, and remains one of only two in the world. We've had our
first run, hit a few of the unforeseeables, and learned a lot; things
are going to evolve a lot and we're gonna see how quickly we can adapt
the programme to the still-young field of synthetic biology/biohacking.
The teams who take part will play a huge role in taking us there.

Hope that helps, sorry if it was too wishy-washy. Tomorrow's my first
day on the job, cut me some slack. ;)

On 12/10/14 20:26, Dakota Hamill wrote:
> I'm typing this on my phone so it won't be super long or articulate.
> Could you comment on where you think this accelerator outshines
> ycombinator?   Ycombinator gives almost 4x the money for 1% less equity.
> They are accepting biotech companies now but I havnt heard about their
> facilities or science advisors.  They seem much more software driven in a
> sense, not wet lab.
>

--
Twitter: @onetruecathal, @formabiolabs
Phone: +353876363185
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