In the world of women’s health innovation, we constantly hear that the lack of funding and investment is due to lack of research and clinical data.
So we’re flipping the script and putting science first, matching a fervent aspiring entrepreneur with promising research.
This is a great exercise in entrepreneurship. Selected participants will get an AthenaDAO translational research project in the area of ovarian aging.
They will get 10 days to prepare a pitch on the type of company they would launch with this research. What is the problem, market size, solution, team, etc.
They will then pitch their startup ideas to an amazing group of seasoned industry operators. Everything happens online.
Chief Medical Officer and co-Founder
Ovom Care
Founder, CEO
Vibe Bio
All initial application should be submitted by January 2nd, by 12pm EST. We are looking for individuals who want to take on the challenge of developing and commercialising a women's health research project. This is NOT a regular pitch competition. We are looking for entrepreneurial individuals, not companies.
A panel of AthenaDAO experts reviews applicants CVs, LinkedIn profiles, and more to select the contestants who make it through from December 16th to January 5th.
Semi finalists will be contacted to do a 30-minute interview between January 8th and 10th. Finalist are announced on January 10th.
The finalists will have access to mentorship by AthenaDAO Core Leads between January 11th to January 24th.
The finalists will pitch live on January 25th, followed by Q&A sessions with an expert AthenaDAO panel.
Esteemed judges, including industry leaders, venture capitalists, researchers, and the AthenaDAO team evaluate the final presentations and choose one winner.
The winner transitions into the leadership role, developing the business and engaging with the AthenaDAO community.
All researchers are welcome to apply, including professors, post-docs, research scientists, and even students. We can also fund early stage biotech startups! There is no limitation to institution or country of origin and no Web3 knowledge is required.
We would prioritize translational projects or ones with translational potential down the line. If you’re not sure whether your project is a good fit for AthenaDAO funding, you can connect with the 👉 AthenaDAO discord community for guidance, or ✉️ contact us.
Research with translation potential in underfunded areas of female reproductive health is our focus. We particularly want to fund the projects that are ‘moonshots’ – potentially revolutionary. On occasion we will also fund more ‘basic’ research. Current areas of focus:
• Ovarian and reproductive aging
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome & Uterine fibroids
• Endometriosis
You apply with a grant-style application, our team of senior reviewers (professors, scientists, biotech operators, VC investors) will provide initial feedback. We will help you polish the project to comport with industry-standards for R&D, and then you submit a final application – following which we quickly provide feedback and next steps.
(Note: Existing biotech & femtech startups are also eligible for funding from AthenaDAO.
No, it’s not necessary to already own project IP.
After you fill out the application form, our internal team will do a preliminary assessment and get in touch if additional information is required. A panel of senior scientists will then assess the current project cohort. After projects are approved we will negotiate the deal terms with the appropriate institution. Depending on the project, funding could be provided in full or separated by milestones.
When funding is finalized we will ask for quarterly updates on the projects.
Yes. We are interested in all women's health research project. Please submit your project here.
The Research Project Call for Submissions is currently closed. Please subscribe to our newsletter to hear from us about upcoming submissions dates.
