Worcester High-Tech Start Up Gets State Grant

WORCESTER, MA—This week, the Baker-Polito Administration awarded $3.4 million to 20 innovative, early-stage, high-growth companies in Massachusetts, including Worcester. These awards, a collaboration between the MassVentures START program and the MassCEC, will help grow employment opportunities, promote manufacturing and commercialization, and stimulate innovation across the Commonwealth. Today’s funding will support companies located across the Commonwealth spanning the technology sector, from robotics to clean energy to defense, according to the announcement.

Among the recipients of the START stage I program was Battery Resourcers, Worcester, which recycles lithium ion batteries such that the recovered components can be used in new batteries. “The Mass START program will enable Battery Resourcers to hire key commercial development personnel here in Masschussetts thereby accelerating our commercialization efforts specifically with regards to obtaining contracts for Battery Resourcers recovered cathode material,” said Eric Gratz, CEO, Battery Resourcers, in a statement.

“Our administration is committed to remaining a global leader in innovation and life sciences,” said Governor Charlie Baker in a statement. “Through the funding of the START program, we are pleased to provide vital support to these growing companies as they contribute to the Commonwealth’s robust innovation economy.”

“Massachusetts continues to lead the nation as a great place for companies to grow to scale,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash in a statement. “These awards allow start-up companies to leverage substantial federal dollars to pursue critical, cutting-edge research, moving from concept to commercialized products. We are happy to support programs like this, as well as our M2I2 Initiative, to help innovators bridge the gap from what is possible to real, tangible results.”

tThe START program in a span of seven years has awarded nearly $19 million to 74 Massachusetts Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II projects and helped winning companies raise additional capital of $278 million.

For 2018, MassVentures and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) have again partnered to increase the scope and capacity of the MassVentures START Program. MassCEC has committed up to $400,000 to START in 2018. The MassVentures and MassCEC cooperative endeavor is the result of the success of the expansion of START eligibility to recipients of US Department of Energy SBIR grants.

MassVentures’ Jerry Bird joined Marlborough Mayor Arthur Vigeant, Mass Clean Energy Center leadership, and members of the Marlborough Economic Development Corporation at Intrinsix Corp., a former START winner in Marlborough to announce the 2018 START winners.

“It was my pleasure to welcome the winning companies to Marlborough for this exciting announcement,”
said Vigeant in a statement.

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