NEMIC's Newest Fellows Find Fellowship at Spring Showcase + Pitch Event
NEMIC’s recent graduation and spring showcase “StartUps and Scaleups” proved to be a special event for the graduates.
The event, held at Venture Cafe in Providence, was a culmination of the latest NEMIC programs, including the Med Tech Leadership Program, the DLT Accelerator, and the inaugural EMPOWER Accelerator.
Not only was it the first time NEMIC held a public graduation, but it’s also the first time we’ve brought all of the program cohorts together.
"This is why we wanted to do a public event. Not only to showcase the hard work of all of the awardees, but also create the opportunity for people from every facet of our ecosystem to mix and mingle and get to know each other," said NEMIC Executive Director Maey Petrie.
Several of NEMIC’s newest fellows said the format was eye-opening - making them realize how broad and valuable NEMIC’s ecosystem is.
"It's overwhelming in the best way. You're in your little accelerator world, your tunnel vision world. But this event allows you to zoom out and see all of these other companies that probably came in with similar problems to solve. Now, I'm part of this cohort and part of this family in Rhode Island. It's just outstanding," said Greg Calderiso, Just Breathe Founder and NEMIC DLT Accelerator Awardee. "It's going to sound cliche, but the program really accelerates you. You have access to people who have been in the business and who are willing to share with you their networks and help you refine your time, so you're spending it exactly in the right place.”
"The connections that are just in this room are so incredible, so I feel truly grateful to have access to those connections and the potential opportunities that could come from them," said Emily Bernstein, Wheelhouse Health Navigation founder, and EMPOWER Accelerator Awardee. "NEMIC has been incredibly kind, warm, and helpful, but more importantly, strategic and constructive. I've grown so much and feel so much more confident since beginning this program. I feel empowered to tackle what's next."
Even seasoned NEMIC fellows were excited about the event.
"The community around Providence and around NEMIC has been amazing. It's great to connect with people and share with them everything we've done in the past year," said Egal Pads on a Roll CEO Penelope Finnie, who shared that the company is in the process of raising a Series A and is expanding globally. The company is selling Pads on a Roll in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom and is about to enter the market in Europe, Japan, and the Middle East.
NEMIC will be announcing registration for its fall program toward the end of summer. If you want updates, be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our monthly newsletter.