Apr 3, 2019   SOURCE: BusinessWire

EvoNexus Technology Incubator in Partnership with EMD Performance Materials is Accepting Applications to Admit New Startups

EvoNexus, Southern California’s leading startup incubator with locations in San Diego and Irvine, in partnership with EMD Performance Materials, the North America high-tech materials business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announced it has launched an open application round in search of early stage companies with emerging technologies and use cases relevant to EMD Performance Materials’ core business. EMD Performance Materials offers specialty materials and technologies that are critical to the functioning of electronic displays, semiconductor devices, as well as decorative and functional coatings.

“The EvoNexus incubator model is unique in that it’s providing top tier startups access to mentoring, access to capital, access to strategic partnerships, and collaborative working space allowing them to commercialize concepts and bring products and solutions to market quickly,” said Michael Matthews, Director of Partnerships at EMD Performance Materials. “We are looking forward to EvoNexus’ outreach to research institutions and entrepreneurs in this Application Round with us. The potential deal flow emerging from technology transfers, external partnerships for R&D and acquisition is important for us to anticipate and respond to market demands. EMD Performance Materials’ venture fund, M Ventures, has already invested in one EvoNexus portfolio company.”

Science and technology-based startups working on early stage solutions related to novel materials and technologies are encouraged to apply during this open round. Finalists will be considered for admission into the EvoNexus Technology Incubator/EMD Portfolio of Companies, as well as for early stage funding and additional EMD Performance Materials partnership opportunities, including corporate R&D connections, early business unit exposure, technology steering and potential Beta customer trials.

EMD Performance Materials is interested in startups developing:

New Materials & Processes related to…

  • Semiconductor Devices, electronic packaging & interconnects
  • Advanced sensors & displays
  • Electro-Optical devices
  • Functional, decorative, and bioactive additives for coatings

Complete the application to be considered for acceptance into the EMD Performance Materials sponsored EvoNexus Technology Incubator. The Incubator program begins June 2019. The deadline to apply is May 4th, 2019.

EMD Performance Materials is the world market and technology leader in liquid crystals for electronic displays that enable razor-sharp images in smartphones, tablet PCs, laptops and flat-screen TVs. EMD Performance Materials offers a broad portfolio of solutions from leading technologies that enable the production of semiconductor devices to groundbreaking OLED display materials. EMD is also a global market leader supplying decorative pigments, that impart unique reflective and pearlescent physical properties for coatings that add shimmer to automotive paints, sparkle in color cosmetics, and luminescence to coating on packaging and counterfeit-proof product labels. EMD Performance Materials develops functional materials such as antistatic floor coverings and heat-reflecting window blinds.

“Partnering with world leader EMD in search of early stage startups with novel performance materials for technology is important for the Region’s Innovation Ecosystem,” said Rory Moore, CEO and Co-Founder of EvoNexus. “As we continue to source entrepreneurs with groundbreaking ideas from our surrounding Community or evolve science developed in post doc labs at world class universities, we are expanding the boundaries of our Technology Incubator into sectors that improve the quality of our daily lives in many ways.”

EvoNexus enables motivated entrepreneurs to turn their transformative ideas into fundable, commercially-viable companies. Since 2013, 26 of our 200 portfolio companies have been acquired; seven were purchased during the last year. To date, our portfolio of companies has raised almost $1B in funding. EvoNexus Portfolio companies in this round will have the opportunity to advance from partnership opportunities with EMD Performance Materials, in addition to receiving EvoNexus Technology Incubator benefits including capital formation/funding, strategic partnerships, customer connections for go to market strategy, product development and commercialization, domain specific mentorship and up to 24 months of residency in Class A office and hardware development lab space.

About EMD Performance Materials

EMD Performance Materials is the North America high-tech materials business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Founded in 1668, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science, and performance materials. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, holds the global rights to the “Merck” name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials. Today, EMD Performance Materials has about 500 employees around the country with main headquarters in Philadelphia (PA). For more information, please visit www.emd-pm.com.

About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 52,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2018, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of € 14.8 billion in 66 countries.

The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark “Merck” internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Performance Materials. Since its founding 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company’s technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company.

About EvoNexus

EvoNexus is Southern California’s leading startup incubator with locations in San Diego and Irvine. We enable motivated entrepreneurs to turn their transformative technologies into fundable, commercially-viable companies. Since 2010, $1.6B in funding and acquisition outcomes have been achieved by EvoNexus startups. A total of 26 EvoNexus startups have been acquired since 2013. EvoNexus is supported by corporate investors, including some of the largest multinational corporations in the world. Its companies enjoy Class A offices and dry lab spaces provided by California’s leading commercial real estate developer the Irvine Company. For more information, please visit evonexus.org.