MassChallenge Launches Breakthrough Bio to Speed Startups into the U.S. Market

The inaugural program connects biotech and medtech startups from Israel and Taiwan with U.S. investors, regulators, mentors and industry partners.

BOSTON, July 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- MassChallenge launches Breakthrough Bio, a global program built to give top biotech and medtech startups in-depth access to the U.S. life sciences ecosystem and the commercialization support that has long been out of reach from abroad. The Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) and Taiwan's Development Center for Biotechnology (DCB) join Breakthrough Bio as its inaugural partners, leading the way for their startup ecosystems.

Innovation in biotech and medtech has gone global. Groundbreaking science and technology are emerging from academic labs, corporate spinouts, and founder-led startups across Israel, Taiwan, and other countries worldwide. What has not kept pace is access. The capital, mentorship, regulatory expertise and industry relationships that turn breakthroughs into products that reach patients and create durable companies remain concentrated in a few ecosystems.

Breakthrough Bio exists to close that gap. With deep roots in the U.S. life sciences ecosystem, MassChallenge gives high-potential startups from Israel and Taiwan a direct, guided path into one of the most critical expansion markets for their growth, helping them form strategic partnerships, secure investment, and accelerate the development and early market entry that turn breakthroughs into scalable companies.

Breakthrough Bio provides a highly personalized commercialization experience tailored to each company's stage, technology and growth objectives. Participating startups receive curated engagement with U.S. investors, pharmaceutical and healthcare leaders, regulatory experts, talent, mentors and business development partners.

The program kicks off in early January 2027, anchored by ecosystem immersions on the ground in Boston and Cambridge, in San Diego around LSI USA and in Philadelphia around the 2027 BIO International Convention. Between immersions, participants continue with personalized virtual engagement from a curated roster of expert mentors, targeted curriculum and hands-on preparation for each conference and ecosystem visit. At each stop, MassChallenge guides participants through the largest and most influential gatherings in the field and brings the full weight of the U.S. ecosystem to bear on their success.

Applications for the inaugural Israel cohort open July 29 and close at 12:00 p.m. Israel time on August 18, 2026. Eligibility details and the application are available upon logging into the Israel Innovation Authority online portal at https://innovationisrael.org.il/en/calls_for_proposal/pilots-accelerator-biotech-medtech/.

Applications for the Taiwan cohort open September 1, 2026, and close October 16, 2026. Eligibility details and application information will be available through MassChallenge and the Development Center for Biotechnology closer to the opening date.

Cait Brumme, CEO, MassChallenge: "Great science is being created everywhere, but the path to market still is not open to everyone. Breakthrough Bio goes beyond exposure programs to give the best companies from these ecosystems the one-to-one support, regulatory guidance, investor relationships and industry connections that accelerate commercialization faster, so their innovations reach patients here and in their home countries."

Dror Bin, CEO, Israel Innovation Authority: "Israel is home to a vibrant innovation ecosystem that consistently produces world-class technologies and companies. One of the most important challenges for early-stage startups, however, is transforming technological excellence into commercial success by securing their first strategic customers and partners in global markets. That is where the Israel Innovation Authority plays a critical role in helping promising startups bridge this critical gap by connecting them with the right ecosystems, expertise and opportunities. Breakthrough Bio provides exactly this kind of bridge, enabling Israeli biotech and medtech companies to validate their technologies, forge strategic partnerships and accelerate their path to international growth. By helping more Israeli startups succeed globally, we strengthen both our innovation ecosystem and Israel's position as a leading hub for science, technology and innovation."

Tsai-Kun Li, President, Development Center for Biotechnology: "With National Health Insurance and science institutes, exemplified by DCB, based on a public-private partnership, Taiwan has built up one of the most dynamic biotech and medtech ecosystems in Asia, with a growing startup pipeline ready to leap into global markets. It has been a great challenge for many of them to soft-land in the U.S. market. Sustained access to investors, regulatory expertise and industry partners who understand how to translate innovation into commercialization in the U.S. is needed. Breakthrough Bio bonds our efforts and connects Taiwan's bio-clusters and startups with leading U.S. life sciences hubs. Through our leadership of the BIO HUB at the National Biotechnology Research Park, we bring together resources from industry and government with academic strengths in basic research and clinical medicine to boost young startups. Cooperation with Breakthrough Bio and MassChallenge further opens critical pathways for introducing 'created in Taiwan' innovations to the U.S. market. Moreover, enhanced by the Taiwan-Berkeley Health Innovation Accelerator, the joint program driven by Taiwan's National Development Council and the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, this partnership gives Taiwanese innovations access to complementary networks and commercialization resources across both the East and West Coasts."

Partnership Inquiries
Government and innovation agencies interested in participating in the 2027-28 Breakthrough Bio program can contact John Valentine, Senior Director of Industry Alliances, at [email protected].

About MassChallenge

MassChallenge is a global institution that backs startups building solutions to complex, systems-critical challenges, working where complexity is high and the path to market is hardest. Founded in Boston, Massachusetts, with offices in Texas, Israel, Switzerland and the UK, MassChallenge connects startups with the partners, programs and capital needed to accelerate commercialization and real-world impact. Since 2009, MassChallenge has supported more than 5,000 startups that have raised over $27 billion in funding. Learn more at masschallenge.org.

SOURCE MassChallenge