2016 news masschallenge finalists announced 883x432 1

MassChallenge finalists announced

25 August 2016

The article at a glance

Two ventures supported by Cambridge Social Ventures at Cambridge Judge Business School are among finalists of the MassChallenge global accelerator programme. Two …

Two ventures supported by Cambridge Social Ventures at Cambridge Judge Business School are among finalists of the MassChallenge global accelerator programme.2016_news_masschallenge finalists announced_883x432

Two start-up ventures supported by Cambridge Social Ventures, part of the Centre for Social Innovation at Cambridge Judge, are among 100 UK finalists in MassChallenge, a global accelerator programme that begins in September 2016. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 1 December 2016.

Finalists will have access to mentors, free office space, corporate partners and the opportunity to win up to £50,000 in cash awards. There were more than 1,000 applications to the UK accelerator programme from 69 countries. Of the 100 finalists, 86 are from the UK, with others coming from countries ranging from China to Argentina to South Africa.

The UK finalists that are part of Cambridge Social Ventures are the Hertfordshire Milk Bank, which aims to provide a consistent source of safe, screened donor breast milk to neonatal units across London and the South East; and Prison Voicemail, which facilitates easier communication between prisoners and their families in order to strengthen family ties and reduce reoffending rates.

Last year, a venture mentored by Cambridge Social Ventures, Cambridge BioAugmentation Systems, won a cash prize of £50,000 through MassChallenge.