About the WCBA Program

What is WCBA?

Westchester County’s Biosciences Accelerator, WCBA, is a competitive entry accelerator program for first time bioscience founders.  

We introduce these founders to entrepreneurship, mentorship and business building resources. We offer six-months free, customized founder education through:  

• Weekly connections with mentors 

• Weekly feedback from a coach on skill development  

• Workshops and office hours with SME’s  

• Networking events to connect to the Westchester business community 

Founders share their goals in the application and aspects of the program are tailored to meet the founders’ needs. 

WCBA is for first time founders at any development stage. 

Alumni ventures technologies include: 

Biotechnology • Diagnostics • Medical Devices • Digital Health • Materials • Research Tools  

Program structure: 

The program begins with a three week, six day bootcamp. Bootcamp is a fast-paced introduction to business planning where participants also practice the skill of pitching their ventures. We bring in a variety of business experts to present, which also gives participants a chance to grow their network. 

Afterwards are fifteen weeks of small group instruction. During these fifteen weeks, participants will: 

• Follow a weekly curriculum designed to help participants develop their business plans with depth and specificity and get investor ready. 

• Meet weekly with a coach, who is an ex-founder with expertise in the participant’s field who provides mentorship, feedback, and guidance. 

• Attend webinars which are one-hour seminars taught by mentors and business professionals in their field of expertise. Webinars are offered two to three times a week. A sample of webinar topics from 2024 includes: 

• • Intellectual Property Strategy 

• • Valuation Methods, Strategy, Financing Options, Deal Structures 

• • Non-dilutive Fundraising 

• • Customer Discovery 

• • Managing and Developing Your Team 

• Attend office hours: one-on-one meetings offered by professionals in our network for participants to ask questions and advice. 

• Attend monthly roundtables, in-person events designed for networking and learning. Roundtables often include a keynote from a speaker (either an alumni or relevant community member) as well as a reception with opportunities to network with cohort and people from the community to help build business 

In late May, the program culminates in Pitch Day. On Pitch Day, we invite investors, corporate supporters, economic development professionals, prospective applicants, program alumni, coaches, and mentors, to celebrate the progress of the ventures and scout investment opportunities. Previous Pitch Days have had attendances upwards of 150 people.  

During Pitch Day, participants give a 5 minute pitch of their company and respond to live Q&A from the audience. After the pitch, participants have the opportunity to meet with prospective investors and partners. 

Interested in participating in WCBA? 

View our Selection Criteria page for more information.

View our FAQ for more information.

Register for our Info Sessions (offered July through October), listed on our Program Events Calendar.

Check out our LinkedIn.