FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 8, 2025
HiveBio Accelerator, Powered by WorldUpstart Impacts and Seeded by Knight Foundation, Celebrates Graduation and $3.56M in New Investment for Diverse Life Sciences Startups
The inaugural cohort of HiveBio — a life sciences accelerator created for underrepresented founders — has graduated after a nine-month program, concluding with a Demo Day on December 3 at BioLabs for Advanced Therapeutics in Philadelphia. The program resulted in 8 of 10 companies securing funding during the accelerator, raising $3.56 million in new investment.
HiveBio was founded by biotech leaders Dr. Tia Lyles-Williams (LucasPye Bio, HelaPlex) and Becky Beattie (LaunchBio) as a program dedicated to supporting underrepresented founders in life sciences. To bring that vision to life, WorldUpstart Impacts secured $250,000 in seed funding from the Knight Foundation and was entrusted with designing, building, and operating the pilot accelerator program.
“These new investments to date indicate a 14× multiple on our investment, a clear reflection of the talent and potential within Philadelphia’s life sciences community,” said John Churchill, Knight Foundation’s Philadelphia Director. “The accelerator’s exceptional team is driving meaningful innovation and is on track to deliver outsized social and economic benefits for the region.”
The Demo Day attracted more than 50 attendees from across the investor community, including regional and national firms such as Robin Hood Ventures, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Mid-Atlantic Bio Angels, BioAdvance, Greenhouse Ventures (Harrisburg), Samyat BioPharma, Mission BioCapital (Boston), and Blackbird Lab (Maryland).
Participating in HiveBio’s structured support were ten early-stage companies selected through a competitive process. The full 2025 cohort includes:
● DRS,LINQ
● QuneUp
Over the course of the program, these companies participated in 26 expert-led sessions and more than 180 tailored mentoring meetings, covering regulatory strategy, IP, commercialization, clinical planning, and fundraising readiness.
Each week, the program brought together the participants and exceptional speakers from across the life sciences industry, resulting in meaningful conversations and expanded networks. “They gave me something I rarely get as a startup CEO: time to think, and the space to ask questions that matter,” said Christine Rohan, CEO of Vasowatch.
In recognition of its impact on inclusive biotech entrepreneurship, HiveBio was honored with the 2025 Technical.ly Power Move of the Year Award — a nod to the accelerator’s role in amplifying startup success for underrepresented founders.
Now that the pilot cohort has graduated, the momentum continues. The companies are entering new stages of growth with capital, mentorship, and investor connections — supported by a growing regional life sciences ecosystem committed to inclusive innovation.
About WorldUpstart Impacts
WorldUpstart Impacts is a nonprofit organization that builds founder-first commercialization ecosystems and accelerator programs for science-driven startups. With a focus on inclusive innovation, it supports global founders across biotech, MedTech, and deep-tech sectors.
About Knight Foundation
We are social investors who support a more effective democracy by funding free expression and journalism, arts and culture in the community, research in areas of media and democracy, and the success of American cities and towns where the Knight brothers once published newspapers.
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