Aggie Venture Accelerator Welcomes Inaugural Cohort of Life Science StartupsCopy of UC Davis Launches Aggie Venture Accelerator to Advance Early-Stage Life Science Innovation

By Phil Wade | July 13, 2026

The University of California, Davis Innovation and Economic Development Office has announced the inaugural cohort of the Aggie Venture Accelerator (AVA), selecting SinewUS, Pharm to Food and ThriveSpan Labs as the program’s first participating startups. Delivered in partnership with The March Group, a thematic venture capital firm, the accelerator provides founders with intensive mentorship, structured entrepreneurial training, strategic guidance and industry connections to help advance promising technologies toward commercialization.

Selected through a competitive application process, the inaugural cohort reflects the diversity of research being translated into commercial ventures at UC Davis. Innovations include a tendon-specific health platform from SinewUS; advanced analytical tools from Pharm to Food that provide actionable insights for food and health companies in product development; and a personalized approach to metabolic wellness from ThriveSpan Labs that offers diagnostics to support GLP-1 users.

The launch of the inaugural cohort marks an important milestone in UC Davis' continued investment in innovation and entrepreneurship. Building on the university's long history of research excellence, AVA helps bridge the gap between scientific discovery and commercialization by providing founders with the mentorship, expertise, funding and connections needed to grow their ventures.

"The launch of Aggie Venture Accelerator marks a transformative moment for our university," said George Baxter, chief innovation and economic development officer for UC Davis. "We have always united extraordinary people to solve the world's most urgent challenges. AVA provides a powerful new catalyst for transforming breakthrough discoveries into enduring companies, accelerating innovations that protect and nourish the lives of Californians and people around the world."

Over the next four months, founders will meet twice a week with the AVA team, representatives from The March Group and experienced industry mentors. The program is organized around three phases that help founders build strong business foundations, reduce technical and market risk, and prepare for raising capital. The program concludes with a Demo Day, where participating companies will present their technologies and business plans to venture capital firms and angel investors.

"The flagship startups selected for our first cohort exemplify what makes UC Davis exceptional," said Mike Lemcke, director of AVA. "They draw on world-class research, span disciplines and share a common purpose: translating scientific discovery into innovations that improve lives."

To learn more about the Aggie Venture Accelerator, visit the AVA website.

Media Contacts:

James Nash, UC Davis News and Media Relations, 530-219-0943, jnash@ucdavis.edu

Phil Wade, UC Davis Innovation and Economic Development Office, 530-757-8753, pmwade@ucdavis.edu

The March Group, contact@marchfund.com

About Aggie Venture Accelerator

Managed by the UC Davis Innovation and Economic Development Office, the Aggie Venture Accelerator (AVA) is focused on supporting early-stage life science startups seeking to solve complex problems at the interface of human, animal and planetary health. The program is offered in partnership with The March Group (TMG), a thematic early-stage VC investor with deep innovation expertise focused on startups with the potential for industry paradigm shifts in food and health accelerated by exponential technologies. The Aggie Venture Accelerator Fund, managed by TMG, invests in select startups participating in the accelerator.

To see more UC Davis news, visit our online newsroom: https://www.ucdavis.edu/news.