From new approaches to Alzheimer’s disease and cancer treatment to smarter biomanufacturing and laboratory technologies, seven emerging companies see Rhode Island as a place to build and grow.
Rhode Island’s life sciences industry is growing, and a new generation of companies sees an opportunity to help shape its future.
Seven emerging life sciences companies will comprise the Founders Compass program, which is housed at Ocean State Labs, and is designed to help early-stage businesses overcome barriers to laboratory access and advance promising scientific technologies.
Their work spans new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and atrial fibrillation, as well as innovations in wound care, biomanufacturing, and artificial intelligence.
In their applications, these companies pointed to Rhode Island’s research institutions, clinical expertise, growing laboratory infrastructure, collaborative environment, and proximity to the Northeast’s biotechnology industry as reasons to build here.
For Rhode Island, their growth represents an opportunity to create specialized jobs, attract investment, strengthen emerging industries, and bring scientific discoveries closer to improving patients’ lives.
Helping Promising Life Science Companies Take Their Next Steps
Early-stage life sciences companies often need specialized laboratory facilities long before they have the resources to establish their own.
Founders Compass helps address this challenge by offering eligible companies up to 12 months of rent-free laboratory space at Ocean State Labs.
By reducing the cost of accessing laboratory infrastructure, the program helps companies focus more of their resources on research, development, and commercialization while building connections within Rhode Island’s growing life sciences ecosystem.
Meet the Companies
Pursuing new approaches to Alzheimer’s disease
Founded by Brown University researchers Ryan O’Rourke, PhD, and Alvin Huang, MD, PhD, Acre Therapeutics is developing a new approach to treating Alzheimer’s disease. Its technology uses antisense oligonucleotides, a type of nucleic acid-based medicine, to target BIN1, a genetic risk factor associated with the disease. By seeking to restore cellular processes responsible for managing harmful tau proteins, Acre aims to slow their accumulation and potentially reduce disease progression.
Why Rhode Island?
“Our goal is therefore not simply to use Rhode Island as a location for laboratory space, but to establish Acre as a long-term Rhode Island life sciences company that contributes to the state’s scientific talent base, economic growth, and biotechnology ecosystem.”
— Acre Therapeutics Founders Compass Application
Acre sees Rhode Island’s strengths in neuroscience, RNA therapeutics, and healthy aging as advantages for its development, particularly through connections with Brown University’s scientific and clinical expertise. Proximity to Boston and New York also provides access to biotechnology talent, investors, and potential development partners.
In a letter of support, Karen G. Bulock, PhD, Managing Director of Brown Biomedical Innovations at Brown University, emphasized Acre’s potential contribution:
“Acre is also well positioned to contribute back to the Rhode Island ecosystem by developing and retaining high-value biotechnology locally, creating opportunities for scientific and entrepreneurial talent, and strengthening connections among academic research, startup formation, and therapeutic development.”
– Karen G. Bulock, PhD, Managing Director of Brown Biomedical Innovations at Brown University
Acre intends to establish its long-term research and business operations in Rhode Island, with opportunities to expand laboratory capabilities, create specialized jobs, and engage local research and professional service providers as its program advances and financing is secured.
For Rhode Island, Acre represents an opportunity to translate university research into a growing biotechnology company while strengthening the state’s neuroscience and RNA therapeutics capabilities. Its work could ultimately contribute to new treatments for individuals and families affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
Making biomanufacturing faster, more affordable, and more flexible
Ensemble Biosystems is a Providence-based biotechnology and services company developing quantum-native biomanufacturing platform to make production of therapeutics more efficient, affordable, and accessible. Ensemble combines modular and scalable hardware, real-time Quantum-enhanced digital twins, and agentic system control into coordinated ensembles of mathematically deterministic described agents grounded in physics that continuously sense, decide, and optimize production across an intelligent, modular reactor. By scaling production across multiple bioreactor units rather than relying on increasingly larger vessels, Ensemble aims to reduce manufacturing costs, improve reliability, and make production more adaptable.
Founded in 2025 and led by CEO Saara Mansouri, PhD, who previously worked at Moderna and BioAgilytix, Ensemble has developed an operational technology with its IP being protected. In its Founders Compass application, the company reported more than 20 prospective customer leads and three signed letters of intent.
Why Rhode Island?
“This ecosystem offers a capital-efficient operating environment compared to legacy hubs like Cambridge, while retaining direct access to the Northeast’s elite biopharma talent pool.”
— Ensemble Biosystems Founders Compass Application
Ensemble sees Rhode Island’s lower operating costs, access to regional biotechnology talent, and proximity to established pharmaceutical companies and investors as advantages for developing and commercializing its technology.
The company intends to establish its permanent headquarters and future commercial biomanufacturing operations in Rhode Island, with plans to create specialized jobs in bioprocess engineering, artificial intelligence, data science, and commercial operations.
For Rhode Island, Ensemble represents an opportunity to expand advanced biomanufacturing capabilities, strengthen connections between industry and research institutions, and create new career pathways in biotechnology. More broadly, innovations that make biologic medicines faster and less expensive to manufacture could help promising treatments reach patients sooner.
Helping scientists work smarter with artificial intelligence
EQLabs is a Providence-based technology company developing artificial intelligence tools designed to make laboratory research more efficient, accurate, and reproducible. Its flagship platform, VERA (Vision-Enabled Reasoning Agent), uses computer vision and voice technology to capture and document scientific experiments in real time, helping researchers reduce manual documentation and preserve important experimental details.
Founded in 2025, EQLabs is led by co-founders Bahar Bilgen, PhD, CEO, a former Principal Scientist at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and Özge Whiting, PhD, CTO, who previously served as Vice President of Data and Machine Learning at Cellino Biotech. In its Founders Compass application, the company reported using VERA in four laboratories at Brown University and Harvard, capturing more than 170 experimental runs with greater than 98%
note-taking accuracy.
Why Rhode Island?
“Rhode Island has the density we need without the noise: enough research activity to generate the problem VERA solves, and small enough that a startup can reach the people actually running experiments.”
— EQLabs Founders Compass Application
Rhode Island has been central to EQLabs’ development. Both founders live and work in the state, and the company has maintained a presence at Ocean State Labs since May 2026. EQLabs has also received investment led by the Slater Technology Fund, connecting it to Rhode Island’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Through Founders Compass, EQLabs aims to continue developing its technology, strengthen relationships with local research institutions, and expand its engineering and commercial operations in Rhode Island.
For the state, EQLabs represents an opportunity to connect biomedical research with emerging artificial intelligence technologies, create specialized technical jobs, and help laboratories generate more reliable scientific data. By reducing the administrative burden of research, tools like VERA could also accelerate discoveries and support the development of new medical treatments and technologies.
Developing next-generation cell therapies for difficult-to-treat cancers
Liseva Bio is a Providence-based biotechnology company developing an off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cell therapy for difficult-to-treat cancers, initially focusing on platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. Its proprietary Liseva Cellular Armor Technology (LCAT) is designed to help immune cells withstand the hostile environment inside tumors, with the goal of helping them survive longer and sustain their cancer-fighting activity.
Founded by CEO Joseph Hoffmann, PhD, who brings more than 15 years of cell therapy development experience, Liseva is also led by Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Hoffmann, PhD, Executive Director of the New England Medical Innovation Center (NEMIC).
Why Rhode Island?
“Over a longer horizon, Liseva Bio’s ambition is to be a company that demonstrates Rhode Island can be a place where a life science startup begins in a shared incubator, builds a scientific program in partnership with its universities and hospitals, recruits and retains scientific talent, and advances a therapy to the clinic — all without leaving the state.”
— Liseva Bio Founders Compass Application
Rhode Island’s clinical research community is central to Liseva Bio’s development. The company is collaborating with researchers at Women & Infants Hospital on preclinical ovarian cancer research. It also has the support of leading gynecologic oncologists in the state, who describe treatment-resistant ovarian cancer as one of the most difficult problems in their field. Choices are limited, and many patients are not well served by currently available options.
For Rhode Island, Liseva Bio represents an opportunity to advance locally connected cancer research toward new therapies while strengthening the state’s capabilities in women’s health, oncology, and advanced cell therapy.
Developing next-generational materials that sense and respond to bacterial activity
Red Maple LifeSciences is a Providence-based medical technology company developing a new generation of wound-care materials designed to sense and respond to bacterial activity at the wound site. Its EnzyLock platform technology can be engineered to provide a visual indication of bacterial activity or release an antimicrobial agent locally when triggered. The technology aims to improve the management of pathogenic bacteria at the wound site, particularly following surgery, when complications can lead to additional treatment, hospital readmissions, and prolonged recovery.
Founded in 2026, Red Maple emerged from research at Brown University. The company is led by co-founder and CEO Alec McCall, PhD, a Brown-trained biomedical engineer; co-founder and COO William Ash, ScM, who brings medical-device industry experience from Integra LifeSciences; and scientific founder and Interim Chief Scientific Officer Anita Shukla, PhD, a Brown University professor whose laboratory developed the foundational technology.
Why Rhode Island?
“Rhode Island provides an environment where an early-stage company can build meaningful relationships across the ecosystem.”
— Red Maple LifeSciences Founders Compass Application
Rhode Island is central to Red Maple’s development. The company’s technology originated at Brown University, where it is currently executing its exclusive option to license the underlying patents through Brown Technology Innovations. Red Maple also sees Providence’s clinical institutions, medical-device expertise, entrepreneurial resources, and proximity to Boston as advantages for its growth.
The company intends to expand its headquarters, research activities, and technical workforce in Rhode Island while pursuing relationships with local hospitals for future clinical research and product evaluation. It also plans to explore partnerships with regional manufacturers and suppliers.
For Rhode Island, Red Maple represents an opportunity to turn university research into a growing medical technology company, creating specialized jobs and strengthening the state’s medical-device industry. If successfully developed and validated, its wound dressings could help healthcare providers detect and respond to pathogenic bacteria earlier, reduce complications, and improve patient recovery.
Discovering potential new drugs for atrial fibrillation using engineered human heart tissues, advanced sensors, and artificial intelligence.
TEEM Therapeutics is a Providence-based biotechnology company developing a new approach to discovering medicines for atrial fibrillation (AFib), a common heart rhythm disorder affecting millions worldwide. The company is developing drugs by growing engineered human heart tissues, or “mini-hearts,” from patient-derived stem cells and combines them with advanced sensors and artificial intelligence to identify potential treatments targeting the electrical dysfunction underlying AFib, while seeking to reduce harmful cardiac side effects.
Founded in 2025, TEEM is led by Kareen Coulombe, PhD, Academic Founder and President and Associate Professor of Engineering at Brown University; Arvin Soepriatna, PhD, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer; and Bum-Rak Choi, PhD, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer. Choi is also a Brown University medical school faculty member and investigator at Rhode Island Hospital.
Why Rhode Island?
“The state’s attention to growing the life sciences sector is attractive, as resources and momentum are increasing and bringing talent to the state.”
— TEEM Therapeutics Founders Compass Application
TEEM’s founders have longstanding connections to Rhode Island’s academic and cardiovascular research communities. Operating in Providence allows the company to maintain those relationships while benefiting from the laboratory infrastructure, shared equipment, and entrepreneurial resources at Ocean State Labs, where it already maintains operations.
Founders Compass could help TEEM advance its research and pursue investment and strategic partnerships. In a letter of support, Elazer R. Edelman, MD, PhD, a professor at MIT and Harvard Medical School and senior attending physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, emphasized the potential impact:
“This support would meaningfully accelerate TEEM’s path from academic discovery to an investable, Rhode Island–based biotechnology company.”
As its technology advances, TEEM envisions collaborating with Rhode Island cardiologists and healthcare institutions on future clinical research. For the state, the company’s growth could create specialized scientific jobs, attract investment, and strengthen connections between university research and the development of new cardiovascular treatments.
Velatrope Therapeutics, Inc.
Targeting brain inflammation to develop new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease
Founded in 2026, Velatrope Therapeutics is a Rhode Island-based biotechnology company developing a new approach to treating Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. Its technology uses engineered nanoparticles designed to deliver therapeutic molecules to specific disease-associated immune cells in the brain, including microglia and astrocytes that lead to the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases. By targeting harmful inflammatory responses, the company aims to protect the connections between nerve cells that are essential for memory and cognition.
The company is led by Kuldeep Neote, PhD, co-founder and CEO; Stevin Zorn, PhD, co-founder and COO; and Robert B. Nelson, PhD, co-founder and Vice President of Biology. Together, they bring decades of pharmaceutical research and development experience, including leadership roles at Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Lundbeck, and MindImmune Therapeutics.
Why Rhode Island?
“Rhode Island allows Velatrope to combine the resources of the broader East Coast biotechnology corridor with a more capital-efficient, collaborative, and strategically aligned environment in which to build and grow the company.”
— Velatrope Therapeutics Founders Compass Application
Velatrope sees Rhode Island’s growing strengths in neuroscience, RNA technologies, immunology, and healthy aging as closely aligned with its research. Co-founders Zorn and Nelson also hold faculty appointments at the University of Rhode Island, connecting the company to the state’s neuroscience research community.
Through Founders Compass, access to laboratory space and shared equipment at Ocean State Labs could help Velatrope advance its technology while directing more resources toward research and development.
For Rhode Island, Velatrope represents an opportunity to attract experienced pharmaceutical leadership, create specialized scientific jobs, and strengthen the connection between local neuroscience research and the development of new medicines.
Building a Stronger Life Sciences Future for Rhode Island
The seven companies in Founders Compass are pursuing different scientific and technological challenges, but they share an important belief: Rhode Island offers an opportunity to build and grow innovative life sciences businesses.
Some are translating research from local universities into new commercial technologies. Others bring industry experience, emerging technologies, and ambitions to expand their operations in the state. Together, they represent the potential to strengthen Rhode Island’s capabilities in neuroscience, cancer therapeutics, medical devices, artificial intelligence, and advanced biomanufacturing.
As these companies advance, they could create specialized jobs, attract investment, deepen partnerships with Rhode Island’s research and healthcare institutions, and help establish the state as a destination for emerging life sciences businesses.
The ultimate opportunity extends beyond economic development. These companies are working toward technologies that could improve how diseases are treated, how medicines are manufactured, and how scientific discoveries are made.
By helping promising companies build their futures in Rhode Island, we’re also building the foundation for new economic opportunities, scientific breakthroughs, and better healthcare.
