ACTIVATE Launches Bolstering Resources for Innovators from Developing and Growing Ecosystems (BRIDGE)

New hard tech entrepreneurial program expands organization's offerings beyond its flagship fellowship

BERKELEY, CA, UNITED STATES, May 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Activate today announced the launch of Bolstering Resources for Innovators from Developing and Growing Ecosystems (BRIDGE), a structured group learning experience that helps science innovators explore pathways to commercial impact, with active implementations now underway in Louisiana and Japan.

Designed to equip researchers with the entrepreneurial mindset, techno-economic tools, and fundraising skills, BRIDGE is delivered in partnership with research institutes, universities, government agencies, innovation hubs, and corporations through a flexible model tailored to each partner's needs. With early programs underway, Activate is seeking additional partners to bring BRIDGE to new campuses, communities, and countries.
“BRIDGE builds the entrepreneurial mindset where the seeds have to be planted — at the research stage,” said Sarah Morrill, Executive Vice President of Activate. “This supports researchers in applying a commercial lens to their continued research development and derisking their technology and market before they incorporate.”

In Louisiana, BRIDGE is being delivered in partnership with Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL) to advance carbon tech entrepreneurship across the state. The program runs a six-month Core Track of self-paced content, monthly virtual sessions, and peer learning forums open to graduate students, postdocs, early-career industry innovators, and pre-incorporation teams statewide, as well as a two-month Founders Intensive offering one-on-one coaching, deeper mentorship, and access to national networks for a select cohort.

“Programs like BRIDGE and the Founders’ Intensive are about building the full support system around innovators, not just the idea itself,” said FUEL Director of Workforce Development Lacy McManus. “When you connect people to the right mentors, peers, and resources early, you start to see more of those ideas turn into IP-based startups that can grow and stay in Louisiana."

The Japan BRIDGE program is led by the Bureau of Science, Technology and Innovation of the cabinet office, Japan, as part of the Startup Campus initiative. The 9-month experience supports deep-tech founders who are pre-incorporation and still embedded in a research lab. The program runs through four sequential learning blocks built on core Activate curriculum, layered with monthly one-on-one mentoring from an Activate Entrepreneur-in-Residence, group coaching sessions, and biweekly peer pods. Participants also take part in a U.S. immersion experience to connect with Activate fellows and American deep-tech networks.

“In Japan, there has been a gap between research and commercialization. While the country produces world-class science, there have been limited opportunities to support deep tech commercialization from the research stage. As a result, many promising technologies have not fully translated into globally competitive businesses,” said Junji Takaoka, Incubation Partner, UTokyo Innovation Platform Co., Ltd., and Executive Director, GATS Program Global Startup Campus Initiative. “BRIDGE is designed to address this. By helping researchers apply a commercial lens early and reduce both technology and market risks, it supports the creation of deep tech startups that are built to scale from the outset. We believe BRIDGE will become a key pillar of Japan’s deep tech ecosystem—strengthening the pathway from research to global impact.”

The program's dual goals — building founder readiness and forging cross-border ties with the U.S. hard-tech ecosystem — illustrate how BRIDGE adapts its structure to local context while keeping its commercialization outcomes consistent. Together, these programs demonstrate a broader effort to strengthen the global pipeline of hard tech from lab to market. For more information about BRIDGE programming, visit Activate.org.

About Activate Global
Activate is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming scientific discoveries into real-world impact. By building the community that drives science into impact, Activate is accelerating the leadership of scientists and engineers to shape the future of hard-tech for good. Since 2015, Activate’s flagship fellowship program has supported nearly 300 fellows across the United States who have launched over 230 companies and secured more than $5 billion in follow-on funding. Through partnerships with government, philanthropy, universities, and industry, Activate advances models for private investment, public sector support, and academic collaboration that enable the commercialization of transformative technologies and empower innovation at every stage by bridging business and science. Learn more at Activate.org.

Whitney McGoram
McGoram Consulting
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