Editas Medicine Selected for Hottest Healthcare Startup at the New England Venture Capital Association’s 2014 NEVY Awards
Boston, MA – May 15, 2014 – On May 14, the New England Venture Capital Association (NEVCA) announced that Editas Medicine, a transformative genome editing company, was named the winner of Hottest Healthcare Startup at the 2014 NEVY Awards, presented by IDA Ireland and Johnson & Johnson Innovation, at Boston’s House of Blues. For the second year in a row, the Awards honored the best and the brightest in the region’s technology and healthcare startup ecosystem.
The Hottest Healthcare Startup honors companies that are “setting the world on fire.” Nominees are in seed through C stage, received funding between the last NEVY Awards (April 2013) and late February 2014, and have not yet exited. Editas Medicine is a genome editing company founded by five world leaders in the fields of genome editing, protein engineering, and molecular and structural biology, with specific expertise in CRISPR/Cas9 and TALENs technologies. The company’s mission is to translate its genome editing technology into a novel class of human therapeutics that enable precise and corrective molecular modification to treat the underlying cause of a broad range of diseases at the genetic level.
The awards event featured surprise appearances from Governor Deval Patrick, who helped kick off the show, and NEVCA President/Bessemer Venture Partners General Partner Steve Kraus. Over 700 entrepreneurs, investors and supporters joined the NEVCA at the House of Blues in Boston to rub elbows and give props to the game-changing people and companies who make New England’s startup community so dynamic. In addition to Hottest Startup, awards included Rising Star Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur of the Year, Fund of the Year, and Rising Star VC. Kevin Bitterman, interim President of Editas Medicine and Partner of Polaris Ventures, was named the winner of the Rising Star VC - Healthcare award.
“New England saw dozens of important tech and healthcare IPOs, exits and deals this year. For the second year in a row, it was a thrill to gather so many important investors, company creators and their teams in one room to honor their hard work,” said C.A. Webb, Executive Director of the NEVCA. “These entrepreneurs are a force of nature and are transforming their industries from primary care to childcare, from travel to drug discovery. It was a big year for us and it looks like 2015 will be an even stronger year for major announcements from New England’s startup community.”
Sponsors of this year’s NEVY Awards are IDA Ireland, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Beta Boston, Tesla, Mattermark, Cowen, Fresh Tilled Soil, Leerink Partners, SHIFT Communications, Alexandria Real Estate, Highland Capital Partners, Polachi, Russell Reynolds, and Skyscope Creative.
About Editas Medicine
Editas Medicine is a transformative genome editing company founded by five world leaders in the fields of genome editing, protein engineering, and molecular and structural biology, with specific expertise in CRISPR/Cas9 and TALENs technologies. The company’s mission is to translate its genome editing technology into a novel class of human therapeutics that enable precise and corrective molecular modification to treat the underlying cause of a broad range of diseases at the genetic level. Editas Medicine was launched in November 2013 with funding from Flagship Ventures, Polaris Partners and Third Rock Ventures with participation from Partners Innovation Fund. For more information, visit www.editasmedicine.com.
About the New England Venture Capital Association
As a group of investors at firms that range from small to large and from tech to life science, members of the New England Venture Capital Association (NEVCA) share a common goal: to maintain a vibrant startup ecosystem in New England. With more than 700 venture capital professionals from 90 firms, our members collectively manage more than $50 billion in capital. The NEVCA is sponsored by Cooley, KPMG, Silicon Valley Bank, Danforth Advisors, GE Healthymagination, JLL, Mason & Mason Insurance, and Pearl Meyer & Partners.
For more information, please contact Dominic Weeks at (617) 779 1818 or nevca@shiftcomm.com.
