The MTEC SmartZone has helped 13 companies advance into the next phase of growing a business. Through the Advanced Materials and Manufacturers Program Accelerator, the SmartZone’s experts have helped those companies raise more than $3.8 million for investment into 16 products.
“But in terms of where these companies are today, we’d have to go one by one to point them out. Some are continuing development of their product or prototype,” said Jason Mack, vice president of business development at MTEC SmartZone. “In some cases, we’ve just recently had Sequestro. They graduated from the university and they’ve moved off campus. They’ve gone after and picked up some additional funding. And so they are in a growth phase to really scale their production of their solution.”
The Advanced Materials and Manufacturers Program was established in 2024. The program provides expertise in filing patents and license agreements, as well as supporting companies filing trademarks and copyrights. Mack says the program wants to keep up the momentum of the past two cohorts.
“Again it all depends on where they come in at. In some cases they might need very specialized help in certain areas. In some cases they’re starting a little bit earlier, and we really need to elevate all aspects of their business,” Mack said. “So we have a strong curriculum that really can at least reinforce or support what they’ve done thus far in their entrepreneurial enterprise. Otherwise, we on purpose will poke holes and gaps in what they have to really elevate them. So they can stand on their own two feet.”
Mack adds that companies need to dedicate time and have a motivated team. From past experiences, he says
companies that rely on more than a single individual have had more success.
“We want them focused there and strong in technology, not just supporting it, but we want something that is new, different, novel, unique that might be part of their solution. We also want a strong team,” Mack said.
When the program does not have the expertise in house, Mack says MTEC SmartZone will bring in additional help to assist emerging businesses work through solutions to challenges before an issue becomes too big to handle.
“We bring in folks that really have the strongest aptitude in those particular pieces, whether it’s a financial forecast modeling, whether it’s customer discovery, whatever it might be, we try to bring the best and the brightest minds to help support these startup companies,” Mack said.
Applications have opened for the 2026 Advanced Materials and Manufacturers Program cohort with the MTEC SmartZone. The three-month-long program can help a motivated group work out challenges they’ve already come across in developing their business. Mack adds companies interested in joining the next cohort will need to complete documents before Feb. 27. The MTEC SmartZone hopes to work with at least five companies this coming summer.
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