Twenty-three female founders celebrated the completion of their 12-week business accelerator program led by Stella Labs. During the July 11 Female Founder Demo Night event held at Sony Electronics in Rancho Bernardo, the startup leaders presented enriched business plans to 150 fellow entrepreneurs, prospective investors, startup mentors and friends. The event was co-hosted by Sony Electronics.

“With the guidance and support of 80 startup mentors over 12 weeks, these determined founders have strengthened their companies and are prepared for a new stage of growth,” said Briana Weisinger, interim director of Stella Labs, formerly Hera Labs.

The 23 new graduates include:

• Cynthia Morgan-Reed of Vanst Law: a virtual law firm that offers rates at up to 70 percent less than a traditional law firm. Attorneys make 70 percent of what they collect.
• Judith Balian of AlphaVibe: A bracelet Balian calls “the Fitbit for your mind” that uses gentle vibration and light to help one be mindful throughout the day.
• Naomi Wentworth of The Compost Company: A composting hub and more that uses small-scale digesters to compost food quickly.
• Angie Kosasih of Spoke & Piston: Function-meets-fashion leather commuter bags and accessories created by a husband and wife team.
• Suzanne Finder of Forgive.Love.Heal: An online membership community that provides support to women who struggle with autoimmune disease and chronic illness.
• Teresa Gallagher of Sparrow Search: A technology company that efficiently connects patients with clinical trials.
• Sarabeth Sulio of Mobile Pro Traveler: An all-in-one, carry-all mobile beauty and massage system for estheticians and therapists on the go.
• Neeve Preston of A-List Lounge: A performance, molecular hydration and wellness lounge on a mission to reduce stress and its associated physical ailments.
• Dondi Rowey of P.I. Enriched Livingspaces: A company with plans to build sustainable, affordable housing solutions for women.
• Adriana Hernandez of Adher Financial: A 15-year-old money assessment and financial guidance company that’s relaunching to serve women over 50.
• Erica Livingston of Regulytica: Purpose-built software with its sights set on digitally revolutionizing the medical device industry.
• Sabine Gedeon of Empowered by Purpose: A transformational human resource coaching and consulting firm for individuals and organizations.
• Catalina Andrade of Whole Bella: A holistic emotional healing company that helps people lead the lives they want to live.
• Terri Lowry of Thallo Design: A design and branding studio that helps businesses reflect their best values through branding.
• Rosa Munoz of South Bay Wealth Group: A tax and accounting firm that helps clients build profitable businesses.
• Eyga Mojus of Miss Mojus Productions: Producers of the annual Miss Grand California Pageant and more.
• Charlene Corn of CeeCee & Bee Apothecary: Handcrafted apothecary goods made from plant-based ingredients. A portion of each purchase supports domestic violence survivors.
• Rachel Chie Costello of BonnaVita Ventures: Waste-to-Energy equipment that is manufactured for municipalities and utilities to recycle and turn waste into energy.
• Jodi Valdes of Spiritual Wake Up Call: A consulting firm that provides professional women with tools for reducing stress and anxiety so they can achieve greater work-life balance.
• Kristin Watkins of Stephanie Rose Events: An event planner focused on weddings and specializing in DYI.
• Angela Robinson-Spencer of Affordable Housing Compliance Group: A housing compliance audit service, plus landlord-tenant mediation.
• Jessica Bell of reVessel: An all-in-one hybrid of premium stainless steel food storage, bakeware and a travel-ready, patent-pending, leak-proof bento-style lunchbox.
• Lacey Mayer of SD Campervans: A home on wheels which includes a bed, kitchen, plumbing, solar, electrical, a dining area and a homey feel.

Stella Labs is a not-for-profit organization that provides business accelerator programs to female-led startups that want to launch or scale. Courses are offered in partnership with the San Diego and Imperial Women’s Business Center in National City and at the Stella Labs headquarters in Solana Beach. To date, Stella Labs has helped launch 146 startups, scale 223 businesses and create 128 new jobs.

Upcoming Stella Labs events include Women’s Fast Pitch 2019, to take place at Sony Electronics later this summer, and Women’s Venture Summit, to take place on September 14 at University of San Diego. To learn more, visit stellalabs.org.

On April 3, three new startups — Outside Financial, Navega Therapeutics and Domaine Sante — began Ad Astra Ventures’ third business accelerator cohort, an 8-week program in Solana Beach, California. Each admitted participant will receive in-depth business training, formal mentoring and a $20,000 seed investment.

Founded in 2018 by San Diego investors and startup advocates Vidya Dinamani, Allison Long Pettine, and Silvia Mah, Ad Astra Ventures equips female founders to build, run and scale investable businesses. Graduates from their accelerator have successfully raised over $2 million to date.

“We’re thrilled with the caliber of applications coming in from San Diego and outside of the city — this was a hard decision,” says Dinamani. “Three impressive women make up our current cohort; they represent diverse industries, and all address a critical customer need. We’re excited about sharing with them our unique framework, which will accelerate their impact.”

The three women participating in Ad Astra’s third cohort are:

Sonia Steinway, president and founder of Outside Financial — Outside Financial helps car buyers and owners understand their financing options and connect to the right lender. Cars are one of the biggest purchases most Americans make, but according to Steinway, the process to buy and pay for them is confusing and frustrating, especially for those with less-than-perfect credit. Steinway created Outside Financial to reinvent car financing the way it should be: consumer first. https://www.outsidefinancial.com/

Ana Moreno, CEO and founder of Navega Therapeutics — A preclinical stage company, Navega Therapeutics is pursuing a radically different approach to treat chronic pain and tackle the opioid epidemic. The company’s gene therapy platform has the advantage of being highly specific and long-lasting, features that have yet to be achieved by small molecules. Navega’s pipeline includes different types of pain to improve the quality of life for millions of patients. https://www.navegatx.com/

Emily Josenhans, CEO and founder of Domaine Santé — With the first sweetener on the market made from California wine grapes, Domaine Santé offers the ultimate alternative to sugar. Grape Nectar has an exceptionally flavorful and unique taste that elevates anything from morning coffee and yogurt to the most intricate chef or mixologist creation, Josenhans notes. Domaine Sante aims to effortlessly impart more than just a sweet flavor, and ultimately promote a healthier and more sustainable sugar consumption. http://www.domaine-sante.com

Ad Astra has received more than 130 applications since its inception in 2018.

According to Mah, “Supporting diverse female founders is one of our core values at Ad Astra Ventures, so having Cohort 3 being diverse in all aspects is extremely rewarding. These female founders will be transformed by the rigorous leadership development and business essentials training we deliver during the 8-week business accelerator.”

About Ad Astra Ventures:

Founded in 2018 by San Diegans Vidya Dinamani, Allison Long Pettine, and Dr. Silvia Mah, Ad Astra Ventures is dedicated to growing and building female leaders through thoughtful programming and investment opportunities. The organization hosts 8-week business accelerator programs for high-growth startups led by one or more females. With the support of organizations like Athena, Ad Astra is building a global community of founders, investors, executives and philanthropists passionate about putting more women in leadership positions. For more information, please visit adastra.ventures/.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Three Female Founders Reach ‘to the Stars’, Graduate from Ad Astra Accelerator

Cooler Heads, Hydrostasis and Vivid Genomics completed Ad Astra’s 12-week intensive accelerator and each received a $20,000 investment from the organization

SAN DIEGO (Dec. 13, 2018) – Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire” was the anthem of the night as three local life science startups – Cooler Heads, Hydrostasis and Vivid Genomics – took the stage on Dec. 6 as new graduates of Ad Astra, a research-based accelerator for women. To mark the occasion, the startup founders presented their business pitches to an audience of more than 150 prospective investors, partners, friends and family in the AMN Healthcare auditorium in San Diego. The founders, who each received a $20,000 investment from Ad Astra, are the second cohort of graduates from Ad Astra, which was founded by Vidya Dinamani, Allison Long Pettine, and Dr. Silvia Mah.

“Over the past 12 weeks, these determined founders worked through our rigorous program to establish a strong business foundation and gain the tools necessary to succeed as a leader,” says Dinamani. “They’ve been partnered with mentors through one-on-one sessions, have conducted investor simulations, and have connected with advisors to strengthen their companies. Now they’re ready to thrive in their own unique ways.”

The new graduates include:

Debbie K. Chen, Ph.D., of Hydrostasis – A former imaging/data scientist at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, Dr. Debbie K. Chen is developing a personalized hydration monitor for athletes to reach and maintain peak performance. The company’s initial product is aimed at providing professional coaches with unparalleled accuracy and giving athletes an edge with their performance, while increasing athlete safety, recovery and longevity.

Julie Collens, Ph.D., of Vivid Genomics – Bringing her experience in genomics, molecular diagnostics and life science tools, Dr. Julie Collens founded Vivid Genomics, a company developing non-invasive tools to identify underlying neurodegenerative disease pathologies, drug response, progression rate and tools to facilitate on-target enrollment for clinical trials, thus improving the probability of getting to a successful drug for Alzheimer’s disease.

Kate Dilligan of Cooler Heads – A graduate of Stanford University, Dilligan was the former vice president of a neural technology innovation company. As the founder of Cooler Heads, she’s transforming the experience of cancer patients by providing empathetically designed products that address the special needs of cancer patients.

Ad Astra, which translates “to the stars” in Latin, was founded earlier this year to provide a distinctive program focused on business foundations, with a research-based curriculum specifically for female entrepreneurs. Through its programming and investment platform, Ad Astra gives women real-world experience with expert investors and entrepreneur mentors.

The organization’s design and approach is what sets it apart, as Long Pettine says, “Our proprietary framework provides our founders with an awareness of the world’s unconscious bias, an understanding of how it uniquely impacts them and then gives them specific tools to neutralize bias.”

Mah, a scientist and an investor, adds, “San Diego is a mecca for life science, so we’re investing in and supporting female founders so they can better leverage the robust regional strength in this industry. This cohort will make a significant global impact because of great product-market fit and because they are empathetic leaders.”

Ad Astra is sponsored by Qualcomm Ventures, Zipdev, Silicon Valley Bank, Cooley LLP, DLA Piper, JLL, and Marsh & McLennan Companies. Ad Astra partners include Athena, San Diego Venture Group, and Johnson & Johnson Innovation JLABS.

About Ad Astra Ventures:

Founded in 2018 by San Diegans Vidya Dinamani, Allison Long Pettine, and Dr. Silvia Mah, Ad Astra Ventures is dedicated to growing and building female leaders through thoughtful programming and investment opportunities. The organization’s first program is a 12-week business accelerator for high-growth startups led by one or more females. With the support of organizations like Athena, Ad Astra is building a global community of founders, investors, executives and philanthropists passionate about putting more women in leadership positions. For more information, please visit adastra.ventures/.

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april@wordpoppr.com

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