CMU Portugal Patient Innovation: six teams are heading to the in-person Residency Program in Pittsburgh

As part of the first edition of the CMU Portugal Patient Innovation Accelerator, the six teams that participated in the Patient Innovation (PI) Bootcamp will be at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), in Pittsburgh, from April 7th to 11th. 

Launched with a boot camp in May 2024, the PI Accelerator Program aims to support life science startups through a partnership between Carnegie Mellon Portugal, NOVA Medical School, and the Nova School of Business and Economics (Nova SBE). The program follows a hybrid model that combines virtual education, in-person engagement with U.S.-based experts, and targeted workshops in Portugal.

Following Phase I, which took place from January to March 2025 based on weekly virtual and mentorship sessions, the program now transitions to an in-person, intensive residency Program (Phase II), taking place in April.

This week-long residency is designed to prepare participating teams to enter the U.S. market. The program will offer insights, hands-on experience, and industry exposure to support the development of each business plan. 

The teams will be hosted by Project Olympus, a CMU Incubator Program that provides resources and mentorship to help members of the CMU community to turn cutting-edge research into startups; and AlphaLab Health, Pittsburgh’s leading life sciences accelerator, which has been supporting startups since 2008. This in-person residency represents an opportunity for the six startups to explore U.S. market entry, engage with key stakeholders, and test their business models supported by one of US most dynamic life sciences hubs.

The week will feature expert-led workshops, tailored mentorship, and visits to key institutions such as Allegheny Health Network (AHN) and UPMC Enterprises.

Mornings will be structured around sessions led by Project Olympus, including topics such as FDA regulatory strategies; prototyping and product development and customer discovery refinement workshops.

Afternoons will include dedicated self-directed meetings, customer interviews, and one-on-one sessions with Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIRs). 

The Pittsburgh phase will be a turning point for the participating teams. Startups will be able to present their pitches to a panel of U.S. investors and industry leaders and submit their commercialization plans for expert feedback. Additionally, they will continue improving their U.S. market strategy with ongoing virtual mentorship until May.

This work will conclude with an in-person workshop in Portugal in June, where participants will showcase their progress and finalize their go-to-market strategies.

By the end of the Patient Innovation Accelerator Program, teams are expected to have developed solid commercialization plans tailored to both US and EU markets. 

2025 CMU Portugal/Project Olympus Life Sciences US Go To Market Cohort:

• Auricle – is an audio startup based in Denmark making open-ear headphones with haptic vibration technology.
  Team Members: Pedro Costa, Roberto Reyes
  EIR: Laura Ohlund

• WOM-iCARE – An antibactericidal hydrogel for enhanced skin and/or mucosal infection control, specifically designed to combat bacterial infections, such as N. gonorrhoeae, it provides targeted prevention and treatment.
  Team Members: André Marques, Bárbara Mendes
  EIR: Max Fedor 

• MELT4SKIN – proposes to modulate skin pigmentation by interfering with melanin transfer from melanocytes to keratinocytes.  The team identified a small molecule that can efficiently and specifically enhance melanin transfer.
  Team Member: Duarte Barral
  EIR: Sean McDonald

•  eBreathie: an integrated asthma management solution that wants to redefine how patients and doctors monitor asthma. The system includes a smart inhaler that not only tracks when patients take their medication but also how they do it, creating a detailed inhalation profile for each use.
  Team Members: Ana Rebelo, Ana Constante
  EIR: Craig Markovitz

• Glooma: focused on early detection of breast cancer. Glooma developed a device used to detect and monitor changes in breast tissue. The SenseGlove is a portable home medical device that works as a breast self-examination method and is linked to a mobile application.
  Team Members: Francisco Nogueira, Frederico Stock, Guilherme Stock
  EIR: Mara McFadden

• Patient Innovation: Patient Innovation is a non-profit association aimed to disseminate, and scale-up solutions developed by patients and caregivers for their own needs.
  Team Members: Gemma Tria, Margarida Oliveira, Maria Jacinto
  EIR: Laura Ohlund