Highland Instruments Receives START Stage I Grant Award From MassVentures

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - May 20, 2025 - PRLog -- Highland Instruments is proud to announce a $100,000 grant in non-dilutive funding from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development and MassVentures. The grant was awarded through MassVentures' SBIR Targeted Technologies (START) Grant Program (https://www.mass-ventures.com/start-program-info). The funding will help Highland achieve critical milestones towards the commercialization of ESStim™ - a novel noninvasive brain stimulation platform to help patients address movement disorders.

Launched in 2012, the START program helps startups convert research developed under SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) and STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) contracts into viable businesses and jobs in Massachusetts.  The START program awards $100,000 to $500,000 in non-dilutive funds and provides business guidance, such as introductions to investors, pitch coaching, and mentoring, to help companies commercialize their technologies. START is unique in that it covers activities that are critical for growth but not included in federal grant programs. In addition to supporting emerging technologies, START also helps create jobs and bring new products to market. Since 2012, MassVentures' START program has granted $41.7 million to 141 companies. We are excited to be part of this visionary program and the innovative ecosystem it has helped create here in Massachusetts.

"Massachusetts has long been a hub of medtech innovation, with technologies developed here impacting millions of patients globally. We are honored to receive this support from MassVentures, and we are excited about the opportunity to contribute to the commonwealth's heritage of medtech innovation," said Dr. Tim Wagner, Highland Instruments' Founder and Chief Scientific Officer.

"We believe that ESStim™ has the potential to advance care for Parkinson's Disease. We are grateful for the START grant to help us accelerate bringing ESStim™ to market," stated Dr. Laura Dipietro, Highland's Chief Technology Officer.

"The START grant award is a testament to Highland's innovation, which has the potential to advance care for millions of patients with movement disorders," stated Alex Herzlinger, Highland's Chief Business Officer. "We are grateful to MassVentures for the award, and we look forward to deploying the funds to help achieve critical milestones towards the commercialization of ESStim™."

Highland will use the funds to achieve commercial readiness, product development, quality, and reimbursement milestones to advance ESStim™ towards commercialization.

About Highland Instruments
Highland Instruments is developing ESStim™ - a novel noninvasive brain stimulation platform to help patients address movement disorders. Learn more at www.highlandinstruments.com (https://www.highlandinstruments.us/).

ESStim™ has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for a specific clinical indication. This technology is not in commercial distribution in the United States or inter­nationally. Please contact Highland Instruments for additional information regarding this technology and potential clinical application.