The global space economy is projected to exceed $1 trillion by 2040, enticing entrepreneurs to explore radical ideas, develop new business opportunities, and enter the space ecosystem. In January, the Space-Edge Accelerator, developed as a national consortium of universities to help biomedical innovators and businesses develop actionable space strategies for a competitive edge, hosted its inaugural showcase for its first graduating cohort.
The Space Edge Accelerator was a collaborative effort between Arizona State University, University of Florida, University of Central Florida, Vanderbilt University, Blue Origin, and the Space Foundation."The Space Edge Accelerator fosters an unprecedented level of regional collaboration, enabling universities across the country to share resources that their regions lack”, said Dr. Charleson Bell, Director of Entrepreneurship and Biomedical Innovation at the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt’s Innovation Center. “By converging advisors and instructors from diverse space sectors—each shaped by unique regional ecosystems—we unlock untapped knowledge and innovation. This collective strength breeds the collaboration necessary to keep America competitive in the space economy and the renewed space race."
This year’s cohort consisted of 20 ventures, with six of the innovations being explored by Vanderbilt:
- AstroFlexion: aims to develop muscle recruitment diagnostic systems for the optimization of astronaut training regimens to better long-term muscle maintenance endeavors during space travel.
- Baregamian Endocrine Neoplasia Laboratory (VUMC): plans to leverage patient-derived endocrine cancer organoids in microfluidic chips to test new drug formulations, integrating their findings into the space market to address critical health challenges for future missions.
- Melagen: focuses on advancing radiation shielding technology, leveraging microgravity to optimize and refine materials through effective testing in space. This is crucial for long-duration missions and positions the company for growth.
- Microbial Insights: hopes to refine its fluid encapsulation product for the space industry while navigating market challenges.
- Radical Shoots: wants to adapt its precision agriculture technology for space to enhance astronaut well-being and mission sustainability. Their mechatronic engineering focuses on modifying the technology for zero gravity, addressing long-term space mission challenges. Microgravity offers a unique opportunity to study nutrient cycling and plant metabolism, enabling the growth of nutrient-dense microgreens and mushrooms that support astronaut health while reducing reliance on Earth resources. They also seek to contribute to research on how food can enhance health and performance in space.
- Surgical Technologies for Low-Resource Microgravity Environments and Beyond: focused on developing surgical technologies for low-resource microgravity environments, addressing the need for healthcare services in space with significant weight and space constraints. By creating these technologies for space, they can also be effectively adapted for use in terrestrial low-resource settings.
These cohort participants spent 12 weeks engaging in rigorous mentorship, technical development, and business strategy refinement. Some insights included regulatory considerations, commercialization pathways, and navigating the technical constraints of operating in microgravity and extreme environments.
Nathan Park, a 2026 Vanderbilt Engineering student and Founder of Astroflexion reflected, “The program greatly helped to bring my product from a simple concept to a fully-fledged plan of R&D, commercialization, and industry entry. Through office hours, instruction from mentors, and examples of successful start-ups, I was able to get amazing advice on every step of the innovation process."
Venture teams also explored funding and partnership opportunities within the growing space economy, learning how to navigate public and private sector investments, NASA collaborations, and international market expansion. The accelerator’s impressive network provided direct connections to experts in aerospace medicine, space manufacturing, and bioastronautics, fostering knowledge exchange that wouldn’t be possible within a single institution.
"I think the program did a good job on helping me understand the space domain," said Michael Miga, Harvie Branscomb Professor, Chair of Biomedical Engineering, Director of VISE at Vanderbilt University, and CEO of ArgoNav Surgical. "I enjoyed adapting some of our work as an adjacent problem to provide transition and putting the pitch together with the help of the advice from the mentors."
Beyond technical advancements, the cohort developed a deeper understanding of how interdisciplinary collaboration increases innovation. By working alongside researchers, engineers, and entrepreneurs from different regions, participants saw firsthand how leveraging regional strengths creates a more robust ecosystem for space commercialization on a national scale. This experience propelled the ventures forward and contributed to the broader goal of maintaining America’s leadership in the space economy.
Vanderbilt’s participation in the Space Edge Accelerator will continue in the fall of 2025, with hopes to expand the consortium of universities for even greater collaboration and impact. To keep up to date with any new announcements, please visit the website: https://www.space-edge.org/ or contact Cam Russ, cameron.russ@vanderbilt.edu.