Inspired by conversations at the 2013 MassTLC unConference, Unpitch is designed to facilitate connections between entrepreneurs and investors. It’s NOT about delivering an elevator pitch onstage, a “demo day” presentation, or trying to grab a few seconds with a venture capitalist in a conference hallway. Instead, Unpitch is a chance to have lunch with an angel investor or VC in a casual, no-pressure environment, discuss your business, get meaningful feedback on your ideas, and make connections that will help you get to the next stage. Applications are due August 21. More information here.

Merck Digital Sciences Studio Cohort 1 – The MDSS is a 10-month hands-on accelerator program providing mentorship, coaching, training, support, community and investment in digital health and biotech startups. MDSS invests in disruptive and innovative startup technologies, companies, or startups in digital health and biotech by offering up to $150,000 in convertible notes and access to Microsoft’s Founders Hub resources, including up to $150,000 in Azure compute credits. MDSS’ unique design and network empowers startups to engage with industry leading partners, who take an active role in development. Applications close September 1. More information here.

Techstars Crypto Boston – Techstars, a global investment business that provides access to capital, one-on-one mentorship, and customized programming for early-stage entrepreneurs, announces the launch of Techstars Crypto Boston powered by Algorand. This highly personalized program gives startups the advantage they need to succeed by providing 1:1 mentoring and support and investment. With partner Algorand, 12 high-growth, early-stage startups will participate in an intensive, 13-week program on an annual basis over three years. Application deadline is September 14. More information here.

The SCORE Northeast MA Women’s Business Summit is a full day conference exclusively for women entrepreneurs. You’re invited on Wednesday September 14, at the historic Willowdale Estate for a day filled with stimulating interaction with like-minded women entrepreneurs. The day will feature successful small business women from our community, covering educational and motivational business topics to include success stories, practical takeaways, engaging roundtable discussions, networking and more! More information here.

Startup Boston Week is back September 19th – 23rd. This annual conference brings together 3,400 attendees and 250 speakers across 80 sessions during this free, five-day event. Don’t miss out on your chance to connect with the New England startup community. Grab your free ticket right here.

The Greentown Labs Climatetech Summit 2022: Catalyzing Commercialization – November 2-3. The Greentown Labs Climatetech Summit is a deep dive into accelerating deployment through collaboration. Climatetech entrepreneurs are developing the solutions that are the core of global decarbonization, yet they need support and partnership from investors, policymakers, and the growing climatetech workforce in order to scale their critical technologies. The energy transition is here, and the climatetech ecosystem needs your involvement to propel climatetech out into the world. More information here.

FinTech Sandbox is a nonprofit which enables financial technology entrepreneurs to build robust products by providing access to critical data, development tools and a curated network of customers, entirely for free. FinTech Sandbox is open to all startups innovating in financial services that can use financial data products we offer for product development and testing. The spirit of the program is to offer data to start-ups that could not otherwise afford it. More information here.

The NAACP Power Forward Small Business Grant is available for Black-owned businesses with one to 25 employees located in New England (Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and select areas of Connecticut (more details in the application). $25,000 in grants are available on a rolling basis. More information here.

The Seed Investments Program is a two-stage investment program that provides up to $250,000 in convertible notes to pre-seed or seed-stage clean energy startups. The program exists to support companies as they advance and commercialize clean energy technologies and business models. More information here.

Venture Lane will be piloting a new virtual membership in Q2 called Venture Lane Connect. The membership will enable B2B startup founders based in Boston to tap into Venture Lane’s curated network, weekly programming focused on go-to-market strategy, $400K in perks like AWS and Microsoft Azure and other resources for early-stage growth. Interested B2B startup founders and their teams can sign up for the private beta here.

Created as a key pillar of KKR’s COVID-19 Relief Effort, KKR Small Business Builders (SBB) aims to support entrepreneurs and their small businesses around the world. The grants are designed to help business owners sustain their enterprises, maintain or create jobs, and spur economic opportunity as they respond to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and recover from its resultant economic dislocation. More information here.

P&G Ventures is an early stage startup studio within Procter & Gamble that partners with entrepreneurs to accelerate billion dollar ideas that improve consumers’ lives. Focus areas include nontoxic home and garden, women’s health, anti-aging, daily wellness, and cleaning/sanitizing. More information here.