Accelerator Alumni Success Stories
From Hope to Breakthrough: How a Santa Clara Alumna is Revolutionizing Drug Discovery
When Santa Clara University alumna Madeline Eiken was a senior, her father was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer. As he searched for clinical trials, she witnessed firsthand the fragile hope many patients place in experimental treatments - treatments that often fail. That experience planted a seed that would later grow into Intero Biosystems Inc., a biotech startup transforming how new drugs are tested before they ever reach a human patient.
Today, Madeline is pursuing her PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan, where she co-founded Intero Biosystems alongside fellow researchers Charlie Childs and Dr. Jason Spence - pioneers in organoid science. Their flagship product, GastroScreen, is the first stem cell-derived human intestinal organoid to fully replicate the complex structure and function of the human gut. Unlike traditional flat cell cultures or unreliable animal models, GastroScreen mimics real human intestinal behavior, allowing drug developers to predict efficacy and side effects with unprecedented accuracy. The implications are enormous: fewer clinical trial failures, faster drug development, and safer outcomes for patients.
This groundbreaking work traces its roots back to Santa Clara University, where Madeline laid the scientific and entrepreneurial foundation that would eventually lead to Intero’s success. With early mentorship from SCU faculty, including Dr. Korin Wheeler, and the support of the Bronco Venture Accelerator, she gained the knowledge, confidence, and connections needed to launch the company. “The Accelerator gave us foundational business skills and a network of founders and investors that has been absolutely critical,” she says. “Bronco Ventures has supported us every step of the way, including in our current pre-seed round.”
That support is already paying off. Intero Biosystems recently secured its first pharmaceutical customer, is generating revenue, and won $900,000 in investment and first place at the Rice Business Plan Competition, the largest student pitch competition in the world.
Intero is now scaling up its technology and beginning a major project with a large pharma partner - an exciting leap toward changing the future of drug development.
If you are a Bronco with a startup idea and a drive to build something transformative, please consider applying to our Bronco Ventures Accelerator 2025 cohort. The application can be found here. The early application deadline is June 6th and the regular application deadline is June 27th. Your journey to startup success might start right here - at Santa Clara University!
Saving the Planet: How A Triple Bronco is Turning Deserts into Climate Solutions
As the climate crisis deepens and global demand for food, water, and energy surges, one Santa Clara University alum is tackling the problem head-on with a vision as vast as the deserts he plans to transform.
Paul Mahacek, a triple Bronco with degrees in engineering and a deep-rooted passion for sustainability, is the co-founder and CEO of AtmoCooling, a bold venture on a mission to unlock the potential of the world’s most inhospitable landscapes. Using large-scale seawater evaporative cooling systems, AtmoCooling creates cooler, hospitable microclimates across vast desert regions, making way for agriculture, renewable energy, and resilient ecosystems in places once deemed uninhabitable.
“We’re working to make 300 million hectares of global desert part of the climate solution,” Paul explains. “That means growing food where it wasn’t possible, harvesting solar energy more efficiently, and supporting communities that are most vulnerable to climate change.”
The path to this vision started long before AtmoCooling’s founding. Paul’s journey began at Santa Clara University, where he immersed himself in hands-on field engineering in the Robotics Systems Lab under Dr. Chris Kitts, and conducted climate science research driven by a passion for environmental stewardship. That grounding propelled him to a role at SpaceX, where he honed the technical and operational skills to scale complex infrastructure under tough conditions.
It was back at SCU, through the Bronco Ventures Accelerator, that Paul found the support system to turn his vision into a venture. “The Accelerator gave us not only the knowledge but the belief. The network, the mentorship, and the focus on mission-driven entrepreneurship helped us clarify our purpose and accelerate our growth,” he says.
And accelerate it did! AtmoCooling has raised $2.6 million in funding, built two operational field sites, and is now working toward partnerships with California’s commercial agriculture sector, using wastewater to create cooler microclimates and reduce irrigation strain in drought-prone areas.
The venture’s next step? Scaling up to meet demand from global customers who are rethinking how we use our planet’s arid lands and turning deserts into drivers of climate resilience.
For SCU alumni with game-changing ideas, Paul’s story is a call to action: apply to the Bronco Ventures Accelerator and make your impact real! The application can be found here. The early deadline is June 6 and the regular deadline is June 27. Innovation, support, and purpose-driven progress - start it where Paul did: at Santa Clara University!