On a recent Wednesday night, Montana State University channeled its inner Silicon Valley.
A group of startup businesses gathered to present their various ventures — from a rideshare app to a bioengineered toothpick — in front of a crowd in the atrium of Jabs Hall. The startups, six in total, represented the first cohort of 406 Labs, the university’s business accelerator program.
The night was a celebration for several reasons. Not only was it the first group of startups to successfully emerge from 406 Labs, it also represented a win for the accelerator — one of the first of its kind in the state.