ITSCE FUND · AFRICA AMERICA BEAUTY ALLIANCE
The Integrated Translational Science Commercialization Ecosystem (ITSCE) is an initiative developed by the Africa America Beauty Alliance (AABA) to connect scientific discovery with commercialization, industrial development, and economic opportunity across Africa and America. The ITSCE Fund is designed to transform promising research, scientific talent, and indigenous resources into validated innovations, market-ready products, and sustainable business opportunities.
Through AABA, the ITSCE Global Research Project and university partnerships, the ITSCE Fund supports the next generation of scientists while creating pathways for research to progress beyond academic discovery. The ecosystem connects students, researchers, universities, businesses, investors, and consumers through research sponsorship, scientific validation, product development, and commercialization support.
The ITSCE Fund’s vision extends beyond scientific discovery to building a bridge between African innovation and economic development across Africa and America. As innovations advance through the commercialization pipeline, they can create opportunities for cross-continental collaboration in manufacturing, packaging, formulation, quality assurance, distribution, and supply-chain development. By connecting African scientific talent and indigenous resources with American industrial capabilities and commercial expertise, the ITSCE Fund seeks to foster local enterprise, skilled employment, international partnerships, and shared economic value.
The long-term vision is to establish a cross-continental sustainable innovation ecosystem in which scientific discovery creates commercial opportunity, commercialization strengthens economic development, and the value generated helps advance future research and the next generation of scientists.
Our Mission
The Africa America Beauty Alliance (AABA) developed the Integrated Translational Science Commercialization Ecosystem (ITSCE) to address a critical challenge: promising scientific discoveries often lack the resources, partnerships, and commercial pathways needed to reach the marketplace.
Our mission is to connect scientific research with the people, institutions, and industries that can help transform discovery into practical applications, commercial products, and economic opportunity. Through student development, university partnerships, research sponsorship, scientific validation, and commercialization support, the ITSCE Fund creates a pathway for emerging scientists and promising innovations to progress beyond academic research.
By building bridges between Africa and America, the ITSCE Fund seeks to connect African scientific talent and indigenous resources with international research collaboration, manufacturing capabilities, industry expertise, and market opportunities. Through this approach, AABA aims to strengthen scientific capacity, expand opportunities for local enterprise and employment, and help ensure that innovation creates lasting value for the communities and economies involved.
We believe scientific discovery should do more than advance knowledge. It should create opportunity, build industries, and help shape the next generation of innovation.
The ITSCE Fund Journey
The ITSCE Fund connects the people, research, resources, and industry partnerships needed to move promising scientific discoveries toward commercialization. Developed by the Africa America Beauty Alliance (AABA), this pathway is simple and straightforward. It starts with a student or researcher whose developing a promising scientific innovation and ends with that innovation in the marketplace!
Identify an opportunity.
Student scientists and research teams identify meaningful problems, explore unanswered questions, and investigate opportunities for scientific innovation.
Build the scientific foundation.
Researchers review existing evidence, define research questions, establish hypotheses, and develop protocols to investigate promising ideas.
Evaluate the evidence.
Scientific review and appropriate research methods assess the strength of the evidence, the feasibility of the innovation, and the next steps required for development.
Prepare for commercialization.
Eligible innovations pursue the funding, partnerships, and resources needed to advance production planning, regulatory readiness, packaging, and market entry.
Translate research into products.
Promising discoveries advance into product concepts and formulations, drawing on scientific expertise, indigenous resources, and university and industry collaboration.
Assess safety and performance.
Appropriate testing evaluates product stability, safety, and performance against defined requirements before the product advances toward market entry.
Measure market interest.
Consumers and businesses explore validated innovations approaching commercialization and may express interest or reserve products through the applicable participation process. This helps inform market demand and production planning.
Build production capacity.
African and American industry partners can collaborate on manufacturing, packaging, quality assurance, sourcing, and supply-chain development to prepare products for market.
Bring innovation to market.
Commercially ready products enter the marketplace through appropriate distribution, marketing, and sales channels, connecting scientific innovation with consumers and businesses.
Expand opportunity for the next generation.
As successful innovations grow, they can create opportunities for employment, business development, further commercialization, and renewed support for scientific research and emerging scientists.
Scientific discoveries need more than research to reach their full potential. They need sponsorship, scientific validation, product development, industry partnerships, and pathways to commercialization.
The ITSCE Fund helps support this process by connecting people and organizations with opportunities to advance scientific research, develop emerging talent, and move promising innovations toward commercial application. Through the broader the ITSCE Fund ecosystem, participation can help create opportunities for students, strengthen university research, support product development, and build pathways to manufacturing and market entry across Africa and America.
Three Ways to Participate in the Future of Scientific Innovation
Whether you want to support the next generation of scientists, contribute to the development of promising innovations, or participate in the growth of a broader commercialization ecosystem, the ITSCE Fund offers three distinct participation pathways through the Fund: Champion, Reserve, and Founder’s Elite.
Each pathway has its own terms, structure, and participation opportunities. Explore the options to understand how each aligns with your interests and capacity to support scientific innovation and commercialization.
Participation terms and program rules are established and administered by the ITSCE Fund Administrators.
Champion
Support a student or early-career scientist developing a specific innovation by contributing to the resources needed to advance their research and development. Champion support may be allocated toward tuition assistance, laboratory expenses, ingredient sourcing, research activities, testing, and prototype development. Members have the opportunity to learn about the scientists they support, understand the objectives and milestones of their projects, and follow the progress of innovations as they move through the research and development process. By becoming a Champion, you are helping remove financial barriers to scientific discovery while investing in the talent, creativity, and research capacity that will drive future innovation and economic opportunity.
Learn moreReserve
Explore promising innovations that have completed key research and validation milestones and demonstrated potential through consumer product testing. The Reserve Tier provides qualified businesses with an opportunity to review and secure products before their official market launch, positioning them to become early commercial partners. Participating businesses may purchase products in volume at negotiated wholesale pricing, with the added advantage of 12-month wholesale price protection. This creates an opportunity to establish early product access, build inventory strategies, and participate in bringing the next generation of African-developed innovations to consumers and global markets.
Learn moreFounder's Elite
Founder's Elite is reserved for established innovations that are already selling in the marketplace and have demonstrated commercial traction and growth potential. This tier provides qualified investors with an opportunity to participate in select commercialization opportunities designed for individuals prepared to commit a minimum of $10,000. Funds raised are directed toward scaling established innovations, expanding manufacturing and production capacity, strengthening distribution networks, entering new markets, and pursuing additional growth opportunities. Founder's Elite participants have the opportunity to become part of the next phase of an innovation's commercial journey, helping proven products expand their reach and compete in broader domestic and international markets.
Learn more
Featured innovations
Every innovation begins with a question, a challenge, or an opportunity waiting to be explored. Through the ITSCE Fund, we spotlight promising innovations emerging from scientific research, the evidence informing their development, and the student scientists and research teams helping move discovery toward real-world application.
Explore the problem each innovation seeks to address, the research and validation behind it, the resources that make it possible, and its potential to advance into product development, manufacturing, and commercialization. Each story reveals more than a product; it highlights the scientific talent, university partnerships, and collaborative effort required to transform research into meaningful economic and social impact.
Proudly made in America, Goodbye Glue® features 3M medical-grade lash tape, offering a toxin-free, water-resistant alternative to traditional liquid eyelash adhesives. Designed for effortless application, a comfortable hold, and easy removal, Goodbye Glue eliminates the mess, drying time, and hassle of traditional lash glue, giving you beautiful, ready-to-wear lashes with greater convenience and confidence.
United States
View opportunityA luxury skincare innovation combining the nourishing properties of camel milk with science-backed formulation. Developed through a collaboration between AABA and Meru University of Science and Technology in Kenya, LUMI Cream™ brings indigenous African resources and scientific innovation together to create a distinctive skincare experience.
United States
View opportunityCommunity voices
“I love how LUMI Cream feels on my skin. It has a beautiful, luxurious texture, absorbs comfortably, and leaves my skin feeling soft and nourished. It's exciting to experience a skincare product that brings together African ingredients and scientific innovation.”
Harley MaxwellLUMI Cream Tester“Our collaboration with the Africa America Beauty Alliance through the ITSCE Fund framework has provided a structured pathway for advancing university research toward commercialization. The process has facilitated meaningful engagement around product development, commercialization strategy, and the negotiation of terms necessary to move an innovation beyond the research environment. This partnership demonstrates the value of connecting academic institutions with industry and international partners to create opportunities for research translation, technology transfer, and economic development."”
Edwin MuthaniMeru University of Science & Technology“Being part of the ITSCE Fund ecosystem represents more than an opportunity to conduct research. It creates a pathway for students like me to develop our scientific ideas, gain valuable experience, collaborate with industry partners, and see how our work can become real-world innovations. Knowing that our research has the potential to reach beyond the university and create economic opportunities is truly inspiring. The ITSCE Fund is helping bridge the gap between education, innovation, and commercialization.”
BrendaNdegwaStudent, University of MOI“We recognize the potential of innovative skincare products that combine distinctive ingredients with thoughtful product development. LUMI Cream presents an interesting opportunity within the growing skincare marketplace, and we are pleased to participate in bringing this innovation to consumers. ”
Berkshire Spa & ResortsWholesale buyerWhen you sign up for a membership, you'll have access to a "unique" promising innovation before the public ever hears about it!
