To say Zylö Therapeutics had a big start to 2024 would be an understatement.

Not only did the Greenville-founded life sciences startup announce a partnership with hair restoration leader BosleyMD, but Zylö’s growth also resulted in it forming Atticus Pharma, a spin-off company. Atticus will continue research and development of Zylö’s products for the pharmaceutical industry, while Zylö Therapeutics will continue to focus on other applications such as cosmetics and animal health.

“Here we have a company that’s successful enough – and broad enough in its applications – that it can be two companies,” said Zylö founder and CEO Scott Pancoast. “I think that, in itself, is a plug for Greenville. We also had the support, I call it the ‘cradle of support’ that Greenville and the state of South Carolina provide for life sciences companies.”

We caught up with Pancoast several weeks after the BosleyMD announcement to ask him how the #StartupGVL ecosystem and South Carolina’s support of the life science industry has helped Zylö since its founding in 2017.

“We now give our shareholders two shots on goal, two ways to win,” Pancoast said.

Pancoast has utilized the #StartupGVL ecosystem, working with groups like NextGEN, the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA), 3PhaseSC (via the S.C. Dept. of Commerce), Upstate Alliance, Greenville Area Development Corporation (GADC), SCMEP  and the Clemson University Biomedical Engineering Innovation Campus (CUBEInC). That network of support, along with statewide organizations like SCBio – and tax advantages like the S.C. Angel Investor Credit for startup investors – has served Zylö well.

“South Carolina does it with a heart,” Pancoast said. “It’s stereotypical in some ways, the southern hospitality and all, but the state really takes care of itself.”

“Everyone really cares about each other and the success of the other startups in the ecosystem,” he added.

Discover which partners in the #StartupGVL ecosystem can help your startup venture.

Photo courtesy of Designli. Check out the original article, “Scott Pancoast on Establishing Startups That Will Last.”