The gBETA Medtech Gener8tor announced five startups set to participate in its gBETA Medtech Black Founder Accelerator Fall 2021 cohort.
According to a news release, the Fall 2021 cohort makes history as the first gBETA Medtech program specifically for Black founders and as the first cohort to receive grant funding, with each of the five startups to receive $34,000.
Startups recognized by the accelerator program are developing a range of products, including digital health platforms providing value-based care to Black and Brown maternal patients and underserved communities and medical devices using infrared light to promote rapid wound healing.
The program is put on by UEL and gener8tor, with Boston Scientific serving as the founding sponsor of the gBETA Medtech Black Founder Accelerator. Other sponsors include Piper Sandler, Inflect Health and Fox Rothschild.
Mayo Clinic, University of Minnesota and Medical Alley Association will provide mentorship support, while the program also receives support through a cooperative agreement with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) DRIVe (Division of Research, Innovation, and Ventures) initiative.
“The healthcare landscape is full of unmet needs, with millions of patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals seeking solutions to difficult problems. No single company, big or small, will have all the answers—but every step we take to strengthen our innovation ecosystem and bring new perspectives to these conversations brings us closer to meaningful solutions,” Boston Scientific VP of Global Strategy & Venture Capital Scott Davidson said in the release. “Boston Scientific is proud to support the gBETA Medtech Black Founders Accelerator and we look forward to tracking the progress of this impressive group of rising leaders.”
The accelerator is a free, seven-week program in which participants receive intensive, individualized coaching to help startups gain early customer traction and establish metrics that can make them competitive applicants for full-time, equity-based accelerators or seed investment.
More than 80 startups applied to participate in this particular accelerator, but five were selected:
- Bold Health and its virtual therapeutic care platform that offers access to a multidisciplinary team of GI care providers and disease-specific digital therapeutic programs.
- TruDiary and its digital health platform that eliminates barriers to quality prenatal care by connecting patients to the right doctor, offering inclusive educational content and providing social determinants of health (SDOH) services such as food, transportation, housing and mental health.
- bTECH and its patent-pending Halcyon SMART Patch (HSP) uses far-infrared wavelengths beneath the surface of the skin to promote rapid tissue healing and strengthening.
- Delve Health and its digital platform that reduces clinical trial costs and accelerates drug development by bringing clinical trials to patient homes.
- Quartolio and its digital platform that automatically synthesizes and streams research leads from the collective intelligence of R&D teams in real-time.
The Fall 2021 cohort kicked off on Oct. 18 and will work over seven weeks in the virtual program, which will culminate on Dec. 14 at “Pitch Night,” which will highlight each of the five companies in the accelerator.
