Doctor-Focused Tools Gain Traction as Multiple Accelerators Launch New Recruitment Rounds

So-called “accelerators” refer to institutions that provide entrepreneurs with multi-faceted startup support resources, encouraging technological development and helping them realize their dreams. The booming growth of the internet healthcare sector is, of course, inseparable from the boost provided by these accelerators. Acting as talent scouts for entrepreneurs and startups, accelerators around the world select a cohort of seed-stage companies each year for nurturing. Recently, three accelerators announced their new cohorts. Let’s take a look at which startups were selected and what makes them noteworthy.

Health Wildcatters

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Health Wildcatters, based in Dallas, is the first healthcare seed accelerator in the southwestern United States. The third cohort of its accelerator program comprises healthcare startups addressing a wide range of conditions and targeting diverse patient populations, including companies dedicated to helping individuals regain muscle control after stroke or traumatic brain injury, as well as teams focused on reducing stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation. Participants in the Health Wildcatters accelerator program relinquish 8% equity in their companies in exchange for $30,000 in seed funding and a 12-week curriculum.

The new members joining Health Wildcatters are as follows:
Codedgi。The company has developed an automated coding software to help physicians understand compliance guidelines, learn new ICD-10 codes, and accelerate billing processes. This coding solution is specifically designed for dynamic digital clinical notes, generating professional medical bills from clinical records and electronic health record (EHR) documentation. Its management team includes CTO Daniel Heinze, CFO Jan Clark, and Co-founder and President Rhonda Thomas-Florimbi.

DUALAMS。The company has developed a tool that eliminates the discomfort associated with laryngoscopy. By delivering nebulized lidocaine, it mitigates adverse reactions to these procedures, such as gag reflex and coughing. Its founder and CEO is John Houston.

Dynofit。The company has developed a wireless smart electromyography (EMG) system that helps individuals with stroke, traumatic brain injury, and cerebral palsy enhance their muscle control. Co-founder and CEO Rohan Loveland is a former scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory; other co-founders include Maria Schneider, Edward Rosten, and Alex Macdonell.

Exhale Healthcare。The company positions itself as the “nemesis” of various healthcare professionals. It conducts legislative analysis and negotiations, provides advice on health insurance, and helps users compare prices for non-emergency tests, procedures, prescription drugs, and medical devices. Its founder and CEO is Sarah O’Leary.

Flow MedTech。The company is developing a patented medical device to help patients with atrial fibrillation reduce their risk of stroke. It was founded by Arnab Chakraborty and Christine Hang, two biomedical engineering graduates from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Insight Optics。The company aims to provide early detection of eye diseases by leveraging mobile imaging technology to help primary care physicians document fundus examinations and transmit the results to ophthalmologists for review. Its co-founder and CEO is Brock Webberman, who holds a degree in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins University, while the CTO is his alumni peer, Aaron Enten.

md Portal。A telemedicine platform designed for dermatologists. The company has three co-founders: Chief Medical Officer Venessa Pena-Robichaux, CEO Paul Robichaux, and CTO Victor Lyuboslavsky.

Noninvasix。The company has developed a method for accurate, non-invasive monitoring of fetal health during labor and delivery. Its goal is to leverage photoacoustic technology to prevent hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in newborns caused by oxygen deprivation. The CEO is Graham Randallis.

Obaa。The company leverages Google Glass to help primary care physicians consult with relevant specialists during patient visits. Its founders are CEO Cobby Amoah and product designer Charles Kunene.

Vidas Sanas。The company provides bilingual health solutions to employers and healthcare institutions, with Maria del Carmen Uceda serving as its Co-Founder and President.

New York Digital Health Accelerator (NYDHA)

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New York Digital Health Accelerator (NYDHA) recently announced that six startups will participate in its accelerator program. The four-month program will provide participating startups with mentorship, workshops, and approximately $100,000 in funding. In addition to offering valuable mentorship from industry leaders and product feedback from end users, the accelerator provides entrepreneurs with access to potential customers and the opportunity to pilot their innovations within New York State’s leading healthcare systems.

The following are the 6 startups newly joining NYDHA:
Dorsata。The company has developed a web-based application that enables users to draft, review, publish, and implement clinical care pathways, which are accessible to physician and nursing teams.

Healogram。The company helps healthcare providers monitor post-operative and wound care patients via a remote mobile platform.

iVEDiX。The company offers a tool that aggregates data from diverse sources, enabling users to interact with the data, visualize it, and share it with others.

Nutrify。The company enables clinicians to provide users with personalized meal plans via a smartphone app, tailored to their unique nutritional needs, clinical data, medications, and health conditions.

OffTheScale。The company has developed a healthcare management system that includes a mobile app, an activity tracking device, and features for communication with peers and mentors. Reportedly, through a 12-week customized intervention program called OTS-4-U, the system has demonstrated efficacy in slowing, halting, and reversing the progression of chronic diseases.

Wellth。The company has developed a behavior change curriculum for use by payers and their members. By recommending evidence-based care plans to patients and incentivizing and tracking their healthy lifestyle habits, Wellth enables payers to significantly improve population health metrics.

Raleigh Innovation Initiative

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The Raleigh Innovation Initiative, a three-month program supported by a multi-party alliance including Citrix, Red Hat, Cherokee, HQ Raleigh, and the City of Raleigh, has just selected 12 startups. Backed by several tech giants, this accelerator program will provide these 12 teams with intensive mentoring to help them secure their first round of funding.

In addition, four groups of “intrapreneurs” from Red Hat and Citrix have also been selected for the program to seek the establishment of new product lines for the company. The program will conclude this December.

Below are some of the startups selected by the accelerator this year:
Duvtail。The company provides productivity solutions to boost engagement and profitability for accounting firms.

MDBenchmark。The company offers a web-based subscription solution that provides physicians and administrators with optimized insurance terms and real-time medical malpractice rates.

Medicom。A peer-to-peer network for physicians, radiologists, and medical technologists was established to securely and efficiently share sensitive patient information.

Remedy。The company aims to enable healthcare providers to manage patients more easily while enhancing patient engagement and care quality.

Rocktron Mineral Services。The company utilizes its patented zero-waste process to transform fly ash, a solid waste, from an environmental and economic burden into a valuable mineral additive for plastic manufacturing.

SeaChange Technologies。The company will provide a sustainable water purification and desalination system to significantly reduce energy demand.

Smart Farm Systems。Provide a precise irrigation system to help farmers optimize crop yields and reduce operational and environmental costs.

TaskTorch。A social workflow platform that helps teams coordinate work by integrating project management systems with diverse ideas from social networks, aiming to reduce employee stress and enhance team efficiency, thereby driving greater organizational effectiveness.

Among the newly joined companies announced by the three aforementioned accelerators, physician tool projects are the most sought-after category. Examples include Obaa, which helps physicians connect with relevant specialists during patient consultations; Nutrify, which provides users with personalized meal plans; and Medicom, which enables the sharing of patient information.

In terms of the categories of absorbed projects, the fields involved include environment, medical insurance, big data, wound care, maternity and obstetrics, dermatology, ophthalmology, and stroke. When combined with an analysis of projects previously incubated by internet healthcare accelerators such as Blueprint Health and StartUp Health, it becomes evident that project categories are becoming increasingly specialized. This trend underscores the growing popularity of vertical specialization, which represents a key direction for the future development of internet healthcare.

Text | Chen Xin
Editor: Mo Renying