The health-focused tech accelerator that started in Spartanburg last week looks a little bit different from the two the Iron Yard has run in Greenville.
Participants said they could see within just the first couple of days how a program with everyone focused on one industry could lead to a flurry of ideas and cross-pollination. The 10 participating teams tend to be further along in their careers or startups than were the teams that have gone through the Greenville program. That is due in a large part to the health focus, said program manager Kate McCarthy.
“I think people don’t enter digital healthcare lightly. It’s not an easy space to build a tech product,” she said.
She said “some interesting doors have opened” because of the health focus. One company, Prime Genomics of San Francisco, will go from the accelerator directly into a pilot project at the Mayo Clinic in an arrangement that has already been worked out. The company, founded by Sandy Shaw, analyzes and marks genes to track health, disease and responses to medications in an individual or study group.
What’s more, the entire group will present at the Health 2.0 conference in October in Silicon Valley. The event is a leading showcase of cutting-edge health technology, and the Iron Yard group snagged an exclusive session without any others running concurrently. Some participants said this opportunity was a major selling point over other health accelerators.
The companies are at all different stages of formation, and McCarthy said the goal is to get them to the next level of development, whatever that may be.
ChartSpan Medical Technologies founder Jon-Michial Carter of Houston said this company was his fifth business venture. The slightly older trending group means more participants have spouses, children and even a few pets in tow for the duration.
One such team is Vheda, which uses data analytics to help people manage chronic health problems. Imagine a mobile program that provides virtual check-ups with doctors and nurses and reminders when users haven’t reported taking their medication. Team members Shameet Luhar and Philip Rub came from Washington, D.C., accompanied by their wives and Luhar’s 13-month-old son.
The two local teams in the group had interned at the Iron Yard in Greenville. They are Greenville’s MyDocTime founded by Jim Ness, which helps users locate doctors and schedule appointments, and FitSteps, a health and wellness program founded by Darlene Rodillo.
McCarthy said the Spartanburg community has followed up with remarkable support after courting the accelerator. Spartanburg Regional Hospital is one of the program’s investors. Converse University donated furniture for participants, and Wofford students will participate in some activities with the start-ups.
Pitch practices where companies hone their message delivery will be open to the public as usual, but this time the community will be more engaged in the process as various organizations host the weekly events.
The 13-week program will run until October 15, when companies will show their progress and products to investors and the rest of the public. Participants receive $20,000 in seed money, and access to mentors and resources that previous teams have said is invaluable. In exchange, the Iron Yard gets a small equity in the companies. The teams are staying in apartments that will be used by Hub-Bub artist residency participants beginning in January.
