PHILADELPHIA – (March 8, 2017) – The University City Science Center is now accepting applications for the third class of its Digital Health Accelerator (DHA). The application period runs through May 15, 2017.
A team of industry professionals and investors will choose six well-qualified companies in the digital health or health IT sector. Successful candidates will receive funding up to $50,000, office space at the Science Center, professional mentorship, access to investors and warm introductions to appropriate decision makers in the target market. The selected companies will be announced in August 2017 and will participate through July 2018.
Prior DHA participants such as The One Health Company and UE LifeSciences have been featured in major international, national and local publications. They have also been invited to present at events such as the World Economic Forum in Davos and SXSW.
"The DHA is a great community of entrepreneurs-- a well selected group of excellence seekers,” says Christina Lopes, Founder & CEO of The One Health Company, a participant in the second class of the DHA. “The ecosystem means a lot when you are an entrepreneur. The support of the Science Center has also been paramount for our credibility and progress."
Companies interested in participating in the third class can apply online at: http://www.sciencecenter.org/discover/digital-health-accelerator.
Awards will go to approximately six companies that best exemplify:
- A focus on digital health solutions that are transformative, improve patient care and safety, and enhance wellness and patient independence
- A clearly articulated use of funds and other resources to engage first customers or to expand a pilot customer base by July 2018
- A history or potential for customer and/or investor traction
Successful applicants will be ready to establish operations in the Greater Philadelphia region and have a product or prototype that is ready to be put into the hands of customers with the DHA’s support. Applicants must be willing to take advantage of the coaching and mentoring provided by the DHA.
Launched in 2014 by the Science Center, over the course of the first two DHA cycles 13 companies went from prototype to commercialization, creating 160 new jobs, generating over $20 million in revenue and raising close to $22 million in follow-on investment. In 2015, the DHA won an award from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Growth Accelerator Fund Competition, and in November 2016, it was named The Most Promising TBED (Technology Based Economic Development) Initiative by SSTI, an industry organization for economic development organizations. The DHA has also received funding support from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development.
Participants of the DHA’s second class, which graduated in February, include Grand Round Table, Graphwear Technologies, InvisAlert Solutions, Oncora Medical, The One Health Company, and Tissue Analytics. Biomeme, Curbside Care, Fitly, Keosys, Pulse InfoFrame and UE LifeSciences participated in the inaugural class.
About the Science Center
Located in the heart of uCity Square, the Science Center is a mission-driven nonprofit organization that catalyzes and connects innovation to entrepreneurship and technology commercialization. For 50+ years, the Science Center has supported startups, research, and economic development in the life sciences, healthcare, physical sciences, and emerging technology sectors. As a result, graduate firms and current residents of the Science Center’s incubator support one out of every 100 jobs in the Greater Philadelphia region and drive $13 billion in economic activity in the region annually. By providing resources and programming for any stage of a business’s lifecycle, the Science Center helps scientists, entrepreneurs and innovators take their concepts from idea to IPO – and beyond. For more information about the Science Center, go to www.sciencecenter.org
