Arkansas to get its first healthcare accelerator
Baptist Health and the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub are introducing a program to support and accelerate the development of new startup companies with innovative solutions to improve healthcare delivery in the state.
HubX—LifeSciences Presented By Baptist Health will be the first privately-funded and industry-specific business accelerator program in Arkansas.
Up to 10 startup companies will be invited to participate in the 13-week program after several months of national and international recruitment, according to a release. Each company will receive seed investment as well as intense mentorship and assistance as they rapidly proceed from concept to product development and customer acquisition. Initial seed investments into the companies will range from $25,000 to $50,000, and the companies also will qualify for additional back-end investments.
The participating companies will be selected based on their potential to provide solutions to several key priorities identified by Baptist Health, including digital healthcare platforms, healthcare services and medical devices.
The program will also benefit from a partnership with Iron Yard Ventures, which operates a Digital Health Accelerator that is ranked among the top five health accelerators in the nation. Iron Yard Ventures will share its expertise, training, mentor network and other assets during its engagement with HubX—LifeSciences Presented By Baptist Health.
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.