Technology nonprofit Tampa Bay Wave Inc. has chosen 15 startups from across the globe for its new HealthTech|X Accelerator.
Founders from this cohort come from some of the world’s largest companies, including Salesforce, Amazon, Google, Forbes, Visa and IBM, and health care executives from Athena Health, Cerner, Boston Scientific, Merck and more, according to a release.
The Wave announced the program in late 2023.
"With the launch of the HealthTech|X Accelerator, we are not only introducing a new wave of innovation but also reinforcing Tampa Bay's growing reputation as a premier hub for health care and technology," said Linda Olson, CEO of Tampa Bay Wave, in a statement. "Our strategic partnerships and the support from our sponsors and institutional backers are pivotal. Together, we're nurturing a new generation of healthtech innovators, which further elevates the Tampa medical and research district as a focal point for world-class clinical care, research and technological advancement."
The selected companies are:
- Bioniks - Karachi, Pakistan: Provides artificial limbs in Pakistan
- Definition Health Limited - Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom: Software that streamlines the surgical process
- EXO Technologies - Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Services to meet female-specific health needs
- Grapefruit Health - Chicago: Addressing the staffing shortage in health care by creating a tech-enabled workforce composed of local clinical students
- Joberfer Inc. - Calgary, Alberta, Canada: Health care job referral services
- Liife Inc. - Warren, New Jersey: A security and healthtech company that uses AI for identification and verification
- MediMint - Philadelphia: Medical image sharing
- Mercurial AI - Chicago: Personalized treatment plan generation
- NearWave - Austin, Texas: A non-invasive device that assesses vital biomarkers, including tissue oxygen saturation and concentrations of hemoglobin
- Pathfinder - San Diego: A resource for parents about child development and intervention
- REMware - Tampa: Software that helps people sleep better
- SimpliFed - Ithaca, New York: A platform that supports families through baby feeding and beyond
- Superb - Omaha, Nebraska: Tech that caters to health care workers and the communities that employ them
- Veba Baby Corp. - Coral Springs: Smart bottle monitor that tracks the expiration of breast milk and formula
- VitVio - Wilmington, Delaware: Leverages AI and computer vision to make operating rooms more efficient
The accelerator's managing director, Dr. Richard Munassi, said this cohort is one of the Wave's strongest.
"These founders are not only addressing key health care challenges through their innovative technologies, they truly are strong founders solving real problems for patients and providers and payors, and with incredibly strong and diverse backgrounds," he said.
The program is supported by a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and sponsored in part by the Florida High Tech Corridor, University of South Florida Research and Innovation, Foley & Lardner law firm and Levo Health, with other support from Thoropass and RevStar.
The Tampa Bay Economic Development Council and the USF Health Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation, or CAMLS, are partners in the new accelerator.
