Pre-seed venture capital company Techstars, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, and Johns Hopkins University, have entered a partnership to initiate a healthcare accelerator programme in Baltimore, US.
This initiative aims to nurture early-stage entrepreneurs focused on enhancing healthcare through artificial intelligence (AI).
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Referred to as ‘Techstars AI Health Baltimore’, the programme is powered by Johns Hopkins and CareFirst.
It will leverage the university’s expertise in converting research into market-ready enterprises, Techstars’ proven accelerator model, and CareFirst’s commitment to improving healthcare access and affordability.
The accelerator will operate in-person in Baltimore, a hub for healthcare innovation.
Besides, the programme is an extension of the successful Techstars Equitech series, which concluded in May this year, in collaboration with UpSurge Baltimore, the city’s technology ecosystem facilitator.
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By GlobalDataTechstars AI Health Baltimore is set to become Techstars’ premier healthcare accelerator.
Adam Phillips, previously at the helm of Techstars Equitech, will head the 13-week programme.
The programme is dedicated to assisting entrepreneurs at the helm of healthtech, medtech, as well as biotech startups.
Participants will benefit from capital investment, experts’ mentorship, and support to sustain the healthcare industry’s complex landscape and regulatory framework.
The call for applications has opened on 26 August 2024 and will close on 20 November 2024.
Techstars chief investment officer Andrew Cleland said: “The application of AI to healthcare will enable new avenues of innovation, creating more powerful solutions for patients more quickly.
“Entrepreneurs are at the centre of this change as they apply technology to improve care and, ultimately, impact people’s lives.
“Their ability to collaborate with prominent health systems like Johns Hopkins and CareFirst, plus Techstars’ programming, capital, and connections will help multiply that impact.”
Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures startup acceleration head Myra Norton said: “By collaborating with Techstars at the intersection of healthcare and AI, Johns Hopkins aims to bring more entrepreneurs to our ecosystem and catalyse more startup activity to bring high-impact healthcare innovation to market.”
