To address the venture capital gap faced by women-led companies in the southeastern United States, GuideWell Innovation is hosting a 10-week scale-up accelerator. It’s for Southeast-based health-tech or medical device companies with at least one female founder, and the deadline to apply is just a week away.
For the summer 2019 cohort, GuideWell Innovation partnered with Springboard Enterprises, a venture catalyst that accelerates the growth of entrepreneurial companies led by women through access to essential resources and a global community of experts. Since launching its first program in 2000, Springboard has worked with 769 women who have raised $9.5B in capital and resulting in 19 IPOs and 190 M&A exits, the company said.
GuideWell Innovation is currently accepting applications for the summer cohort of five to 10 health tech companies. It is looking for scale-up health/wellness technology companies that address critical gaps in providing affordable, accessible health care or holistic health/wellness solutions for diverse populations and communities in the United States. The program is free of costs or equity for startups selected to participate.
“We are interested in enabling growth in health-technology ventures that have the opportunity to solve big problems and reach large markets in the U.S. health care industry,” said Kirstie McCool, executive director of GuideWell Innovation, in a statement. “Both women-led startups and the southeastern U.S. are lagging in access and closure of venture capital. We are honored to have an opportunity to help accelerate the growth and financing of amazing companies within this ‘double jeopardy’ demographic.”
A kickoff 3-day boot camp and a 2-day investor showcase event will be held at the GuideWell Innovation Center in Orlando. The rest of the weeks will be virtual, with cohort companies connecting with advisors weekly as well as through participating in a weekly workshop.
The application deadline is Friday, May 31. More information is here: https://guidewellinnovation.com/guidewell-scale-up-accelerator/.
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