Cedars-Sinai Accelerator selects 8 new health tech startups


The Cedars-Sinai Accelerator has selected eight health technology startups to participate in its seventh class.

As part of the accelerator, the companies’ leaders will get the opportunity to work closely with doctors, researchers and administrators to understand how their products fit into the healthcare landscape. This year, the startups’ offerings range from providing accessible fitness for aging patients to skeletal reconstruction.

All the startups accepted into the program receive a $100,000 investment from Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai. At the end of the three-month program, company leaders will share their progress with an audience of investors, mentors, potential customers and members of the news media.

The Cedars-Sinai Accelerator, which was launched in 2015, aims to advance the growth and development of solutions and companies that are focused on improving healthcare.

“The road to building a successful healthcare technology company can be long and difficult, and we aim to help accelerate this process where possible by providing real-world feedback, funding, and an opportunity to grow their network and visibility,” said Anne Wellington, managing director of the accelerator, in an email.

Eight companies were selected out of around 350 applications. The accelerator’s selection process includes a series of interviews as well as an internal review and discussion by accelerator staff along with input from clinical, operational and technical subject matter experts.

“The companies we ultimately selected for the program are building solutions that are not only relevant to Cedars-Sinai but also have potential to improve healthcare for patients around the country and around the world,” Wellington said. “We look for companies that are creating solutions which are timely and meaningful, and who are led by founders who are eager to learn and collaborate to build the best possible product.”

To date, 54 startups have participated in the accelerator program, of which around 80% are still active or have been acquired. Notable companies include Well Health, Aiva and Feedtrail.

The new class includes:

Enroute: A company focused on optimizing in-hospital logistics with software that can be used to request transporters and notify transporters and staff of updates.

EpiBone: A startup that constructs and cultivates bones or cartilage in joints for patients with musculoskeletal defects.

Eternally: An organization that assists patients with the completion of an advance directive.

Euphoria: A startup offering a suite of applications to provide information and resources for transgender people as they go through the process of transition.

FlexTogether: A company that provides peer motivation and accessible fitness instruction for aging patients and those who are isolated.

inTandem Health: An organization that provides peer-to-peer support groups for newly diagnosed patients.

Optio3: A provider of cloud-based software to aggregate and analyze data from hospital-based smart devices to identify areas that could be more efficient at a facility level.

Rhaeos: A startup that is developing a wireless, non-invasive thermal flow sensor to detect the presence and amount of cerebrospinal fluid in a short amount of time.

After being conducted entirely virtually in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Cedars-Sinai Accelerator will employ a hybrid operations model this year. Company representatives will be able to choose whether they want to attend in-person at Cedars-Sinai or virtually.

Photo: elenabs, Getty Images