MassChallenge, a Boston-based network of startup accelerators, has awarded more than $200,000 in cash prizes to six digital health startups from its 2019 HealthTech accelerator.
At an event in downtown Boston this week, the HealthTech accelerator program graduated its third cohort of startups in the healthcare technology space. The cash prize winners were announced as part of the event—the 2019 MassChallenge HealthTech Finale—which brought together more than 300 corporate leaders, government officials, policy makers, entrepreneurs, and innovators within the digital health community.
To select this year’s prize winners, MassChallenge HealthTech tapped healthcare industry leaders to evaluate each startup based on their ability to demonstrate traction, growth, and impact. Over the six-month accelerator program, 31 startups partnered with industry professionals with the aim to solve some of healthcare’s most pressing challenges. Following the program, the majority of startups and partners will continue to work together, according to officials.
“In our first three years we generated 270 partnerships that helped entrepreneurs impact millions of lives, earn millions in funding and revenue, and hire hundreds of employees” said Nick Dougherty, managing director of MassChallenge HealthTech. “The 2019 cohort made exceptional progress, impacting millions of lives, securing over $26 million in funding and $5 million in revenue, and supporting over 400 jobs during the program.”
The winning companies have developed solutions that touch health IT in a variety of ways:
- $100,000 Diamond Winner (and $10,000 Wehealth Startup Choice Winner)
1upHealth (Boston, Mass.): Patient data aggregation platform for app developers, providers, and patients
- $40,000 Platinum Winner
GoGoGrandparent (Mountain View, Calif.): Helping older adults use on-demand transportation companies without needing a smartphone.
- $40,000 Platinum Winner
Pixm (Waltham, Mass.): Develops AI technology that uses visual recognition to detect zero-day phishing attacks.
- $20,000 Judges’ Choice Award
Marigold Health (Boston, Mass.): Mobile app for anonymous text-based group psychotherapy.
- $10,000 MITRE Women In Digital Health Winner
Welnys (Jersey City, N.J.): Makes workplace wellness easy.
- Goodwin Procter Champion Of The Year Winner
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (Wellesley, Mass.): Not-for-profit health services company serving members in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and beyond. They are awarded with the inaugural “Champion of the Year Award” as nominated by the entrepreneurs of the 2019 cohort.
