Demo Day: Healthbox Accelerator Launches 1st Class of 10 Health Startups

Kira M. Newman Apr 4, 2012 Tweet

Demo day is wrapping up in Chicago as 10 new health startups launch to the public out of Healthbox.

The 3-month accelerator program offered mentorship, office space, and $50,000 in funding (in exchange for 7 percent equity) to 10 lucky startups who are tackling a tricky sector.

“Between rising costs, issues of access and a complex transition into the digital age, the American healthcare system faces some daunting challenges,” Healthbox explains.

Here are the 10 startups:

• Cara Health (Dublin, Ireland): A system that helps identify which patients need to be readmitted to the hospital based on health reports they submit.
• CareHubs (Beaverton, OR): A social platform that connects patients and doctors.
• CareWire (Minneapolis, MN): A text messaging service that sends reminders about appointments and satisfaction surveys to patients. Cofounded by former AOL product leader Scott Danielson and former UnitedHealth Group exec David Nichols.
• Corengi (Seattle, WA): Helps patients find clinical research studies to participate in. Cofounders Ryan Luce and Elliot Cohen are hoping to accelerate medical innovation.
• DermLink (Atherton, CA): A HIPAA-compliant app where patients can have their dermatology problems diagnosed over the Internet.

The Healthboxers get some advice from Jessica Kim of BabbaCo

• My Coupon Doc (Atlanta, GA): Offers manufacturer coupons on prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines.
• PUSH Wellness (Chicago, IL): Incentivizes employees to make measurable behavior changes for better health. Cofounded by Dr. Greg Vachon and research manager Charlie Zei.
• SwiftPayMD (Norcross, GA): A mobile app that allows traveling doctors to submit billing information immediately after an appointment, bringing in payment faster.
• SwipeSense (Evanston, IL): A portable hand sanitation device. Cofounded by Northwestern University grads Mert Iseri and Yuri Malina, who also cofounded Design for America.
• UnitedPreference (Princeton, NJ): Incentivizes members to engage in preventative health activities with prepaid cards for healthy purchases.