Sandbox Industries Launches Healthbox, An Accelerator for Healthcare Startups

Monika Jansen Jun 10, 2011 Tweet

Chicago-based Sandbox Industries, a venture capital firm and leading incubator for startup companies, is launching Healthbox, a business accelerator that will focus exclusively on the healthcare industry. Healthbox will build on the success of Excelerate Labs, the tech accelerator that Sandbox co-founded last year, and that we just named Top 3 among 15 other prominent startup accelerators around the country.

“Given the dynamics of the industry, building a healthcare technology startup poses a lot of challenges,” said Sandbox Vice President Nina Nashif, who founded Healthbox. “The market needs a platform that provides critical support for early-stage healthcare companies that are not typically ready for venture capital.”

Healthbox will work with emerging healthcare technology and technology-enabled services startups that address specific industry challenges.  Ten entrepreneurial teams from around the country will be selected to participate in a three month program that will include:

• Access to industry leaders, investors, and established entrepreneurs
• Workshops on a variety of topics and disciplines that are relevant to early stage healthcare businesses
• A collaborative workspace
• $50,000 in seed capital

The program culminates with an Investor Day that gives entrepreneurs an opportunity to pitch to a targeted group of angel and venture investors.

Their website is just a landing page for now, but you can supply your name and email address to stay connected (and follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn of course).