Healthbox Heads South for New Digital Health Accelerator Programs

[Originally posted on MedCityNews.com]

Digital health accelerator Healthbox‘s newest program won’t be based in the comfy Silicon Valley/Boston healthcare scenes. Instead, it will work with startups in the emerging health IT hub of Nashville.

[Originally posted on MedCityNews.com]

Digital health accelerator Healthbox‘s newest program won’t be based in the comfy Silicon Valley/Boston healthcare scenes. Instead, it will work with startups in the emerging health IT hub of Nashville.

With the support of anchor partner BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Healthbox plans to choose seven to 10 companies for its new class, according to the Nashville Business Journal it. In addition to a $50,000 seed investment, those startups will go through a four-month program that includes mentorship from local healthcare execs. The accelerator has also partnered with the Nashville Healthcare Council, a 250-member organization formed to establish the city’s reputation as a leading healthcare capital.

It’s a noteworthy move because while most of the other well-funded and well-known national digital health accelerators have stuck with more obvious locales like Boston, San Francisco and New York, Healthbox and its Blues-family partners have established a presence in a few emerging centers of healthcare and IT innovation. The accelerator program started in Chicago before adding Boston and London headquarters, and said earlier this year it would also launch a program in Jacksonville, Florida with partner Florida Blue.

Although Nashville is known most for its music scene, it’s also got a quite prolific health IT community. It’s home to virtual waiting room company InQuicker, pressure mapping startup Wellsense and online genetic testing marketplace NextGxDx, to name a few. Interestingly, there’s also a software company called Healthbox IT based there.

Applications for the new class will be accepted on Healthbox’s website through Aug. 4, and the selected companies will take up residence at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center beginning Sept. 9.

[Photo credit: Flickr user ckramer]