GuideWell Innovation Selects 10 Entrepreneurial Ventures for Health+Accel

ORLANDO, Fla. – GuideWell Innovation, a subsidiary of GuideWell Mutual Holding Corporation, has selected 10 young companies to participate in Health+Accel, a new program and pitch competition in Orlando’s Lake Nona Medical City to fast track entrepreneurial ventures focused on aging well.

In its inaugural year, there was strong competition for spots in the one-week intense workshop for entrepreneurs with innovations that allow individuals to maintain their independence and health while aging. More than 200 startups representing 29 countries and 24 states plus the District of Columbia applied for this year’s Health+Accel event.

“As our population ages, it’s critical that we look for innovative ways to provide healthy living and increased longevity without sacrificing independence or autonomy. I was encouraged and inspired by the large number of entrepreneurs who are working towards this goal and applied to be part of Health+Accel. While it was a challenge to narrow the field to only 10 companies, I believe these innovators and their solutions can help us transform the health care system and empower individuals to take control of their health at a personal level,” said Renee Finley, head of GuideWell Innovation.

The 10 entrepreneurial ventures selected for this year’s Health+Accel are:

AgeWell Global – Washington, DC 

​AgeWell Global improves wellbeing and health for older adults while reducing health care costs. It employs able older persons – “AgeWells” –  to conduct home visits and collect critical information on clinical, social and environmental issues from socially isolated, chronically ill elderly patients using smartphones and a proprietary screening tool, building stronger connections between patients and their care providers.

BLUEWAVE – Gainesville, Fla. 

The BLUEWAVE Rapid Disinfection Device is a water-, detergent- and chemical-free plasma infusion device that rapidly disinfects items that are extremely difficult or impossible to treat with conventional means. It can accomplish all of this in as little as five minutes and the active ingredient has been proven to kill 99.9 percent of bacteria, viruses and fungi.

Catalia Health – San Francisco

Catalia Health is a patient care management company that provides Mabu, an easy-to-use, voice enabled wellness coach robot that is able to have conversations with patients in their homes to deepen patients’ engagement in their health and wellness and empower them in self-care. The platform also collects and analyzes day-to-day patient data to identify issues for early intervention.

Kaizen Health – Chicago

To help bridge the gap between transportation and health care, Kaizen Health has developed a web-based logistics hub that allows hospital discharge and care coordination staff to easily schedule transportation for patients to and from the hospital and follow-up appointments. It provides easy access to transportation through its diverse fleet of rideshare/taxis, wheelchair accessible vehicles, vehicles with car seats and non-emergency ambulances.

Neurocern, Inc. – Chicago

Neurocern is an evidence-based care management software system to empower family members who are caring for a loved one living at home with Alzheimer's disease and other neurological conditions. Family members are asked to answer a brief 15-minute online questionnaire of their loved one's symptoms. Using the submitted answers, Neurocern's software system automatically generates a personalized clinically-validated care plan to improve the quality of life and health outcomes.

Pillo Health – Boston

To counter the challenge of integrating the health care system into the home, Pillo was created as the first intelligent health care assistant for the home. It offers three core services: medication management, care plan delivery and Pillo insights for data collection inside the home. The platform helps enable care delivery and risk stratification inside the home. 

Tending, Inc. – San Francisco

Tending partners with health care providers, offering a technology-enabled service that manages the care of their senior patients as they transition out of the hospital and back into the home and community. Tending continues to work with seniors and their families to enable them to live well at home on their terms for as long as possible. 

The Helper Bees – Austin, Texas

Through a personalized matching process that takes into account experience, personality and interests, The Helper Bees find seniors their perfect in-home helper.

UnaliWear – Austin, Texas

The Kanega watch created by UnaliWear provides discreet support for falls, medication reminders, and guards against wandering in a classically-styled watch that features an easy-to-use speech interface rather than buttons. It does not require a smartphone or to be removed for charging. 

WebPsychology, LLC – Centennial, Colo.

WebPsychology is a digital behavioral health platform helping those with depression and other mental health disorders for an affordable monthly price. As a web-based platform, it is able to overcome three primary reasons those with mental illness do not seek help: cost, access and stigma.

 

These 10 selected startups will participate in Health+Accel Oct. 30 through Nov. 3 at the GuideWell Innovation CoRE located in Orlando’s Lake Nona Medical City. During the first four days, they will obtain insight into the dynamic needs and relationships between insurers and providers, discover unique opportunities within the space and explore best practices from experienced industry leaders.

Participants also will receive actionable coaching on how to differentiate themselves from competitors and communicate their value to customers and investors. Experts will work with entrepreneurs on how to align their business model with the needs of the health care industry.

 

Health+Accel will conclude on Friday, Nov. 3 with a pitch competition for participants. The entrepreneurs will have an opportunity to showcase their aging well solutions to executives, investors, business leaders and others in attendance as well as a panel of judges who will award a $20,000 cash prize for the winning pitch. Those interested in attending the pitch competition should visit guidewellinnovation.com/health-accel.

About GuideWell Innovation

GuideWell Innovation, a subsidiary of GuideWell Mutual Holding Corporation, drives collaborative innovation for the family of forward-thinking companies that make up GuideWell. Headquartered in Orlando, Fla.’s Lake Nona Medical City at the GuideWell Innovation CoRE (Collaborative Resources Ecosystem), GuideWell Innovation focuses on transforming the health system into a more integral and useful part of people’s everyday lives by fast tracking the delivery of next-generation health solutions. For more information, visit GuideWellInnovation.com.