Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth Accelerator announces second cohort
The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth first staked its claim as a worldwide leader in physical health innovation in 2022 by introducing the world’s first physical health-focused startup accelerator.
Now the Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth Accelerator has gathered 10 more of the world’s most innovative startups to revolutionize the physical health industry through new technology. These startups will be in Texas for a 13-week program.
HSC has once again partnered with Techstars — a global investment firm that provides access to capital, one-on-one mentorship and customized programming for early-stage entrepreneurs — the City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County and Goff Capital for the second accelerator.
The program’s partners chose high-growth, early-stage startups to support and fund. The companies were chosen from a pool of hundreds of applicants worldwide. For the next several months, owners, innovators and representatives of these startups will call Fort Worth home as team members from HSC, Techstars and Goff Capital shepherd their ideas from concept to game-changing tech.
“The second class of Techstars companies is working to solve some big problems in physical health that could have a huge impact on patient care, patient safety and whole health,” said Cameron Cushman, HSC’s assistant vice president of innovation ecosystems. “We are excited to welcome these innovators to Fort Worth from literally around the world to take what they’ve built and scale it to patients around the globe.”
“We see these companies as being major potential disruptors in the world of physical health. They are working to solve tough problems and to bring new solutions to market that will help patients feel better and improve their quality of life.”
The accelerator is focused on supporting companies building new technologies, treatments and therapies in the physical health space in areas such as rehabilitation, physical therapy, performance and exercise. The selected startups will participate in an intensive, 13-week program, and receive hands-on mentorship, curated entrepreneurial content and programming, up to $120,000 in funding, and access to a vast network of mentors, investors, alumni and influential corporate executives. These efforts will culminate Dec. 8 during Demo Day, when leaders of the startups will present their work.
“We are grateful to our partners who helped us make this program happen — the City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County and Goff Capital Partners,” said Trey Bowles, managing director of the Fort Worth accelerator. “Their support has been critical to HSC’s vision to make Fort Worth the physical health innovation capital of the world. Our partners have enabled Techstars to attract these impressive and innovative startup founders to Fort Worth to build and scale their companies.”
HSC received $4.8 million in funding from the City of Fort Worth and Tarrant County to start a physical therapy-focused accelerator program with Techstars. With the additional contributions of HSC and Goff Capital, nearly $10 million has been allocated for the Techstars accelerator over three years.
The accelerator represents a collaboration to fill gaps identified by many business-savvy observers in Tarrant County: access to physical therapy and the lack of a true early-stage accelerator program for innovative startup companies.
This will be the second Techstars accelerator in North Texas, although the company has hosted more than 80 Techstars Startup Weekends and Techstars Startup Week community events in other parts of the state. In Austin alone, the Colorado-based organization has invested in more than 150 startups that have raised more than $1 billion in venture funding to date.
Globally, Techstars has invested in more than 3,700 startup companies, making it the largest seed-stage investor in the world. These companies represent a combined market capitalization of $98.6 billion.
Here is more information about the 10 companies selected for the second Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth Accelerator:
Brilliantly
Brilliantly Warm is a flexible, safe and warming device that can be worn in a bra to provide total-body warmth at the press of a button. The company’s science-backed, smartphone-enabled wearable slips into any bra for natural-feeling warmth.
ComeBack Mobility
The ComeBack Mobility Smart Crutch Tips are an IoT biofeedback device and mobile app that guide patients about how to apply the right amount of force to a recovering limb while using their crutches. For the patient, the solution is designed to improve compliance to rehabilitation protocols, speed the recovery process and reduce the number of revision surgeries.
Comma
Comma is an integrated period care company bringing menstrual health to reproductive health. The startup is building the first HIPAA-compliant period tracking app and developing a biodegradable tampon with potential for add-on laboratory services, unlocking menstrual blood as a biomarker.
Hera Fertility
Hera Fertility is a digital-first fertility clinic offering technology-driven diagnosis, telehealth consultations and personalized treatment plans for both women and men relating to infertility, including assisted reproductive technology services. Hera has three products: Hera Discovery (telehealth diagnosis services), Hera Support (app to manage ongoing care and access to fertility care team) and loan financing for patients.
Lubu Technologies
Luba Technologies’ AI-powered fitness coaching insoles are designed to reduce fitness-related injuries and improve performance. The collected data is processed by proprietary AI algorithms, providing the user with digestible, actionable insights about their performance, injury risks and potential areas for improvement.
Maya AI
Maya is a self-learning, voice-based AI agent that helps scientists extract data, update documentation and create proposed action plans from changing data. The tech works on real-time and historical data, and from both public and private sources.
Pulse Charter Connect
Pulse Charter Connect is taking on the logistics of transporting human organs, in the air and on the ground. The companu’s digital software is a service (SaaS) solution for critical health care logistics, making the process faster, less expensive, safer and with a greater success rate for organ transplant patients. The tech automates an antiquated and inefficient process of organ transport logistics.
Somos
Somos is building a health care and wellness super app for Latin Americans starting with a version that aggregates body signals from glucose sensors, wearables and lab tests to help people with pre-diabetes and diabetes understand how their body reacts to food and habits.
Vessl Prosthetics
Every 30 seconds in America, a leg is amputated. All amputees struggle with their prosthetic socket fit. Vessl’s patent-pending isoform socket is the only socket that automatically adjusts to changes in leg size, thereby empowering amputees to move comfortably.
Xplosion Technology
Xplosion’s digital health platform is aimed at adolescent diabetes management with a strong emphasis on health equity. Through the integration of advanced technologies, such as machine learning and real-time data analysis, Xplosion provides personalized support and tools to facilitate effective self-management of diabetes. By enhancing patient engagement, empowerment and overall well-being, Xplosion addresses the specific needs of adolescents and promotes health equity in diabetes management.
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