First European Healthcare Business Accelerator Launched

Healthbox (London, United Kingdom) launched by business incubator and venture capital firm Sandbox (Chicago, IL, USA) is a 12-week accelerator program that connects healthcare entrepreneurs with a diverse and expert network of mentors, while providing collaborative workspace, strategic guidance, and USD 50,000 in seed capital. In exchange, Healthbox's limited partners, who include prominent healthcare investors, providers, payers, and retailers, will receive a small stake of equity in each company and insight into early-stage healthcare innovation.

Selected for their potential to bring about real change to the United Kingdom health economy, three UK companies have been the first chosen for the program. These are geriatrics specialist HomeTouch, mobile health platform Medopad, and the creators of groundbreaking DNA synthesizing technology Desktop Genetics. A further four start-ups are slated to benefit from access to influential figures and organizations across the public and private healthcare sector, as well as mentoring support from healthcare entrepreneurs.

Among the strategic partners of the European Healthbox program are Bupa (London, United Kingdom), a leading international healthcare group that offers personal and company health insurance, runs care homes for older people and hospitals, and provides workplace health services, health assessments and chronic disease management services. Another partner is Serco (Hook, United Kingdom, a government services company involved in public and private transport and traffic control, aviation, military and nuclear weapons contracts, detention centers and prisons, healthcare administration, and schools.

“The Healthbox program is about fostering collaboration in the sector and identifying solutions and talented entrepreneurs that we think can have an impact and affect sustainable change,” said Nina Nashif, founder and CEO of Healthbox. “I am very excited to work with these companies and see how they continue to refine their business propositions over the course of the three months and beyond.”

Related Links:
Healthbox
Sandbox
HomeTouch