Startups

3 last-minute gift ideas for healthcare entrepreneurs – no shipping required

If there are any entrepreneurs still on your shopping list, here are a few gift […]

If there are any entrepreneurs still on your shopping list, here are a few gift ideas that are almost as easy as Amazon’s one-click. They range from free to extravagant and should cover anyone just launching a new company or someone with a little more experience who needs to go to the next level.

Books
Any one of these books will start the year off right.

Free lab space
This gift only works for scientists in the metro New York area, but it’s still a good one. NYC Bio wants to launch a co-working space that includes a web and dry lab. They have started a crowdfunded project to get it off the ground.

We propose MOIST, a Wet/Dry Science and Technology Innovation center in Manhattan. The MOISTech Center will be an affordable, accessible and general place for ideas in science and technology (including biotech, medical devices, health tech, Ag, etc.) to become reality. It combines lab space with office space, meeting rooms, and a machine shop – everything needed to transform ideas into reality.

A gift of $200 covers one month’s rent, one month free, and a desk or a lab bench. With Blueprint Health, StartupHealth, and the New York Digital Health Accelerator near by, not to mention a city full of investors and a huge healthcare system, this space will be networking heaven.

Startup bootcamp
If you are feeling extremely generous this holiday season – or you are extremely worried about a friend or relative’s new company – this is the option for you. The Kauffman FastTrac NewVenture course will teach a newcomer to startup world how to succeed.

Most courses are 12 weeks long and cost about $700. People learn how to vet ideas, assess market risk and network. Go here to find a course in your city. There are also programs for women and veterans.

Full disclosure: MedCity Media has a business relationship with the Kauffman Foundation, which developed these courses and licenses them to organizations around the country. However, I have seen FastTrac graduates in pitch competitions (impressive) and talked with other people who have been through the program (satisfied customers). This program is a worthwhile investment for any entrepreneur.

Veronica Combs

Veronica is an independent journalist and communications strategist. For more than 10 years, she has covered health and healthcare with a focus on innovation and patient engagement. Most recently she managed strategic partnerships and communications for AIR Louisville, a digital health project focused on asthma. The team recruited 7 employer partners, enrolled 1,100 participants and collected more than 250,000 data points about rescue inhaler use. Veronica has worked for startups for almost 20 years doing everything from launching blogs, newsletters and patient communities to recruiting speakers, moderating panel conversations and developing new products. You can reach her on Twitter @vmcombs.

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