Relevant Health, a health tech accelerator in Rockvillle, Maryland, has picked seven companies for its inaugural class. Among the participants in the five-month program are a wearables developer seeking to help people avoid injuries from heavy lifting and a speech therapy tool to make learning seem more like a game.
The accelerator got started this year through a partnership between BioHealth Innovation, Montgomery County’s Economic Development department and Product Savvy, which is managing day-to-day operations. Here’s a summary of the members.
AgeWell Biometrics is developing a predictive data analytics platform so healthcare professionals can determine patients’ fall risk, with a focus on seniors. Healthcare professional gather data with users’ consent from motion sensors, smartwatches and other apps and devices. They create a way to stream this data to its cloud, which then sends the quantified data back to the clinical network. The management team includes Joanne Larson, Joshua Wies, Todd Walderman and Dr. Joan Lasenby. (Baltimore)
CheeksUp is developing an interactive computer-guided system for childhood speech therapy. Its approach is to create a more engaging and dynamic platform. Its co-founders include CEO Ilze Zaharane and CTO Andis Liepins. (Latvia)
ErgonometriX is working on a wearable connected to a cloud-based analytics platform with the goal of identifying, tracking and reducing workers’ high-risk lifting maneuvers that can lead to lower back injuries. The co-founders are Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael April and CTO Marc Cohen. (Rockville, Maryland)
Gastro Girl is producing a technology platform to deliver health coaching and support to the community of patients living with gastrointestinal conditions such as gas, bloating , constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome. The company is led by founder Jacqueline Gaulin, who identifies herself as a board certified holistic health coach. (Falls Church, Virginia)
Lazy is developing a product to simplify PQRS reporting requirements that impact hospitals and other health providers. (Washington, DC)
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Neopenda is producing a wearable device that monitors the vital signs of newborns in low-resource neonatal units globally. Its co-founders are biomedical engineering graduate students at Columbia University — Sona Shah and Teresa Cauvel. (New York City)
Werbie co-founders CEO Catherine Cheremeteff Jones and CTO Jon Richards are developing mobile and web application focused on nutritional coaching for women managing high-risk pregnancies, tapping the founder’s book on nutrition during pregnancy. (Bethesda, Maryland)
Photo: Flickr
