Health IT, Startups

Dreamit Health will use Blackstone Foundation grant to expand accelerator class

Dreamit Health has had 40 startups take part in its accelerator since its start.

DreamIt Health Philly Second ClassAt a time when some healthcare accelerators are reducing the size of their classes as part of a broader shift in their models,  Dreamit Ventures CEO Avi Savar said it will use an innovation grant it received from the Blackstone Charitable Foundation to increase its healthcare accelerator classes and boost its networking efforts, according to a company statement.

It was one of 13 grant recipients from a pool of 450 applicants.

Savar said in a statement:

“This grant will allow more early stage digital health companies to participate in Dreamit Health and bring their world-changing innovations to market while deepening our roots in Philadelphia’s tech community, where we’ve been supporting entrepreneurs for nearly a decade…We are proud to have been selected by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation from hundreds of organizations and look forward to working with our partners to build a bigger, better Dreamit this year.”

The group views the grant as helping the accelerator and its partners Penn Medicine and Independence Blue Cross to support startups that fulfill some of the goals of healthcare reform — increase the quality of healthcare while lowering the cost of it.

The accelerator also said that the grant would be used to support the Dreamit Health network by helping it form new relationships with other Philadelphia health care organizations and deepen integration with current partners.

Dreamit Health will host on-site Customer Immersion and Learning Events at top Philadelphia-area health care institutions to expand engagement with clinicians and build a broader clinical network for early need finding, design iterations, and piloting.  Startups will have an opportunity to pitch the executive teams and clinicians at these institutions their insights into core problems, market opportunities, gaps in existing solutions, and their current value proposition, along with how the regional institutions can help.

Photo: Flickr user WeLoveCostaRica

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