Our annual pitch competition where startups in different healthcare sectors vie to beat out the competition during our annual INVEST conference is back.
Next year, the conference will be held April 23-24 in a new venue – the Ritz Carlton hotel and we will host it jointly with our partner — the Mid-America Healthcare Investors Network.
At this year’s conference held in May, more than 40 startups took part. Here are the 2018 winners.
To see how you stack up next to the most innovative healthcare startups nationally, you should apply now and here. Companies must fulfill one of these requirements:
- raised at least $1 million, or
- raised a Series A round, or,
- have at least one qualified institutional investor or strategic investor that you can identify
Companies should also be looking for additional funding in the next 12 months. When completing the 2-page executive summary, please describe clearly what the unmet need in the marketplace is, what your value proposition is and how your product works in terms of the science behind it. For instance, for biopharma startups, the science could be the mechanism of action. If you have results of a pilot or other relevant information, please include. We are also interested in your go-to-market strategy.
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.
This will help investors screen your application based on the following criteria:
- Business Idea
- Market Opportunity
- Revenue Model
- Founder’s Experience
The deadline to apply is January 15. You can apply here.
We are adding judges as we speak, but here are some that have confirmed: Adam Koopersmith, partner, Pritzker Group, Nicole Walker, partner Baird Capital, John Mattison, Chief Medical Information Officer and Assistant Medical Director for Kaiser Permanente and Jessica Zeaske, director, GE Ventures.
To learn more about the conference, which in past years has brought together marquee investors and entrepreneurs, please visit the INVEST website, where you may enter the Pitch Perfect Contest .
You can also apply by going directly here. Good luck.
See you in Chicago, April 23-24 at the Ritz.
Photo: Adam Taylor, Getty Images
