DreamIt Ventures and Independence Blue Cross Blue Shield kicked off the third class of early stage health tech companies in the DreamIt Health accelerator, according to a company statement. Sensors are a noticeable theme this year, from ones that can help epileptics track seizures through a smartwatch (Neutun Labs) to a business uses low-cost graphene-enhanced flexible sensors to measure blood sugar, dehydration and fat burning (GraphWear Technologies).
Another interesting company provides a mobile, easy-to-use device to cool scalp during chemo and prevent hair loss (Pallas Medical).
Here is a summary of the rest of the members:
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CareCierge is a Philadelphia-based business that seeks to provide concierge services to help people caring for an ill or aging loved one. Clearly companies see plenty of market opportunity in the senior space and this is the latest example but it also goes beyond senior care.
dBaza Health in Pittsburgh, describes itself as a clinically validated patient onboarding platform for managing chronic diseases like diabetes. Its CEO Sergey Sirotinin has established a track record of producing educational products to support diabetes self-management. He started off as Chief Science Officer for the business before attaining his current position 11 years ago. It will be interesting to get the back story with this business.
Gray Matter Technologies based in Austin — with founders who may also just be fans of Breaking Bad — developed a mouthguard that detects impact and assesses the athlete’s risk of concussion.
Oncora Medical in Philadelphia developed an analytics tool so radiation oncologists can compare patients with past cases, according to the company’s description. It is intended to make it easier to develop instant personalized treatment recommendations for patients through historical data and predictive analytics.
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VisExcell in New York seeks to provide better computer-aided detection in mammograms and other imaging modalities through big data and advanced machine learning algorithms.
This is the second year of the Dreamit OpenCanvas partnership with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The program identifies ideas from Children’s Hospital and supports entrepreneurs as they develop them alongside the rest of the companies in the Dreamit Health class. Last year’s class included data security breach detection Haystack and the short-lived program to develop pediatric medical devices with 3D printing technology.
This year it will include a simulation program to assess and improve driving skill for fleet vehicle company employees, called Simulated Driving Assessment. It has also focused attention on teen drivers.
Intelligent Molecular Cancer Analytics integrates DNA and RNA tumor profiling to better match therapies, according to the statement.