Pictured at the launch of HealthXL in Science Gallery today was Johnny Walker, founder Global Diagnostics; Eoghan Jennings, director, HealthXL; and Jim Joyce, CEO, Point of Care
HealthXL is a new accelerator programme that is being launched by Startupbootcamp in Dublin this evening. It will be specifically targeted at supporting technology start-ups in the health and well-being sector.
Startupbootcamp itself is a European start-up accelerator that operates three-month programmes for start-ups in cities such as Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Madrid, Haifa and Berlin. It held its first programme in Dublin earlier this year.
The accelerator programme HealthXL will run between Dublin and London for 10 new health and well-being start-ups, starting from early 2013.
Start-ups of particular interest will be those that are zoning in on health-tech areas ranging from prevention and participatory health solutions to personalisation and patient compliance.
During the programme, each of the 10 teams will get €15,000 in micro investment, mentoring from health and tech experts, co-working space and access to more than €160,000 in products and services from sponsors and partners.
Global health and technology partners
HealthXL is also partnering with global companies to draw upon their health and tech expertise. These companies will include IBM, GlaxoSmithKline, Personal Health Solutions and Reckitt Benckiser. The aim of the collaboration is to help start-ups gain visibility within the industry and to help them better access the European healthcare marketplace.
Enterprise Ireland is also supporting HealthXL as is Nesta in the UK. According to Enterprise Ireland, each of the start-ups that wish to remain in Ireland to grow their business after HealthXL will be able to apply to the enterprise agency for an investment of up to €500,000.
HealthXL itself will be officially launching at Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin from 6pm today to give start-ups more information about the programme. Speakers will include Martin Kelly from IBM Venture Capital, who is also a programme director at HealthXL; Eoghan Jennings, founder of Startupbootcamp Dublin; and Steve Seuntjens from Personal Health Solutions.
As well as today’s launch in Dublin, there will also be a series of HealthXL events taking place in cities such as London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen and Sydney, as well as cities in the US, to seek out suitable health-tech start-ups for the programme.
Start-ups that end up participating in HealthXL will finish the programme during an Investor Demo Day in Dublin next May when they will pitch to an audience of the angel investors, business mentors and community members.
Interested start-ups can now register their interest to enter the programme and projects will be selected in early 2013.
