Deadline To Enter HLTH Early Stage Startup Pitch Competition is Friday, Sept. 17
Early-stage healthtech entrepreneurs have an opportunity to gain recognition and win prizes by participating in the Startup Pitch competition during HLTH 2021 in Boston, on October 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.
Startups play a critical role in the future of healthcare. The HLTH Startup Pitch competition provides a way for industry disruptors to present their vision to investors, industry participants, media, and analysts. Companies that are less than 3-years-old, and have raised less than $3 million can compete in the pitch competition.
This year’s pitch competition will feature 10 of the most innovative companies in healthcare. As in previous years, there will be two winners – one chosen by a panel of investor judges and the other by crowd vote.
Both winners will receive $25,000 in sponsorship credit for HLTH 2022, and will be recognized at the HLTH Innovator’s Reception on October 18 live in Boston. The winner chosen by HLTH judges will also get $10,000 of credits for Amazon Web Services (AWS).
“Samsung Next sponsors the annual pitch competition in order to encourage startup entrepreneurs to present their solutions to the investment community,” says Brendon Kim, Head of Investments at Samsung Next. “We are committed to nurturing healthtech companies that promise to improve health and well-being – at scale.”
Previous winners of the pitch competition include Papa, Particle Health, and Upside Health.
Papa, an app which pairs older adults with healthcare companions, has already raised over $91 million and has partnered with more than 60 health plans. “The HLTH startup pitch was a pivotal event for Papa,” says Andrew Parker, the company’s founder and CEO. “Winning the judge’s choice was an amazing experience and the money we won was used to pay for our housing in SF where my co-founder and I did an incubator. It was one of the first big wins for Papa and I will never forget it. We still have the check hanging in our office.”
Particle Health, an API for healthcare data, raised a $12 million Series A round after winning the 2019 pitch competition. "The HLTH startup competition was a true inflection point for Particle,” says Troy Bannister, the company’s CEO. “We gained significant credibility and visibility at a highly attended event early in our company's life cycle. I think winning this competition accelerated our path towards Series A - and it was a blast participating."
Upside Health, a clinical tool for chronic pain care, attracted four new clients and raised more than $1 million dollars after winning the pitch event. “The HLTH competition was one of the best well-run pitch competitions I've had the honor to be a part of, from the pre-pitch calls to the day-of run of show,” says Rachel Trobman, CEO of Upside Health. “The judges and moderators were top notch and the impact of the event has been far reaching on our company, from both a strategic partnership and investor exposure perspective."
Applications for participating in the pitch competition close on Friday, September 17. Hope to see your submissions!
Jonathan Machado is a Senior Investment Director for Samsung Next. Samsung Next's investment strategy is limited to its own views and does not reflect the vision or strategy of any other Samsung business unit, including, but not limited to, Samsung Electronics.