Health Care Technology Accelerator Boosts Seed Funding

Halle Tecco (Rock Health)

Rock Health, an organization that provides seed funding, training, and mentoring for start-up companies in health care technology, says its next class of companies will each receive a $100,000 investment. The funds for these start-ups are being provided by the Mayo clinic and three venture capital firms: Aberdare Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, and Mohr Davidow Ventures.

The organization has assembled a group of corporate, investor, and health care partners including medical centers, venture capital (VC) firms, biotech and pharmaceutical enterprises, and health technology companies. In a blog post yesterday, Rock Health CEO Halle Tecco (pictured left) says the partners provide “insights, pilots, partnerships, funding, and even office space for Rock Health start-ups.”  The VC company Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers is a new Rock Health partner.

Rock Health has held three classes of training for health care technology start-ups, the latest in Boston ending last week. In addition to seed funding, the group says companies accepted into its program gain $30,000 worth of goods and in-kind services, and office space in San Francisco (Rock Health’s base) or Harvard Medical School in Boston.

So far, says Tecco, Rock Health has supported 35 start-up companies with 89 entrepreneurs that attracted some $25 million in follow-on funding. The organization is accepting applications for its fourth class of start-ups, which are due by 16 September. Rock Health expects to announce semi-finalists on 1 October, with interviews taking place on 5 and 10 October.  Finalists will be notified by 12 October.

Hat tip: Med City News

Read more:

• Kauffman Helping Stanford Student Accelerator Go National
• Students, Postdocs, Policies Drive University Spinoffs
• Michigan State Forms Subsidiary to Encourage Start-Ups
• Maryland University, VC Partner on Start-Up Accelerator
• Kauffman Grant Supports Seed Accelerator Network

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