Areas of Focus

Areas of focus for the accelerator include digital health tools that enhance preparedness and response to public health emergencies due to:

1. Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats

2. Pandemic influenza

3. Emerging infectious diseases

If your solution is working in another segment or space, please provide a narrative around how it relates to the focus areas above.

Across these areas, we are interested in digital health solutions that can support preparedness, health readiness and mobilization. Specifically:

  • Technologies to enhance clinical trials for medical countermeasures (MCMs), which could include innovations for enhanced recruitment and retention or optimized trial design.
  • At-home digital diagnostics and telemedicine solutions that utilize artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) approaches for diagnosis and risk assessment.
  • Novel approaches to collect, process, evaluate and validate real-world evidence for therapeutics, devices and diagnostics, including use of AI/ML.
  • Digital twin approaches using multimodal clinical data, including AI (e.g., EHR, imaging, unstructured notes) for early identification, endotyping or treatment guidance for disease severity to enable early intervention.
  • Integrated capabilities to identify deterioration in the pre-hospital setting to assist in assessing, diagnosing and treating CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) mass casualty patients. For example, innovations that enable sensor data collection, AI model development, responder- and clinician-facing user interfaces and tools that can facilitate integration with larger healthcare enterprises.

Background

Digital health solutions are playing an increasingly crucial role in enhancing healthcare preparedness and response capabilities. In the face of evolving global health security threats, the integration of digital technologies has proven to be essential for rapid diagnosis, real-time data sharing and informed decision-making across healthcare systems.

The Paratus Digital Health Accelerator program provides comprehensive support to digital health companies to build and scale their solutions. This support is provided at no cost to program participants.

Benefits of participation

This program will provide participants access to mentorship, exclusive resources and interactive curriculum from subject matter experts to refine their value propositions and craft their pitch through a 10-week accelerator program. The program will culminate in a virtual showcase.

Participants should expect to:

  • Participate in a customized 10-week curriculum with a commitment between 3-5 hours a week, including:
    • Weekly one hour mentor session
    • Weekly one-to-two hour curriculum session
    • Additional time with subject matter experts (30 minutes to an hour each week)
    • Guided activities for completion on your own time
  • Engage with other cutting-edge startups Network with peers and leading influencers
  • Receive mentorship from industry leaders and subject matter experts
  • Gain exposure to the MATTER community
  • Present to potential investors, partners and clients
  • Participate in a virtual showcase

Timeline

March 31, 2025: Applications open
May 9, 2025: Applications close
May 23, 2025: Cohort announced
May 27, 2025–August 1, 2025: 10-week accelerator*
Early August or September: Final Showcase

*One-week break the week of June 30-July 4, 2025

Who should apply?

We’re seeking entrepreneurs and university-backed researchers who are developing digital health solutions that will empower the nation to prepare for and respond to health security threats and improve the continuum of clinical care.

This global call for solutions is open to startups from across the innovation ecosystem with an established proof of concept, evidence of product-market fit and business model potential.

This program is conducted fully virtually. Participants must be available to spend approximately five hours each week from May 27 to August 1.

See the FAQs for more information.

Selection criteria

We will evaluate submissions with the following criteria in mind:

  • Ability to clearly identify and articulate how the proposed digital health solution directly enhances preparedness and response to public health emergencies
  • Demonstration of the quality, feasibility and scalability of proposed solution
  • Differentiation of solution within the competitive landscape
  • Capability of participant to develop and execute concept/idea
  • Extent to which Paratus Digital Health Accelerator can advance solution (i.e., mission fit)

Submission process

Applications will be open from March 31, 2025, until May 9, 2025, at 11:59pm CT. By May 23, 2025, MATTER will select and notify between five and seven finalists to participate in the 10-week accelerator followed by the final showcase in early August 2025.

See the full Terms and Conditions.

Ready to submit?

Deadline to submit is May 9, 2025
Submit now

About MATTER

MATTER, the premier healthcare incubator and innovation hub, includes hundreds of cutting-edge startups from around the world, working together with dozens of hospitals and health systems, universities and industry-leading companies to build the future of healthcare. Together, the MATTER community is accelerating innovation, advancing care and improving lives. Since its inception in 2015, MATTER has supported more than 1,000 current and alumni healthcare technology startups from around the world that have created more than 10,000 jobs and raised more than $5.3 billion in capital. Their products have been used by more than 1.25 million clinicians. For more information, visit matter.health and follow @MATTERhealth.

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