MATTER, KOSME and KHIDI announce 2026 cohort for U.S. Healthcare Stakeholder Insights Program

CHICAGO, IL, and SEOUL, KR — MATTER, the premier healthcare incubator and innovation hub, in collaboration with the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME) and Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), is pleased to announce the six companies selected for the 2026 U.S. Healthcare Stakeholder Insights Program.

Now in its seventh year, the program supports Korean healthcare companies preparing to enter and grow in the U.S. market. This year, each participating company has been matched with a U.S. healthcare stakeholder to conduct a focused insights project designed to evaluate key clinical, technical or business questions and inform critical decisions, market readiness and next steps. Selected participants will engage in projects with the University of Chicago Medicine, Northwestern Medicine, Providence and University of Utah Health.

“We are thrilled to build on our long-standing partnership with MATTER and welcome KHIDI as a joint partner. By connecting innovative Korean healthcare companies with leading U.S. health systems, this program will help them gain actionable insights, sharpen their strategies and accelerate their U.S. growth,” said Cheolhyeong Jeon, Managing Director of KOSME’s Global Business Center Chicago.

“We are very pleased to partner with KOSME and MATTER on this program,” said Sung-Eun Hwang, Director of the Medical Device and Cosmetics Division at KHIDI. “Six highly promising Korean companies have been selected, and we are excited to see how they benefit from this opportunity. Korean companies often have strong technologies and innovative solutions, but may have limited exposure to how U.S. clinicians use and evaluate these technologies in real-world clinical settings. This program provides an important opportunity to bridge that gap by connecting Korean innovators directly with U.S. healthcare professionals and giving them valuable, practical feedback to help strengthen their products and accelerate their entry into the U.S. market.”

The six companies were selected through a curated matching process based on alignment between their solutions, proposed insights projects and participating healthcare stakeholders’ priorities. Over the 12-week program, each company will participate in strategic deep-dive meetings with its matched partner to gather targeted, actionable feedback for product and business refinement.

Participants will also receive access to MATTER programming, exclusive workshops, resources and mentorship, a one-year MATTER membership and opportunities to connect with the MATTER community. The program will conclude with a showcase where companies will pitch to potential partners, investors and industry leaders.

Meet the 2026 cohort

Angel Robotics
Angel Robotics Co., Ltd. is a KOSDAQ-listed wearable robotics company developing Physical AI-driven mobility solutions. Its technologies include human intention detection, precision force-controlled actuation and adaptive gait assistance as well as in-house development and manufacturing of core components such as robotic actuators. With healthcare solutions spanning certified medical rehabilitation and daily mobility support, Angel Robotics is building a connected healthcare platform that bridges hospital-based therapy and continuous daily care.

ARPI
ARPI Inc. is a Korean medical AI company developing solutions to support rapid identification of acute cardiac conditions. Its flagship product, ECG Buddy, is an AI-powered ECG analysis solution that interprets a 12-lead ECG in seconds, including from a photograph, to support triage for conditions such as myocardial infarction, arrhythmias and low ejection fraction. ECG Buddy has been clinically validated in more than 22 peer-reviewed studies and is used across emergency, urgent care and primary care settings.

GP
Founded in 2013, GP is a digital health company developing AI-powered solutions for pediatric and adolescent growth management. Its platform draws on 14 years of growth-cohort research, including data from more than 150,000 children and adolescents and approximately 39 million biometric data points, to analyze growth patterns, predict adult height and growth rates, identify potential risk factors and support earlier detection of growth abnormalities and disorders. The non-invasive, non-X-ray technology is designed to help healthcare professionals develop objective, data-driven counseling and management plans.

ImpriMedKorea
ImpriMed is an AI-driven precision medicine company advancing cancer care and drug development through its proprietary xCellSense® platform, which combines live cancer-cell drug response testing with AI-powered analytics. Founded in 2017 by Stanford alumni, ImpriMed has processed more than 27,000 veterinary blood-cancer tests and supports more than 450 oncology and specialty hospitals in the U.S. and South Korea. Building on this foundation, the company partners with biotech and pharmaceutical companies to evaluate therapies on live cancer cells, generate human-relevant functional data and identify likely responders. ImpriMed is also developing and commercializing AI-driven software as a medical device for clinical decision support in oncology and other areas of human healthcare.

UMED
UMED Inc. is an AI-driven urologic healthcare startup working to transform conventional hospital-centered, treatment-focused urologic care into more accessible, preventive and management-oriented care. Guided by its vision of “Urologic Healthcare for All,” UMED is building an ecosystem that integrates medical devices, AI and clinical data to expand access to high-quality urologic care beyond hospital settings.

VSPharmTech
VSPharmTech is a clinical-stage biotech company developing apoptosis enhancers — agents designed to improve the effectiveness of existing cancer therapies. By suppressing DNA Damage Response and inhibitor of apoptosis protein pathways simultaneously, its compounds aim to convert sublethal damage into complete tumor cell death without adding toxicity. Built on eight years of radio-sensitization research, the company’s lead asset is now in three U.S. Phase 2 trials, with a first-in-class anti-metastatic program in development.

Learn more about the 2026 U.S. Healthcare Stakeholder Insights Program and read the program launch announcement.

About KOSME

Established in 1979 under the mandate of the “Small & Medium Enterprises Promotion Act of 1978” by the South Korean Congress, KOSME has been dedicated to the advancement of South Korea’s vibrant SME and startup ecosystem. Today, we leverage an $8.1 billion annual budget and a presence in 28 global markets to empower over 30,000 companies annually.

By bridging the gap between local innovation and international opportunity, KOSME provides comprehensive solutions and expertise required for Korean enterprises to scale successfully on the world stage. For more information, visit KOSME.

About KHIDI

KHIDI is a public institution established in 1999 to enhance the global competitiveness of the biohealth industry and contribute to public health. Grounded in professionalism, a spirit of challenge, communication and trust, KHIDI accelerates biohealth growth and advances healthcare services through integrated, expert support. KHIDI also formulates policies to nurture emerging biohealth industries and advances R&D in cutting-edge technologies across biotechnology and digital health.

We actively support innovation and global expansion in areas such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, digital health, foreign patient services and overseas deployment of Korean healthcare solutions. For more information, visit KHIDI.

About MATTER

MATTER, the premier healthcare incubator and innovation hub, includes more than 1,000 current and alumni 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. For more information, visit matter.health and follow @MATTERhealth.