MATTER launches Groundwork, a new program for early-stage healthcare founders
New 11-week accelerator program combines healthcare industry knowledge, business fundamentals and expert guidance to help aspiring founders turn ideas into viable companies.
Groundwork is MATTER’s newest offering — an 11-week accelerator program for digital health innovators at the earliest stages of developing their ideas and turning them into businesses. Designed to help entrepreneurs navigate the complexities of healthcare and lay the groundwork for building a successful healthcare startup, the program is now accepting applications.
Building a healthcare company requires more than a promising idea. Founders need to understand a complex ecosystem of organizations, incentives, regulations and workflows — and how those factors influence everything from defining the right problem to developing a viable business model and bringing a solution to market.
Groundwork helps founders tackle these questions early. Through weekly expert-led workshops, mentorship, peer learning and practical application, participants will deepen their industry knowledge, strengthen their business strategies and connect with people who can help them move their solution forward.
“There are a lot of things you need to get right to build a successful healthcare company, and many of them aren’t obvious when you’re starting out,” said MATTER CEO Steven Collens. “We created Groundwork to help entrepreneurs develop that knowledge early, connect with experienced leaders and make better decisions as they turn their ideas into businesses.”
The program will cover key topics including:
- Defining an executable business opportunity
- Understanding the healthcare industry
- Designing and building for healthcare
- Building your company and team
- Governance, risk and compliance
- Healthcare economics and financial modeling
- Go-to-market strategy
- Funding your company
Participants will learn from experienced leaders across healthcare and the broader innovation ecosystem, including experts from ZS, ZoCo Design, The FP&A Studio, Cooley, DRI, Clearwater and LINUS Group.
Groundwork will bring together a cohort of up to 12 early-stage and aspiring founders from across the United States for 11 weeks of virtual learning, culminating in an in-person showcase at MATTER in Chicago. The program is designed for first-time founders, clinicians and healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs entering healthcare from another industry and researchers translating academic or clinical research into commercial ventures.
Applications are now open through November 22, 2026.
Interested in learning more? Join MATTER for a virtual information session on Wednesday, October 28 at 2:30pm CT to learn more about the program and answer questions. Register for the information session.
Learn more and apply to Groundwork.