Parkview Health and MATTER announce Augment Therapy as Healthy Kids Healthy Future Innovation Competition winner

Augment Therapy will move forward with pilot at Parkview Health

December 5, 2023, CHICAGO and FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Parkview Health, a not-for-profit, community-based health system serving more than 1.3 million people in northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio, and MATTER, the premier healthcare incubator and innovation hub, have announced that Augment Therapy, won the top prize of a pilot with Parkview Health as an outcome of the Healthy Kids Healthy Future final pitch day. Augment Therapy is an immersive augmented reality company focused on engaging patients of all ages in gamified technology to improve rehabilitative healthcare.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 40 percent of U.S. children have at least one chronic condition or liability, and the management of these conditions can be taxing on both children and their guardians. In May 2023, Parkview Health and MATTER launched the 2023 Healthy Kids Healthy Future Innovation Competition to support the management and treatment of chronic conditions for children 0-15 years old.

From the pool of applicants, Parkview and MATTER selected eight semifinalists — Augment Therapy, Happypillar, nen, Oncoustics, One Day at a Time, Sakkare, Welfie and Xploro — to present their solutions to a panel of judges. Happypillar, a mental health app for children and families, won the grand prize of $10,000 and moved forward to the accelerator phase of the competition, along with four other finalists — Augment Therapy, Oncoustics, One Day at a Time and Xploro.

Following the two-month accelerator, the five finalists competed at the final pitch day on November 16 for potential pilot and funding opportunities. Augment Therapy was selected as the winner of the competition and will participate in a pilot with Parkview Health in 2024. Each finalist has also received a complimentary six-month MATTER membership. In addition, Parkview has plans to continue engagement with all five teams that participated in the accelerator.

“This is a huge win and opportunity for our team at Augment Therapy to strengthen our reach and validation of both of our professional and wellness versions of our software. When the call went out for a pilot focusing on health and wellness in pediatrics, we knew right away that we were a perfect fit. We can’t wait to work with the Parkview team and deliver our engaging solution to their community,” Lindsay Watson, CEO and co-founder of Augment Therapy.

“This pool of finalists this year was exceptional,” said Ethel Massing, Innovation Program leader, Parkview Health. “The remarkable talent and unwavering dedication displayed by each team serve as a testament to the strength of our accelerator program. They’re each poised to make a dynamic and meaningful impact for pediatric care, and we’re excited to continue to support them on their journey.”

Thank you to all of the startups and our partners, mentors and collaborators for participating in the accelerator.

About Parkview Health

Parkview Health is a not-for-profit, community-based health system serving a northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio population of more than 1.3 million. Parkview Health’s mission is to improve health and inspire well-being in the communities it serves. With more than 16,000 co-workers, it is the region’s largest employer.

Parkview Health includes 13 hospitals and an extensive network of primary care and specialty care physicians. Parkview has been named one of America’s Best-In-State Employers by Forbes and made Newsweek’s list of Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces.

About MATTER

At MATTER, we believe collaboration is the best way to improve healthcare. The MATTER collaborative includes more than 800 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 we are accelerating innovation, advancing care and improving lives. For more information, visit matter.health and follow @MATTERhealth.