Six startups selected to join inaugural cohort of the Paratus Digital Health Accelerator, part of BARDA Accelerator Network

January 14, 2025, CHICAGO — MATTER, the premier healthcare incubator and innovation hub, is pleased to announce the cohort of the first Paratus Digital Health Accelerator program. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. As the BARDA Accelerator Network Hub for Digital Health, Paratus supports early-stage innovators and companies as part of the agency’s mission to ensure the nation has emergency medical countermeasures necessary to respond to health security threats.

The inaugural accelerator identifies digital health technologies that enhance preparedness and response to health security threats. Focus areas include digital health tools that enhance preparedness and response to public health emergencies due to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) incidents, pandemic influenza, and emerging infectious diseases. Solutions were evaluated based on their potential to increase access, reduce costs, or accelerate the dissemination of medical countermeasures (MCMs). Selection criteria included feasibility, scalability, market differentiation, startup capability, and alignment with the program’s mission.

The following companies have been selected as Cohort 1 of the Paratus Digital Health Accelerator:

Ad Astra Diagnostics, Inc. — Morrisville, North Carolina
Ad Astra Diagnostics, Inc. (AAD) provides rapid patient-side diagnostics on a digital platform to enable fast health decisions that save time, save money and save lives.

Healp — Fairfax Station, Virginia
Healp fills clinical gaps through patient communities to accelerate recruitment, close data gaps in trials and drive medical breakthroughs.

Secured Health — Falls Church, Virginia
Secured Health is a freelance platform powered by a national network of community health workers (CHWs) who address social determinants of health to improve outcomes and reduce avoidable healthcare utilization.

Shaddari Inc. — Montreal, Canada
Shaddari has transformed how vaccines, antibody drugs and biologics are tested against mutations. Their digital solution provides instant results for faster decision making during viral outbreaks or cancer treatments, ensuring treatments stay effective against mutations while saving time and reducing costs.

Signum Technologies Inc. — Radnor, Pennsylvania
Signum Technologies is a computer vision company specializing in healthcare and health security, where they provide actionable insight from data, leading to better overall patient care, increased operational efficiency and greater safety for front line workers.

Tele-stethoscope Inc. — Louisville, Kentucky
Tele-stethoscope is commercializing a solution that uniquely pairs mobile phones with a novel, chaos-based approach to detecting, monitoring or predicting disease states from acoustic observations of bio-fluid dynamics.

During the 10-week virtual accelerator, participating companies will receive mentorship, exclusive resources, and curriculum from subject matter experts to refine their value propositions and pitches. They will also gain access to BARDA and relevant industry leaders. The program concludes with a virtual showcase on March 18. Learn more here.

Launched in September and operated by MATTER, Paratus — Latin for “ready for anything” — focuses on developing and validating health solutions to enhance the nation’s preparedness for health security threats and improve the continuum of clinical care.

To learn more about the Paratus Digital Health Accelerator and current opportunities, visit matter.health/paratus.

This project has been supported in whole or in part with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), under agreement number 75A50124C00028.

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