2023 KidsX Accelerator
Accelerate pediatric innovation
What is the KidsX Accelerator?
The KidsX flagship accelerator is a technical, business, and mentorship accelerator opportunity. It is open to healthcare startups that have developed solutions to make pediatric care exceptionally effective, safe, efficient, and convenient for children and families. The accelerator will run from May-July 2023.
Through this accelerator, startups will be able to validate their product market fit by working closely with decision-makers in the pediatric market and navigate the complex maze of piloting with children’s hospitals.
KidsX Accelerator Focus Areas
Every year KidsX hospitals come together to prioritize a select set of focus areas they wish to solve using innovative solutions. The KidsX Accelerator’s unique reverse pitch model enables alignment between participating companies and KidsX hospitals at the onset of the program. Companies that address one or more of the following focus areas are encouraged to apply for the accelerator:
Mental & Behavioral Health
Solutions could address resources for pediatric patients, tools and resources for treating providers, detection/screening/triage, at-home engagement/monitoring, automation and AI, and other areas
Staffing Shortages and Education
Solutions could address staffing recruitment/retention, continuing education and competencies, relieving burnout, reducing workload, and other related areas for staff at pediatric organizations
Care Coordination
Solutions could address care coordination between specialists, between pediatric organizations, between providers and a pediatric patient’s support network, and coordination for patients transitioning out of pediatric care
Patient Experience
Solutions could address a pediatric organization’s digital front door, translation and education services, communication, or other aspects of pediatric patient experiences
Health Equity
Solutions could address bias within data, access to underserved individuals and/or communities, resources for staff, providers, pediatric patients, and/or families to increase equity, and other areas
Mission
KidsX, a global leader in pediatric digital health innovation, facilitates collaboration between leading children’s hospitals, providers, payors, investors, entrepreneurs, and corporate partners to solve the most pressing problems in pediatric care delivery. By bringing together this robust network of various players in the industry, and delivering multiple accelerators and various innovation programs, KidsX supports early-stage digital health companies achieve product and business model validation in the pediatric market. KidsX is anchored by a consortium of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals.
Program
Selected startups will be introduced to a wide array of children’s hospital stakeholders, industry leaders, payors, and investors who can offer mentorship, business development, and funding opportunities. The accelerator will run for 10 weeks and will offer asynchronous content and live virtual programming through 1:1 meetings, roundtable and panels discussions, pilot planning, and more.
Applications are now closed
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If you would like to get involved as a speaker or corporate partner for this accelerator or future ones, please contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my startup eligible to apply?
Eligibility Criteria:
- Pre-seed through Series A
- Solution must address one or more focus areas of the 2023 Accelerator
- Mental & Behavioral Health
- Staff Shortages and Education
- Care Coordination
- Patient Experience
- Health Equity
- Solution must be applicable to a pediatric healthcare organization
- Must currently have or be open to building business model that sells to provider organizations
- Must be a software solution
- Must meet or be working towards standard health system security/compliance regulations
- Must have 2 employees able to participate in the Accelerator program, one of whom is the CEO/Co-founder
- Must be able to offer 90-day free pilot(s) to the KidsX member hospitals
- Must be available during key accelerator dates
Who is the ideal applicant?
The ideal applicant is eager to learn and receive help from various business and healthcare experts and stakeholders in order to refine and test product-market fit. Applicants must be willing to work collaboratively with health systems to conduct research, co-develop products, or pilot test existing products based on mutually agreed upon use cases. We prefer early stage companies, especially seed stage companies with 12-18 months of runway.
We require that companies have full-time founders and at least an MVP or functional product. We will not accept idea-stage companies. We expect that founders will be actively engaged in the activities of the Accelerator, typically 5-12 hours per week.
Companies do not need to be exclusively focused on pediatrics. However, they must have a deep desire to serve the pediatric market in some way.
How do I apply for the accelerator?
To create an application starting January 30, complete the following steps:
- Review the eligibility requirements to see if you can apply.
- If eligible, create an account on the application portal.
- Once logged in, click “Post Application” to start and complete your KidsX application.
- Be sure to click “Save Draft” along the way to save any progress.
- Once all required fields are complete, click the blue “Post Application” button.
- You will receive a notification in your Ideawake account confirming your application submission.
You are able to submit applications online from January 30 through March 17. The KidsX team will review all applications and notify the companies in April.
What is the application process?
The process consists of application screening, interviews, reference checks, diligence, and pitch days to a panel of judges comprised of the KidsX team and KidsX Hospital Members. These application interviews will take place throughout March 2023. Due to the volume of applicants, we will not be able to provide individualized feedback to all that apply. The final cohort will be selected in early April.
How will applications to the KidsX Accelerator be judged?
KidsX member hospitals are all actively involved in interviewing and selecting the companies that will participate in the Accelerator. KidsX focuses on selecting strong founders, especially those who are willing to learn, incorporate feedback and work collaboratively.
KidsX also evaluates the product, the technical team, the potential business model(s), alignment with the problems on the KidsX focus areas, diversity of solution types, and overall traction in the market.
What are the requirements to participate and key dates to keep in mind?
Time commitment differs per week based on programming and can be split amongst team members, but expect anywhere from 5-12 hours per week for curriculum, mentorship, stakeholder meetings, and pilot planning.
Additionally, startups will be asked to travel to 1-2 children’s hospitals to meet in person with key stakeholders to help push the piloting process along. More details will be shared when the final cohort is onboarded.
- Week 0: Please block April 17-20 off for KidsX Accelerator virtual onboarding
- Accelerator Program: The 10-week virtual program officially kicks off on May 1, 2023 and runs through July 7, 2023. Programming will typically take place 3 days a week. In person meetings will take place in June.
- Virtual Demo Day: August 15
KidsX does not take any equity from participating companies and asks that participating companies offer a 90-day demonstration project to KidsX hospitals at no cost.
What does a typical day during the KidsX Accelerator look like?
The 10-week accelerator is a blend of asynchronous activities and live virtual programming. Founders can expect to participate in required events, office hours, workshops, pitch days, networking opportunities, mentorship, and pilot planning sessions. In addition, a series of optional asynchronous content will also be made available to companies. On average, founders can expect to spend 5-12 hours per week, engaging with KidsX Accelerator activities during the multi-week program.
Are demonstration projects guaranteed if my company is selected?
KidsX member hospitals participate with the desire to find a product that will help solve a strategically important problem for their hospital. However, pilots, trials, demonstration projects are not guaranteed for all participating companies. These projects are agreed upon during the Accelerator if the company and hospital mutually decide to work together. We ask that all KidsX companies offer a no-cost 90 day demonstration project to KidsX hospitals, as a mechanism to determine if there is an interest for a further commercial relationship.
Who do I contact with questions or to get involved?
For questions about applying to this accelerator, its requirements and curriculum, or if you would like to get involved as a speaker, contact our Programs Lead, Bianca Riello at briello@chla.usc.edu.
For any other general questions about this accelerator, future programs, or how you can get involved as a corporate partner or sponsor, contact our KidsX Manager, Deepa Shah at dshah@chla.usc.edu.