10 Startups Bring Their Ideas to Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth Accelerator »Dallas Innovates

The company’s in the inaugural Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth Accelerator program.

After announcing plans earlier this year to launch the first Techstars program for Fort Worth, 10 early-stage startups are convening upon the city to kick off the inaugural Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth Accelerator.

From medical devices to movement-tracking machine learning technology, 10 companies from across the US as well as from Canada, Switzerland, and Germany make up the first group in the global investment platform’s first-of-its-kind physical health-focused accelerator program. .

“We believe that Fort Worth can become the physical health innovation capital of the world, and this is an incredible next step to making that vision a reality,” Dr. Sylvia Trent-Adams, the new president of the UNT Health Science Center, said in a statement. She will be acting as a mentor for the program.

Each startup is eligible to receive $ 120K in seed funding

The 10 companies — selected from hundreds of applicants — will take part in an “intensive” 13-week mentorship and programming accelerator aimed at building new technologies, treatments, and therapies. The accelerator will be capped off with a Demo Day on December 8.

In addition to entrepreneurial programming, companies in the program will be eligible to receive up to $ 120,000 in seed funding capital provided by the UNT Health Science Center and Goff Capital. Both are part of a public-private partnership, including the city of Fort Worth and Tarrant County, that helped bring Techstars to the region in February. Over the next three years, UNT HSC and Goff aim to make nearly $ 10 million in equity investments into companies going through the program.

International breadth is by design

The participating companies’ international breadth is by design. As noted by Tarrant County officials and business leaders, each will help bolster the region’s density of activity in the physical health space and increase the city’s early-stage startup momentum, which has been relatively lacking to date.

The companies’ teams will be physically located in Fort Worth during the program. Mayor Mattie Parker previously said she hopes the Techstars program acts as a “recruiting mechanism to bring the best and brightest minds in physical medicine and rehabilitation” to the city.

“With the combination of the vibrant, collaborative, and supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem in Fort Worth, along with the proven track record that Techstars has for supporting and helping startups grow and excel, we’re expecting great things from these founders,” Trey Bowles said. managing director of the Fort Worth accelerator, said in a statement.

Here are the 10 companies joining the Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth Accelerator (with descriptions provided by Techstars):

• Articulate Labs (Dallas)—Articulate Labs has developed platform technology enabling faster physical rehabilitation through movement-synchronous electrical muscle stimulation. The first application of this platform will address quadriceps atrophy and inhibition related to chronic knee conditions or following knee surgery.
• BOOMROOM (Charlotte, NC)—An integrated platform that equips fitness entrepreneurs with the tools and technology to host superior virtual experiences and manage their business all in one place.
• GoManda (Austin)—A digital solution to building social skills through building vocabulary. It provides a tablet-based flashcard platform that gives educators the best tool to teach vocabulary.
• Neurofit (Toronto)—Neurofit creates virtual therapy exercises that assess, monitor, and personalize care for neurological impairments. The startup produces a digital data layer that uses telemedicine, remote monitoring, and digital brain health programs to give patients and clinicians a more proactive way to support the recovery journey.
• Pulsewave AG (Bern, Switzerland)—Pulsewave AG’s TempleGuard is a wearable attachment for existing eyeglasses that measures vital signs behind the patient’s ear. The company’s device combines real-time patient monitoring with AI algorithms in order to predict the development of cardiovascular disease.
• Stabl (Toronto / Chicago)—Stabl’s product is a computer vision-enabled platform entirely accessible through the internet that tracks patients’ biomechanics automatically as they perform their recovery exercises. The movement data is relayed to the patient’s clinical team members’ dashboard, where they can monitor patient recovery, identify potential health risks, and communicate with the patient.
• STRAFFR (Kassel, Germany)—For busy, health-conscious people who do not have the time or desire to go to crowded gyms or visit a physiotherapist, the company is the first truly smart resistance band that connects to an app to provide personalized and effective functional training, enabled by real-time feedback and supported by certified trainers and pro athletes.
• Recovr Health (Tampa, Fla.)—Recovr Health helps providers / payers increase compliance and decrease no-show rates by leveraging XR technologies to gamify physical and occupational exercises.
• Wellest Inc. (San Francisco)—Wellest Inc. has created an industry-leading AI coach for managing end-user nutrition and activity plans. The startup’s deeply personalized and dynamic plans optimize the users’ body compositions to help them look their best, feel healthier, and live longer, all while maintaining flexibility to live their lives.
• ZAMA Health (Washington, DC)—ZAMA Health is developing a behavioral health integration for any athletic program, fitness company, or gym.

Entrepreneurs-in-residence join Fort Worth accelerator

In addition to welcoming its first batch of startups, the Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth Accelerator has tapped two entrepreneurs-in-residence for the program. Both have industry expertise as well as “successful track records” of building their own companies, Techstars said.

One is Dr. Richard Munassi. Most recently the co-founder of on-demand prescription delivery startup Medzoomer, Munassi has a long background of supporting other entrepreneurs. On the board of a number of companies, including Techstars cohort member Articulate Labs, Munassi is managing director of accelerator Tampa Bay Wave and entrepreneur-in-residence at the University of Florida’s UF Innovate program. Munassi also works to identify commercial technologies for use in the space program as part of NASA’s iTech team.

The other entrepreneur-in-residence is Dr. Ed Buckley. A self-described “digital health and behavioral nerd,” Buckley is the founder and CEO of corporate wellness-focused digital fitness platform Peerfit, which was recently acquired by FitOn after raising nearly $ 50 million in funding, according to Crunchbase. In addition, Buckley is the vice president of the board of directors at Florida nonprofit Balance 180.

Local accelerator, global reach

While this accelerator marks Techstars’ first entrance to the North Texas ecosystem, the organization has maintained a Lone Star presence since 2013 with the launch of its Austin accelerator program.

The Fort Worth program joins 11 others around the globe, including locations in the US, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East.

Since launching in 2006, Techstars said it has invested in more than 2,900 companies with a combined market cap of more than $ 179 billion — more than 150 of which have gone through its Austin program and later went on to raise, combined, more than $ 1. billion.

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