Packed demo day at Alamo Drafthouse caps inaugural Launch Health Accelerator 

More than 200 investors and entrepreneurs attended the recent Demo Day for the Launch Health Accelerator powered by Nueterra Capital. Demo Day marked the conclusion of the 75-day accelerator and featured presentation pitches from each of the six cohort companies. 

After a short networking reception in the Chesterfield bar inside the Alamo Drafthouse Kansas City, guests moved to Theater One for remarks from Launch Health Accelerator partners and sponsors followed by company pitches. 

Jeremy Tasset, Nueterra Capital, Launch Health demo day

Nueterra Capital CEO Jeremy Tasset congratulated the founders of cohort companies Healium, medZERO, Sickweather, Spoke Health, TheraWe and WellBrain, and talked about the unique ability of the Launch Health Accelerator to relate to the founders.

Click here to read Startland News’ coverage of the Launch Health cohort.

“This is the very first Launch Health Accelerator, so in some ways, we’re very much a startup, too,” Tasset said. “We understand that as a startup, you have good days, you have bad days, you have wins, and you have setbacks. The point is that what you’re doing matters. You may not be able to see the change overnight, but the change is happening. Public-private partnerships are the future, and you are a big part of that.” 

Launch KC’s Drew Solomon also thanked the partners and the Kansas City community for their support of both the accelerator and of the spirit of entrepreneurship and job creation.

Don Peterson and Drew Solomon, Launch Health demo day

“Economic prosperity can’t happen without jobs,” said Solomon. “These startups are our future, they’re creating jobs, they’re attracting talent and ultimately, these entrepreneurs are driving positive economic growth city-wide.” 

After a video created by LaunchKC, Entrepreneur-in-Residence Don Peterson spoke about the honor of working with the Accelerator. Peterson, a health care industry veteran who founded and served as CEO of Infusion Express (now IVX Health) before retiring in June 2018, was instrumental in creating the Accelerator curriculum and mentoring the Accelerator participants. 

“I was honored to serve these amazing companies and CEOs,” said Peterson. “Their limitless vision for favorably disrupting our healthcare system was both refreshing and inspiring. I am very excited to follow their future success.” 

Each of the six companies presented innovative solutions for transforming how people consume and interact with healthcare: 

Healium

Sarah Hill, Healium by StoryUpa, Launch Health demo day

Healium is the world’s first virtual and augmented reality platform powered by brainwaves and heart rate via consumer wearables. It is a biometrically-controlled, drugless solution that creates story-driven escapes powered by the user’s feelings of positivity and calm via their wearables and Healium’s patented technology.

Healium stories, packaged in a portable, digital kit, allow users to see their feelings heal virtual worlds. Frontiers in Psychology and the Journal of Neuroregulation both published studies on Healium’s ability to quickly reduce moderate anxiety and increase feelings of positivity in as little as four minutes using real-time EEG feedback and heart rate. Healium is used worldwide in areas of situational stress.

“Before we came to Nueterra Capital, we were really trying to boil the ocean,” said Healium CEO and Chief Storyteller Sarah Hill. “This program allowed us to plan out a growth strategy, and Nueterra Capital’s sphere of influence widened our sphere of influence through introductions and connections we were able to make.” 

medZERO

Michael Sobek, medZERO, Launch Health demo day

medZERO is the world’s first mobile payments platform dedicated to serving the healthcare industry by providing immediate mobile access to funds to pay for healthcare bills. These funds are made available with zero interest, zero fees, and zero hassle.

Employees repay via payroll deductions or through pre-tax HSA payroll contributions. Utilizing payroll deductions through their HSA creates a tax savings for the employee that would have otherwise been lost without medZERO. Employees can rest easy and recover knowing their healthcare costs are covered.

“We knew through the support of the City of Kansas City and Nueterra Capital, doors would open to allow us to expand on a national scale,” said medZERO CEO Michael Sobek. “We also know we can help employees pay for healthcare over time at Zero percent interest, and make some money at the same time, so it’s a win-win for everyone.” 

Sickweather

Laurel Edelman, Sickweather, Launch Health demo day

Every day millions of people around the globe update social media sites like Facebook and Twitter when they (or someone close to them) get sick. Just as Doppler radar scans the skies for indicators of bad weather, Sickweather scans social media for indicators of illness, allowing people to check for the chance of sickness as easily as they can check for the chance of rain. 

Sickweather powers cold and flu trackers for the Weather Channel and other outlets and predicts sickness on a community level for up to 15 weeks ahead.

“Sickweather, which is based here in Kansas City, were excited to join the Accelerator because of Nueterra Capital’s background in healthcare and innovative programs,” said Laurel Edelman, Sickweather CEO. “What we’re doing through technology, and the free Sickweather app, is supporting consumers who want to participate more involved in their day-to-day healthcare.” 

Spoke Health

Linda Bernier, Spoke Health, Launch Health demo day

Spoke Health is a technology solution designed specifically to rapidly scale high ROI value-based health care programs.

The Spoke Health platform brings together technology for managing episodes of care with high quality provider networks and consumer engagement tools to enable the most efficient execution of value-based programs with demonstrable ROI. Spoke Health’s hub technology platform connects all the critical spokes for value-based care, optimizing healthcare for all. 

“The Accelerator, and Nueterra Capital in particular, are really tightly aligned with what we’re doing in the market around value-based care in the marketplace,” said Spoke Health CEO Linda Bernier. “We felt strongly this was going to be a great partnership, and we were right.” 

TheraWe 

Kaitlin Doyle, TheraWe, Launch Health demo day

TheraWe is a digital platform that improves therapy services for children with special needs. When using the mobile application, parents and providers are able to create therapy session videos, upload documents, and share notes to stay organized. Interactive videos, gamification, and remote communication change the game for parents and providers.

“We joined the Accelerator because we were looking for mentorship,” said TheraWe CEO Kaitlin Doyle. “It was an opportunity to work one-on-one with a mentor and a group of companies who are innovative and forward-thinking. We are excited about the future of TheraWe and pediatric therapy.” 

WellBrain

Sumeet Maniar, WellBrain, Launch Health demo day

WellBrain is a digital chronic pain management and addiction prevention platform designed by doctors, for doctors. WellBrain’s founding Stanford, Harvard and Mayo Clinic trained physicians were impacted daily by the lack of solutions for their patients.

They designed WellBrain to help providers assess, engage and monitor patients physical and mental health over time and to make informed decisions about their care. WellBrain is helping providers across 17 states to offer the best quality of care and ensure optimal outcomes. 

“Nueterra Capital and LaunchKC have been very hands-on,” said WellBrain CEO Sumeet Maniar. “They have a genuine interest in working with companies and solving problems from a medical perspective. We’re already seeing the benefits of being involved.”

Mike Hurd is director of marketing at the Downtown Council of Kansas City.