Pilot competition taps drugless mental health solution for latest tech-infused cohort

A Kansas City-connected startup that helps users see their feelings with its drugless biofeedback/neurofeedback technologies is among 10 companies selected for the latest pilot cohort from NXTUS in Wichita.

Finalists for the 2025 NXTSTAGE Community Health & Vibrancy Pilot Competition were announced Wednesday, including Columbia, Missouri-based Healium, which offers tech-driven mental wellness products that quickly reduce anxiety or improves mood in as little as four minutes.

RELATED: Healium partners with VFW to expand mental wellness tools for veterans

“We were attracted to NXTUS as it is trying to connect entrepreneurs with meaningful relationships,” said Sarah Hill, founder and CEO of Healium, a past Kansas City Startup to Watch embedded in ecosystems across Missouri. “We’ve attended some of its programs before and found them valuable.”

Healium and its fellow finalists were selected by NXTUS and leading community health and economic development organizations across Kansas, according to the Wichita-based program. These pilot partners will now work to design and select innovation projects they see as most promising for their communities.

The companies emerged as finalists from a competitor pool of 143 startups from 27 states and 15 countries.

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2025 partners

Veteran NXTSTAGE Community Health & Vibrancy Pilot Competition program partners include Thrive Allen County, Hodgeman County Economic Development, LiveWell Northwest Kansas, Russell Regional Hospital, and JenRus Freelance Marketing (representing Republic County).

New pilot partners include Kansas Health Foundation, NMC Health, the Kansas Office of Rural Prosperity, CloudCorp Economic Development, and Coffey County Economic Development.

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“They will travel here in October to present their technology tools to nine program partners and other innovation-hungry organizations focused on improving the health of Kansans and removing barriers to community growth,” NXTUS said in a press release.

Partners are expected to announce pilot projects during an Innovation Showcase, set for Oct. 9 at Equity Bank Park in Wichita. The event is open to community health and growth advocates from across the state.

In addition to Healium, finalists include:

• Cairn Health, Wichita — Cairn Health helps uninsured, low-income Kansans access vital prescriptions through a mail-order charitable pharmacy for a small, affordable dispensing fee.

• Greens Health, Houston — Greens Health helps Medicare seniors and caregivers manage blood sugar and pressure, medications, and meals with culturally tailored, convenient, holistic support

 • GrownBy, Cooperstown, New York — GrownBy is the farmer-owned marketplace for local food.

• Kind-Ed, Chicago — KindEd is a social media and AI literacy provider. We use a behavior-focused approach to support healthy digital habits and youth wellness.

• Kwema, St. Louis — The Kwema Smart Badge Reel contains a hidden duress button that empowers community healthcare workers to discreetly call for help during workplace violence incidents.

• PearSuite, Tulsa — Pear Suite empowers community health workers (CHWs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) through an AI-powered care navigation platform, a national provider network, and comprehensive managed services.

• Polco, Madison, Wisconsin — Polco helps local leaders understand community needs, design programs to address them, and secure funding with AI-powered grant management.

• We the Village, New York City — We The Village empowers families to better recover from addiction, together, with clinically proven online family programs and professional training.

• Welfie, San Diego — Welfie is building AI patients to train the youth mental health workforce and create economic mobility for youth and underserved families.

Since 2021, startups from around the world have looked to Kansas as a place to test and launch their innovative community tools. Now in its fifth year, the competition — presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS) — has produced 53 finalists and prompted 55 local and state-wide innovation projects.

The 2024 program, for example, spawned pilot projects that helped improve maternal health, supported Kansans as they quit smoking, and opened new pathways for community health workers to be compensated for the care they provide to underserved Kansans.

“At Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, we work to help build healthier communities through innovation, collaboration and lasting commitment,” said Virginia Barnes, director of Blue Health Initiatives for BCBSKS. “By partnering startups with Kansas organizations, we’re removing barriers and working toward a health system that is accessible and equitable for all. We’re inspired by how local groups have embraced new technologies to improve community health and look forward to seeing the positive impact from the next group of finalists.”

Along with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, the 2025 program is supported by the Kansas Health Science University-Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Hinkle Law Firm, the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita Medical Practice Association, and the Greater Wichita Partnership’s Opportunity Wichita initiative.