Play-It Health lands in top-ranked digital health accelerator

As with many successful startups, the idea for Play-It Health was born out of personal experience with an unsolved industry need.

Kim Gandy, a former clinician and now the founder and CEO of Play-It Health, recognized that patients were having trouble engaging and adhering to their ­medical regimen. In the worst cases, this led to death. So, Gandy switched careers, founded a company and dedicated three years to building a digital healthcare application that helps patients accurately stay on track with their medical plan.

“I’ve been working on versions of this effort for quite some time,” Gandy said. “The thing that’s been constant has been the vision and the need. For me, that really hasn’t changed. That’s the part that’s unified the whole effort and kept it going in spite of the many obstacles we’ve had to overcome.”

And overcome they have. Play-It Health recently announced their acceptance into Iron Yard, one of the top-ranked digital health accelerators in the country. Gandy and a rotating set of team members will move to South Carolina to participate in the three-month program, receiving $20,000 funding, office space, mentorships, development support and a chance to pitch at the Southeast VC Forum and Health 2.0 conference this fall in Silicon Valley.

Gandy said being accepted into the program was validation for her company, noting that their acceptance into the accelerator came mostly from their recognition on a national level.

For Gandy and Play-It Health, access to a growing network of mentors and venture capitalists are two of the major benefits of being accepted into the program.

“Iron Yard allows us direct access into a different group of mentors that we’re looking forward to very much,” she said. “We will have direct access to different sources of capital, too. It’s going to bring a lot more eyes onto us than we’ve previously seen.”

The program begins May 18 with a final demo day Oct. 4 to Oct. 7 in Silicon Valley. After the program, Gandy anticipates increased opportunities for her company, including a significant hiring effort in the fall and more interest from investors.

Play-It Health currently has pilot programs with Duke University, Standford Univeresity, Truman Medical Centers and several other organizations. To learn more on Play-It Health’s product — which is available on iOS devices — visit their website.