How to choose a healthtech accelerator
A decision guide for health and medtech founders weighing clinical validation, regulatory support, and payer access against equity.
Updated Jul 22, 2026HealthTech & MedTech
On this page
- What healthtech founders actually need from a program
- Reading the equity against the specific help
- Questions to ask before you apply
- The live directory of healthtech programs
- FAQ
- Is a hospital-affiliated accelerator always better for a clinical product?
- Are equity-free programs like MedTech Innovator too good to be true?
- Should I avoid fee-based programs entirely?
Healthtech accelerators sell the same thing in very different packages. Some invest cash and take equity. Some take nothing and pay you in awards. Some charge a fee. The question is never which model is best in the abstract. It is whether the specific help behind the check moves the three things a health company actually needs: clinical validation, regulatory progress, and access to the people who buy. This guide gives you a way to read the offers.
What healthtech founders actually need from a program
Health companies die differently than other startups. Three needs dominate.
- Clinical validation. You need evidence that the product works in a real care setting, which means access to clinicians, patients, and sometimes lab space. A program attached to a health system can shorten this by months.
- Regulatory navigation. If your product touches FDA territory or handles clinical data, you need people who have filed before, not a webinar about filing.
- Payer and provider access. Selling into health systems and payers is its own craft. Introductions that reach a decision maker are worth more than any curriculum.
Rank these for your company first. Then read every program against your ranking.
Reading the equity against the specific help
The equity programs in this vertical cluster around a few models, and the partner behind each one is the real product.
Three Techstars healthcare programs invest 220,000 dollars for a minimum of 5 percent, each anchored by a hospital system: Johns Hopkins and CareFirst in Baltimore, Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, and Permanente Medicine in Washington, DC. The structure is 20,000 dollars for 5 percent in common stock plus a 200,000 dollar uncapped post-money SAFEA Simple Agreement for Future Equity: money now that converts into shares later, not a loan. with an MFN clauseMost Favored Nation: lets an earlier investor upgrade to the best terms you later give anyone else.. Health Wildcatters in Dallas invests 30,000 dollars for 8 percent. AlphaLab Health invests up to 100,000 dollars through an uncapped SAFE plus 3 percent common equity, and its partnership with Allegheny Health Network includes lab space at Allegheny General Hospital's campus.
The comparison to run: does the partner deliver the thing you ranked first? A hospital network that will host your pilot can justify a 5 percent check. The same check without that access is just expensive money.
The round below is a hypothetical, used only to show the mechanics.
- At signing: 20,000 dollars buys 5 percent in common stock. The 200,000 dollar SAFE is uncapped and has not converted yet.
- Later, a priced round values the company at 10,000,000 dollars post-money. The uncapped SAFE converts at that price: 200,000 divided by 10,000,000 is 2 percent.
- Total ownership from the accelerator is now roughly 7 percent, and the MFN clause means a lower cap granted to anyone else before then could push it higher.
The headline "5 percent" is a floor, not the whole cost. Model the SAFE at a realistic next-round valuation before you compare programs. Our SAFE guide walks the mechanics in full.
Not every strong program takes equity. MedTech Innovator takes no equity and charges no fee, and early-stage companies compete for up to 500,000 dollars in non-dilutive awards while working with corporate partner mentors. At the other end, some programs are fee-based: Project Healthcare in Nashville costs 6,000 dollars to participate, and MATTER in Chicago is a membership running from 0 to 400 dollars a month depending on tier. A fee model is not automatically worse. It just means you are a customer, and you should evaluate it like one.
Questions to ask before you apply
Ask these of the program, and of its alumni, before you sign anything.
- Is the follow-on real? Ask which recent portfolio companies received follow-on investment from the program or its partners, and verify with the founders.
- Is pilot access contractual or aspirational? "Access to our health system" can mean a signed pilot pathway or a hallway introduction. Ask how many cohort companies ran an actual pilot with the partner, and what the pathway looked like.
- Is the regulatory support real versus advertised? Ask who specifically advises on regulatory strategy, what their filing experience is, and how many hours you get. A named person with FDA submissions behind them is support. A mentor list is not.
- Who is the partner's champion? Hospital partnerships work when a named clinical or innovation leader owns the relationship. Ask who that person is and meet them.
The live directory of healthtech programs
Here are the verified healthtech and medtech programs we currently list. Terms, windows, and confidence badges are live, and each links to its full page.
Showing 22 of 22 programs, plus 2 that have ended
| Check size | Equity | Terms | Format | Next window | Signal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AlphaLab Health Track (formerly AlphaLab Health)life sciences / healthcare (incl. neuroscience sub-track) | up to $100,000 | 3% | Equity for cash | PA | In person | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
| Cedars-Sinai Accelerator+digital health / health tech | Not publishedProgram evolved from the original 12-week Cedars-Sinai (Techstars-partnered) accelerator into a 12-month 'venture-building platform' (Accelerator+). Current investment amount and equity terms are not disclosed on csaccelerator.com, so left null. Original program historically invested $100k, but that term does not verifiably apply to Accelerator+. Old cedars-sinai.org/accelerator.html URL now 404s. | Not publishedProgram evolved from the original 12-week Cedars-Sinai (Techstars-partnered) accelerator into a 12-month 'venture-building platform' (Accelerator+). Current investment amount and equity terms are not disclosed on csaccelerator.com, so left null. Original program historically invested $100k, but that term does not verifiably apply to Accelerator+. Old cedars-sinai.org/accelerator.html URL now 404s. | Not publishedProgram evolved from the original 12-week Cedars-Sinai (Techstars-partnered) accelerator into a 12-month 'venture-building platform' (Accelerator+). Current investment amount and equity terms are not disclosed on csaccelerator.com, so left null. Original program historically invested $100k, but that term does not verifiably apply to Accelerator+. Old cedars-sinai.org/accelerator.html URL now 404s. | CA | Hybrid | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
| gBETA Medtechmedical devices / medtech | Not publishedFree, no-equity, no-investment 7-week program (up to five companies per cohort) funded by partners including Boston Scientific, Mayo Clinic, Medical Alley Association and University of Minnesota; investment_amount null because gBETA provides no cash. The program page (checked September 28, 2026) says 'We are not currently accepting applications for this program' and that there are no upcoming programs for this location. Last confirmed cohort: the eighth, which kicked off November 3, 2022, with a virtual showcase scheduled for December 15, 2022 (gener8tor news). DEADLINE/STATUS NOTE: Marked possibly_inactive: applications closed, no upcoming program listed, and no cohort found after fall 2022. | Not publishedFree, no-equity, no-investment 7-week program (up to five companies per cohort) funded by partners including Boston Scientific, Mayo Clinic, Medical Alley Association and University of Minnesota; investment_amount null because gBETA provides no cash. The program page (checked September 28, 2026) says 'We are not currently accepting applications for this program' and that there are no upcoming programs for this location. Last confirmed cohort: the eighth, which kicked off November 3, 2022, with a virtual showcase scheduled for December 15, 2022 (gener8tor news). DEADLINE/STATUS NOTE: Marked possibly_inactive: applications closed, no upcoming program listed, and no cohort found after fall 2022. | Equity-free | MN | Remote | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | VerifiedPossibly dormantWe could not confirm a recent or upcoming cohort. It may have paused or wound down. Verify before applying. |
| Health Wildcatters | $30,000 | 8% | Equity for cash | TX | Hybrid | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
| Healthworx Accelerator (formerly 1501 Health) | $25,000 | Not publishedHealthworx Accelerator (formerly 1501 Health) is run by Healthworx, the innovation and investment arm of CareFirst. Healthworx named Highmark and LifeBridge Health as accelerator partners in July 2024; the current partners page lists Highmark Ventures on the selection committee and does not mention LifeBridge. Each selected company receives a $25,000 investment; per the program guide, a company not raising a simultaneous round receives it as a SAFE note with a 25% discount rate and no valuation cap, with side-letter terms discussed during selection, so equity_pct is null. Stage 1 is a 12-week curriculum of virtual and in-person sessions; at the end of Stage 1, industry partners select cohort companies for Stage 2, nine months of guided mentorship toward commercial pilots (partnerships not assured). One cohort a year of about 20 companies. 2026 cohort applications are open and close October 9, 2026, per the program site. The former site 1501health.com still fails to load as of October 1, 2026 (TLS error). | Equity for cash | MD | Hybrid | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
| HeartX Cardiovascular Acceleratorcardiovascular digital health, medical devices and diagnostics | $150,000 up-front investment via SAFE or convertible note | Not publishedVirtual cardiovascular accelerator from HTA (formerly HealthTech Arkansas) and MedAxiom, an American College of Cardiology company. Five companies are chosen each year, and each gets at least one pilot project or clinical study with a cardiology practice in the HeartX coalition. Each company must accept a $150,000 up-front investment through a SAFE or convertible note, with the cap and discount negotiated with the HeartX team, and must also issue $50,000 in-kind investment positions to HTA and to MedAxiom in exchange for the pilot, network access and MedAxiom's services. Applicants need data from earlier pilots, at least $500,000 raised in external capital, and the ability to start enrolling patients within three months. The 2026 cohort of five was announced September 28, 2026 and kicks off at MedAxiom's CV Transforum in Denver in October 2026. City not printed on the program pages. | Equity for cash | AR | Remote | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
| KidsX Acceleratorpediatric digital health | Not publishedTerms not disclosed on fetched pages; KidsX has historically been an equity-free, pilot-focused accelerator run by a consortium of children's hospitals, but current equity/fee terms could not be verified, so left null. 10-week virtual/asynchronous program. DEADLINE/STATUS NOTE: Marked possibly_inactive September 28, 2026: the most recent accelerator cohort announced on kidsx.health is the 2024 cohort (seven companies, post dated May 7, 2024); the /accelerator URL now redirects to an interest intake form that says 'This is NOT an application'; other KidsX programs (CancerX Accelerator, Sprints, pitch competition, a 2026 patient safety innovation challenge) remain active. | Not publishedTerms not disclosed on fetched pages; KidsX has historically been an equity-free, pilot-focused accelerator run by a consortium of children's hospitals, but current equity/fee terms could not be verified, so left null. 10-week virtual/asynchronous program. DEADLINE/STATUS NOTE: Marked possibly_inactive September 28, 2026: the most recent accelerator cohort announced on kidsx.health is the 2024 cohort (seven companies, post dated May 7, 2024); the /accelerator URL now redirects to an interest intake form that says 'This is NOT an application'; other KidsX programs (CancerX Accelerator, Sprints, pitch competition, a 2026 patient safety innovation challenge) remain active. | Not publishedTerms not disclosed on fetched pages; KidsX has historically been an equity-free, pilot-focused accelerator run by a consortium of children's hospitals, but current equity/fee terms could not be verified, so left null. 10-week virtual/asynchronous program. DEADLINE/STATUS NOTE: Marked possibly_inactive September 28, 2026: the most recent accelerator cohort announced on kidsx.health is the 2024 cohort (seven companies, post dated May 7, 2024); the /accelerator URL now redirects to an interest intake form that says 'This is NOT an application'; other KidsX programs (CancerX Accelerator, Sprints, pitch competition, a 2026 patient safety innovation challenge) remain active. | CA | Remote | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | VerifiedPossibly dormantWe could not confirm a recent or upcoming cohort. It may have paused or wound down. Verify before applying. |
| MassChallenge Healthcare Challengehealthcare / life sciences | Not publishedA roughly four-month MassChallenge challenge program in Boston that connects mid-to-late-stage healthcare and life-science startups with corporate partners for pilots, with virtual check-ins and four in-person sessions. MassChallenge runs an equity-free, zero-cost model, taking no equity and charging no fee to participate. Partners include Altus Dental, Eli Lilly, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and MassMutual. The 2026 applications are closed. | Not publishedA roughly four-month MassChallenge challenge program in Boston that connects mid-to-late-stage healthcare and life-science startups with corporate partners for pilots, with virtual check-ins and four in-person sessions. MassChallenge runs an equity-free, zero-cost model, taking no equity and charging no fee to participate. Partners include Altus Dental, Eli Lilly, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and MassMutual. The 2026 applications are closed. | Equity-free | MA | Hybrid | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
| MATTER | Not publishedMembership-based healthcare incubator, not an equity accelerator. Verified pricing (matter.health/join/startups, 2026-07-22): Flex tier $0/month (digital curriculum, knowledge library, member Slack); Select tier $400/month (100+ mentors, assigned executive-in-residence, fundraising strategy support, pitch practices, Chicago coworking/event space). No cash investment through membership and no equity terms advertised. Also operates the Paratus Digital Health Accelerator as part of the BARDA Accelerator Network (third cohort of 13 startups announced May 2026). Membership applications accepted on a rolling basis via the site. | Not publishedMembership-based healthcare incubator, not an equity accelerator. Verified pricing (matter.health/join/startups, 2026-07-22): Flex tier $0/month (digital curriculum, knowledge library, member Slack); Select tier $400/month (100+ mentors, assigned executive-in-residence, fundraising strategy support, pitch practices, Chicago coworking/event space). No cash investment through membership and no equity terms advertised. Also operates the Paratus Digital Health Accelerator as part of the BARDA Accelerator Network (third cohort of 13 startups announced May 2026). Membership applications accepted on a rolling basis via the site. | Fee-based | IL | Hybrid | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
| Mayo Clinic Platform_Acceleratehealth AI / digital health | Not published30-week accelerator for early-stage health tech AI startups with access to de-identified Mayo patient data and technical mentorship; equity/fee terms and delivery format not disclosed on fetched program page, so those fields are null. Multiyear pathway offers up to two years of access. 33 current participants, 51 graduates. DEADLINE/STATUS NOTE: Page references a June 2026 cohort and an open 'Apply now' form, but no dated deadline published. | Not published30-week accelerator for early-stage health tech AI startups with access to de-identified Mayo patient data and technical mentorship; equity/fee terms and delivery format not disclosed on fetched program page, so those fields are null. Multiyear pathway offers up to two years of access. 33 current participants, 51 graduates. DEADLINE/STATUS NOTE: Page references a June 2026 cohort and an open 'Apply now' form, but no dated deadline published. | Not published30-week accelerator for early-stage health tech AI startups with access to de-identified Mayo patient data and technical mentorship; equity/fee terms and delivery format not disclosed on fetched program page, so those fields are null. Multiyear pathway offers up to two years of access. 33 current participants, 51 graduates. DEADLINE/STATUS NOTE: Page references a June 2026 cohort and an open 'Apply now' form, but no dated deadline published. | MN | Not published | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
| MedTech Innovatormedical devices, diagnostics, digital health | up to $500,000 | Not publishedEquity-free nonprofit accelerator; early-stage (pre-Series B) companies compete for up to $500,000 in non-dilutive awards. No equity taken and no fees. equity_pct null because no equity is taken. Includes complimentary AdvaMed Accel membership and conference registrations. DEADLINE/STATUS NOTE: 2026 cohort application deadline was Dec 16, 2025 (extended), now passed; 2027 applications expected to open in fall 2026 per program site. Program runs Jun-Oct 2026 (~22 weeks, approximate). | Non-dilutive | CA | Hybrid | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
| Northwestern Medicine & Techstars Healthcare Accelerator | $220,000 | 5% minimum (5% common via CEA plus uncapped SAFE) | Equity for cash | IL | In person | Nov 18, 2026 | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
| One Mind Acceleratormental health | Not publishedTen-week hybrid accelerator for mental health companies from the nonprofit One Mind, with in-person opening and closing weeks in Menlo Park, California. The FAQ says the accelerator takes a small advisory stake whose percentage varies with each company's stage, and that One Mind may invest in qualified companies after the program; no cash investment and no percentage are published. It selects 10 to 15 startups a year, from pre-seed to Series A, and works with companies worldwide while focusing on the U.S. market; nonprofits are not accepted. The 2027 program runs February 22 to April 28, 2027, and applications are reviewed on a rolling basis through October 19, 2026. | Not publishedTen-week hybrid accelerator for mental health companies from the nonprofit One Mind, with in-person opening and closing weeks in Menlo Park, California. The FAQ says the accelerator takes a small advisory stake whose percentage varies with each company's stage, and that One Mind may invest in qualified companies after the program; no cash investment and no percentage are published. It selects 10 to 15 startups a year, from pre-seed to Series A, and works with companies worldwide while focusing on the U.S. market; nonprofits are not accepted. The 2027 program runs February 22 to April 28, 2027, and applications are reviewed on a rolling basis through October 19, 2026. | Mixed | CA | Hybrid | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
| Plug and Play Health | Not publishedEquity-free, three-month corporate-innovation batches: Plug and Play's March 26, 2026 release says startups can secure pilots, proofs of concept, and potential investment, all without equity requirements, and its accelerator programs page lists 'No Equity Requirement'. No standard cash investment is attached to batch participation, so no investment amount is listed. Health was among the first Silicon Valley batches of 2026 (113 startups across programs) and is listed among the programs presenting at the November 3 to 5, 2026 Silicon Valley Summit. The program, now named Health & Longevity, is also among the 13 programs in the Silicon Valley Fall batches of 2026 (release dated September 29, 2026). Silicon Valley batches run twice a year (first 2026 batches announced March 26, 2026; second 2026 batches announced September 29, 2026); no dated application deadline is published. | Not publishedEquity-free, three-month corporate-innovation batches: Plug and Play's March 26, 2026 release says startups can secure pilots, proofs of concept, and potential investment, all without equity requirements, and its accelerator programs page lists 'No Equity Requirement'. No standard cash investment is attached to batch participation, so no investment amount is listed. Health was among the first Silicon Valley batches of 2026 (113 startups across programs) and is listed among the programs presenting at the November 3 to 5, 2026 Silicon Valley Summit. The program, now named Health & Longevity, is also among the 13 programs in the Silicon Valley Fall batches of 2026 (release dated September 29, 2026). Silicon Valley batches run twice a year (first 2026 batches announced March 26, 2026; second 2026 batches announced September 29, 2026); no dated application deadline is published. | Equity-free | CA | Hybrid | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
| Plug and Play Warsaw Medtechorthopedics and medtech (surgical tools, remote monitoring, diagnostics, clinical workflow) | Not publishedPlug and Play's medtech program in Warsaw, Indiana, which runs two accelerator batches a year connecting startups with corporate partners including Zimmer Biomet and Parkview Health. Focus areas include orthopedics, surgical instrument tracking, remote patient monitoring, early detection and diagnostics, AI workflow automation, and telemedicine and care at home. The Warsaw page does not list terms; Plug and Play's accelerator programs page says its programs have no equity requirement and describes them as three months long, and no cash investment or fee is published. Batch 5 was announced April 16, 2026. The route in is Plug and Play's contact form; no dated application window is published. Separate from Plug and Play Health in Silicon Valley. | Not publishedPlug and Play's medtech program in Warsaw, Indiana, which runs two accelerator batches a year connecting startups with corporate partners including Zimmer Biomet and Parkview Health. Focus areas include orthopedics, surgical instrument tracking, remote patient monitoring, early detection and diagnostics, AI workflow automation, and telemedicine and care at home. The Warsaw page does not list terms; Plug and Play's accelerator programs page says its programs have no equity requirement and describes them as three months long, and no cash investment or fee is published. Batch 5 was announced April 16, 2026. The route in is Plug and Play's contact form; no dated application window is published. Separate from Plug and Play Health in Silicon Valley. | Equity-free | IN | Not published | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
| Project Healthcare | Not publishedFee-based, no equity: $6,000, or $1,500 a month for 4 months; the program states it takes no equity. No investment provided, hence null. Twelve weeks, primarily virtual (a 90-minute session every Thursday afternoon plus optional Friday webinars) with three immersion visits to Nashville (seven on-site days total) to meet health systems including HCA Healthcare, Ascension Saint Thomas, Ardent Health, LifePoint Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and AMSurg. Ends at Nashville Entrepreneur Day, where cohort companies can compete for $20,000 in non-dilutive Impact Grants ($12,000 first place, $8,000 second). Participants also get EC membership. Spring and fall cohorts; Fall 2026 runs September 10 to December 3, 2026 with 15 companies. Spring 2027 applications are open with no posted close date; programs begin in February 2027. | Not publishedFee-based, no equity: $6,000, or $1,500 a month for 4 months; the program states it takes no equity. No investment provided, hence null. Twelve weeks, primarily virtual (a 90-minute session every Thursday afternoon plus optional Friday webinars) with three immersion visits to Nashville (seven on-site days total) to meet health systems including HCA Healthcare, Ascension Saint Thomas, Ardent Health, LifePoint Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and AMSurg. Ends at Nashville Entrepreneur Day, where cohort companies can compete for $20,000 in non-dilutive Impact Grants ($12,000 first place, $8,000 second). Participants also get EC membership. Spring and fall cohorts; Fall 2026 runs September 10 to December 3, 2026 with 15 companies. Spring 2027 applications are open with no posted close date; programs begin in February 2027. | Fee-based | TN | Hybrid | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
| StartUp Health (Health Moonshot Communities) | Not publishedNo longer a traditional cohort accelerator: StartUp Health operates as a paid, private global membership community ('Health Moonshot Communities') organized around health challenges (cancer, Alzheimer's and brain health, mental and behavioral health, women's health, and others). Membership is $499 per year, per person, billed annually, with no application or interview ('join and you are in'); it includes the member app, weekly expert AMAs, monthly fireside chats, events, a content library and member perks. Higher-support tiers and media campaigns cost extra; those prices are not published. The historic 'Health Transformer' equity model is not advertised, so investment/equity null. City/state null: global/virtual community with events at major conferences. | Not publishedNo longer a traditional cohort accelerator: StartUp Health operates as a paid, private global membership community ('Health Moonshot Communities') organized around health challenges (cancer, Alzheimer's and brain health, mental and behavioral health, women's health, and others). Membership is $499 per year, per person, billed annually, with no application or interview ('join and you are in'); it includes the member app, weekly expert AMAs, monthly fireside chats, events, a content library and member perks. Higher-support tiers and media campaigns cost extra; those prices are not published. The historic 'Health Transformer' equity model is not advertised, so investment/equity null. City/state null: global/virtual community with events at major conferences. | Fee-based | Not published | Remote | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
| Tampa Bay Wave HealthTech|Xhealthtech / behavioral health | Not publishedA zero-equity, no-fee accelerator run by Tampa Bay Wave for seed and Series A healthtech startups, with a 2026 focus on behavioral health and addiction. No capital is invested and no equity is taken. The 2026 cohort's applications ran August 21 to September 18, 2026. The program runs four in-person session weeks, two in Tampa, Florida and two in Nashville, Tennessee, from October 26, 2026 to January 21, 2027, followed by a virtual demo day on January 27, 2027. | Not publishedA zero-equity, no-fee accelerator run by Tampa Bay Wave for seed and Series A healthtech startups, with a 2026 focus on behavioral health and addiction. No capital is invested and no equity is taken. The 2026 cohort's applications ran August 21 to September 18, 2026. The program runs four in-person session weeks, two in Tampa, Florida and two in Nashville, Tennessee, from October 26, 2026 to January 21, 2027, followed by a virtual demo day on January 27, 2027. | Equity-free | FL | Hybrid | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
| Techstars AI Health BaltimoreAI in healthcare | $220,000 | 5% common stock via $20,000 convertible equity agreement, plus $200,000 uncapped MFN post-money SAFE (standard Techstars terms) | Equity for cash | MD | In person | Nov 18, 2026 | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
| Techstars Healthcare Accelerator powered by Permanente Medicine Mid-Atlantic Statescare delivery / digital health | $220,000 | 5% common stock via $20,000 convertible equity agreement, plus $200,000 uncapped MFN post-money SAFE (standard Techstars terms) | Equity for cash | DC | In person | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
| TMCi HealthTech Accelerator (formerly TMCx)digital health / healthtech | Not publishedTMCi's own page (fetched) does not state equity or fee terms; TMCx historically took no equity and charged no fee, but that could not be confirmed on the current site, so terms_model/investment/equity left null. Structure: 'no strings attached' bootcamp phase followed by a 6-month accelerator. DEADLINE/STATUS NOTE: No 2026 application deadline published on fetched pages; 19th cohort announced via TMC press release confirms activity. TMCi ACT (cancer therapeutics) program exists but its portal requires JavaScript and could not be verified. | Not publishedTMCi's own page (fetched) does not state equity or fee terms; TMCx historically took no equity and charged no fee, but that could not be confirmed on the current site, so terms_model/investment/equity left null. Structure: 'no strings attached' bootcamp phase followed by a 6-month accelerator. DEADLINE/STATUS NOTE: No 2026 application deadline published on fetched pages; 19th cohort announced via TMC press release confirms activity. TMCi ACT (cancer therapeutics) program exists but its portal requires JavaScript and could not be verified. | Not publishedTMCi's own page (fetched) does not state equity or fee terms; TMCx historically took no equity and charged no fee, but that could not be confirmed on the current site, so terms_model/investment/equity left null. Structure: 'no strings attached' bootcamp phase followed by a 6-month accelerator. DEADLINE/STATUS NOTE: No 2026 application deadline published on fetched pages; 19th cohort announced via TMC press release confirms activity. TMCi ACT (cancer therapeutics) program exists but its portal requires JavaScript and could not be verified. | TX | In person | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
| ZeroTo510 Medical Device Acceleratormedical devices | $25,000 (plus $25,000 more for teams with a Memphis presence) | Not publishedRun by Epicenter (Memphis). Each company receives a $25,000 cash investment on entering the program, structured as a SAFE; an additional $25,000 is available for teams with a physical presence in Memphis (the homepage says for companies that locate in the Memphis area for at least 12 consecutive months). The program also provides $50,000 in services and perks. Founders are asked to reserve 5% of their company for mentors and/or board members they bring on; the program does not take that stake, and founders decide how to assign it. equity_pct null because the SAFE's cap and discount are not published. Intensive 13-week (90-day) program; typically 4 to 6 ventures per cohort; applicants need a plan for a foothold connection to Memphis. The former 'up to $150,000' headline no longer appears on the site (checked September 28, 2026). Fall 2026 applications are closed. | Equity for cash | TN | In person | None confirmed | Oct 1, 2026 | Verified |
Programs that have ended
| Check size | Equity | Terms | Format | Next window | Signal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blueprint Health | Not publishedEnded: the site describes a three-month program and a standard agreement under which Blueprint Health received 6% of founder shares ('Is It Worth 6%' page). Its apply page, checked September 29, 2026, still says there are no plans to run a program in 2020 and to check back for a 2021 program; no later cohort, dates or application form appear on the site. Cash investment amount not stated, so null. | 6% | Equity for cash | NY | In person | None | Sep 29, 2026 | VerifiedProgram endedThe operator has said this program ended, or its program pages are gone and it has shown no activity for two years or more. We keep the record so its history stays visible. |
| Dreamit Health | Not publishedEnded as a health accelerator: as of September 29, 2026, dreamit.com presents a venture fund investing $500K to $1.5M in pre-Series A US companies; its FAQ lists its investment areas as cybersecurity, anti-fraud, risk and compliance, and physical security, and dreamit.com/healthtech returns 404. Accelerator-style terms null. | Not publishedEnded as a health accelerator: as of September 29, 2026, dreamit.com presents a venture fund investing $500K to $1.5M in pre-Series A US companies; its FAQ lists its investment areas as cybersecurity, anti-fraud, risk and compliance, and physical security, and dreamit.com/healthtech returns 404. Accelerator-style terms null. | Not publishedEnded as a health accelerator: as of September 29, 2026, dreamit.com presents a venture fund investing $500K to $1.5M in pre-Series A US companies; its FAQ lists its investment areas as cybersecurity, anti-fraud, risk and compliance, and physical security, and dreamit.com/healthtech returns 404. Accelerator-style terms null. | PA | Remote | None | Sep 29, 2026 | VerifiedProgram endedThe operator has said this program ended, or its program pages are gone and it has shown no activity for two years or more. We keep the record so its history stays visible. |
Live from the directory. See the full HealthTech & MedTech listing.
The full vertical page lives at /accelerators/healthtech_medtech, and you can line programs up side by side on the compare page.
FAQ
Is a hospital-affiliated accelerator always better for a clinical product?
No, but it is better when your bottleneck is validation or pilots. If your bottleneck is capital or engineering, the affiliation matters less than the check and the network.
Are equity-free programs like MedTech Innovator too good to be true?
They are real, but the model is competitive awards rather than a guaranteed check. MedTech Innovator pairs companies with corporate mentors and awards up to 500,000 dollars across its program, and not every company receives an award.
Should I avoid fee-based programs entirely?
Not necessarily. A 6,000 dollar fee is far cheaper than 5 percent of a company that succeeds. The test is whether the curriculum and introductions are worth the price in cash, judged the way you would judge any vendor.
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