Health 10x Accelerator
Supporting Australia’s brightest health and medtech founders.
Designed and delivered in partnership with The George Institute for Global Health since 2019, the Health 10x accelerator supports startups developing affordable and scalable solutions to some of the most pressing unmet medical needs, globally.
Since 2019, health 10x have supported over 100 startups and invested in 27 startups built by the best and brightest health medical innovators across Australia.
In 2023 two new partners joined our mission. Australian Medical Angels, the nation’s largest syndicate of clinicians, is supporting startups through additional coaching and investment. Virtus Health, a global leader in reproductive assistive services, is supporting startups focused on reproductive health.
Join us for an info session on 24 April: How to Ace your Application
Westpac Accelerator Scholarship: Apply here.
NPS score from historical cohorts across all our 10x accelerator programs.
The Program
Health 10x Accelerator, a 10-week intensive program is tailored to equip health and medtech founders with business expertise and resources needed to understand the health technology ecosystem, build their company and drive impact through commercialisation.
We help the best and brightest innovators navigate the complex health and medtech commercialisation path from regulatory classifications, investment strategy to expanding operations, globally.
UNSW Founders Portfolio
Program Benefits
Health 10x startups accepted into the Accelerator program receive:
10-week intensive program to get startups investment-ready
$20k SAFE investment ($10K UNSW, $10K The George Institute for Global Health), with opportunity to follow on
Up to $50k investment, through Australian Medical Angels Pre-Commitment Fund, opportunity to follow on
Workshop sessions to fill the gaps in your startup knowledge
Fundraising strategy support + connections to domestic and international investors
Pitch to investors at our exclusive invite-only demo day
Apply for our annual Founders Awards
Founders Perks up to value of $1M (AWS, Air table, startup services like accounting, insurance and legal)
As part of a Global Mentoring Program, Health 10x startups gain access to direct industry mentorship by global leading pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
As part of the Health 10x program, startups also receive $200K worth of value in support including:
1:1 prototyping support at the UNSW Makerspace (team have decades of hardware-realisation experience)
20 hours of Entrepreneur-in-Residence support
20 hours of coaching and support from mentors, advisors and clinical/research leaders
Expert coaches, R&D talent and infrastructure from UNSW and The George Institute for Global Health
Post Program Support
We provide startups with access to a co-working space with UNSW Founders-in-Residence for 6 months, as well as ongoing access to mentors, providing invaluable guidance and support to new startups in the program. Additionally, Health 10x scale program includes support going global, PR opportunities and PhD internships.
Health 10x Alumni:
From Bench-to Beside
Health 10x alumni Sam van Bohemen (CEO and Co-Founder of nuroflux) joined the program in 2021 mid-way into his PhD studies.
With a strong technical background as a biomedical engineer, Sam recognised the need for support to build his company and business, refine his medical device prototyping and connect with the right healthcare and research professionals.
Throughout Health 10x, Sam developed his commercialisation skills and took his device from a simple design toa clinic-ready device, from bench to bedside. The device is now in clinical trials with our key program delivery partner The George Institute for Global Health. Channel 9 New report below.
Health 10x Alumni:
23 Strands secures $3 million in federal funding
23 strands completed the program in 2020 and launched a new business Unit around Fertility. Thanks to the health 10x coaching and support, they partnered and received investment from Virtus Health. Since 2020, 23 strands have tripled their valuation.
Health 10x Strategic Partners
Since, 2019, the Health 10x program has been designed and delivered in partnership With The George Institute for Global Health. thanks to our partners, startups gain access to clinical research expertise, vast medical research networks across the globe and a deep pool of leading researchers. As of 2023, UNSW Founders have proudly partnered with Australian Medical Angels and Virtus Health to provide additional support and funding for Health 10x Accelerator startups.
Australian Medical Angels is Australia’s largest medical and health specific angel investment syndicate of over 650 clinicians drawn from across Australia, backing the most exciting innovations in healthcare. Australian Medical Angels support Health 10x by providing access to their extensive network of investors & clinicians.
Virtus Health is one of the world’s leading providers of assistive reproductive services and will support reproductive startups by providing additional commercialisation support, to fast-track their growth with access to strategic networks, expertise and funding.
Health 10x is further supported by leaders across healthcare, innovation and industry partners:
Randwick Health Innovation Precinct - Collaborative entity bringing together world-class education, research and healthcare organisations to save lives through translational medical research and industry collaboration.
Liverpool Innovation Precinct - Reimagining how health, education and research is undertaken individually and collaboratively to drive innovation to impact.
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines.
Essentials
Key Dates
Health 10x Accelerator 2024 Dates
Info Session: 28 February
Pre-Accelerator: 2-30 May (more info here)
10x Applications open: 12 May
10x Applications close: 20 May
10x Bootcamp: 1-2 August
10x Program commences: 7 August
10x Program concludes: 9 October
10x Demo Day: 24 October
Eligibility
You have a desire and a mission to create change
Incorporated the business, or plan to shortly, (we can help you with those steps)
Any founder or founders (University affiliated or not) addressing an unmet health need or global health challenge
Have rights to commercialise intellectual property
You have a proof of concept, prototype or MVP
Can commit to approximately 12 hours per week during the 10 week Accelerator phase
You have some market validation through customer take-up or engagement
You can commit to participating in the program for its duration
Is Health 10x for me?
If you are a startup fonder who:
Has a product or service that addresses an unmet health need or global health challenge
Want to become more resilient, learn how to build traction and scale
Have clear IP ownership
Want to participate in an intensive modular program
Want to learn new startup frameworks to practice and implement
Are keen to access UNSW’s and TGI's outstanding network of founders, alumni and mentors with domain expertise.
Meet a few of our Founders
Peter Ayre from CardioBionic
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CardioBionic (2019 alumni) is a pioneering medtech company dedicated to transforming heart failure treatment. Their vision is to create a single, advanced control system platform for multiple cardiac support devices. This includes their VAS, an integrated digital control system managing ventricular assist devices (VADs) and cardiac catheters. Their VADs, implantable pumps, offer vital support to compromised heart function, while the Cath, designed for acute heart failure, seamlessly integrates with the VAS for comprehensive care. CardioBionic's innovative approach promises improved outcomes and renewed hope for heart failure patients worldwide.
Louise Metcalfe from Gheorg
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Gheorg, (2023 alumni) is a healthtech company enhancing children's emotional intelligence and mental well-being through their innovative robot companion. With a vision to empower children to cultivate resilience and effectively manage stress, Gheorg utilises cutting-edge technology to provide personalised support and guidance. Their friendly robot, designed to engage and connect with children, serves as a valuable tool in fostering emotional growth and equipping young individuals with essential skills for navigating life's challenges.
Greg Miner from Evidentli
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Evidentli (2019 alumni) s a dynamic medtech company revolutionising healthcare data management with their innovative platform. Their cutting-edge technology swiftly standardises complex healthcare data and text with over 99% reliability in a matter of days, not months, and weeks, not years. By simplifying and unifying disparate clinical data, CardioBionic empowers healthcare communities worldwide to advance patient care and outcomes. With Evidentli, healthcare professionals can entrust their data management needs, allowing them to focus on delivering exceptional care and driving meaningful progress in healthcare.
Mark Grosser from 23Strands
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23Strands (2021 alumni) is a pioneering healthtech company dedicated to empowering individuals on their healthcare journey through genomics. Their vision is to provide comprehensive insights into personal health using whole genome sequencing, analysing every component of the DNA to offer a comprehensive understanding of individual genetic makeup.
Read all about us in the news
