An evening of “innovation, inspiration, and impact” kept the stage busy at Tannahills Tavern and Music Hall in Fort Worth recently, as the Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth Accelerator held its 2024 Demo Day. By evening’s end, 11 startups from across the U.S. and around the world had pitched their “visionary innovations” to an audience of investors, mentors, corporate partners, and community members.
The event marked the culmination of a 13-week accelerator program designed to propel physical health-focused startups into their next phase of growth, with Techstars Physical Health investing in all 11 startups.
Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth Accelerator Managing Director Trey Bowles with Nerveli Founder and CEO Leon Jacobson. [Photo: Techstars]
Cutting-edge solutions pitched at the event ranged from at-home diagnostic devices to professional cleaning products to wash (or “peeq”) eyelids to life insurance for the physically fit. Other game-changing innovations included genomics data sets developed in partnership with sovereign African nations and software that works with existing wearables to track and deliver electrolyte-based insights.
“The diversity of innovations on display was both remarkable and inspiring,” Trey Bowles, managing director of the accelerator, said in a statement. “Each founder spoke passionately about the real-world problems their ventures aim to solve, underscoring the program’s mission to improve health outcomes and support a market opportunity that’s global in scale.”
A longhorn pointed the way to Demo Day. [Photo: Techstars]
Capping Techstars’ initial three-year program in Fort Worth
This year’s accelerator capped Techstars’ initial three-year run in Fort Worth, which began with the 2022 launch of the physical health innovation program that aimed to foster breakthrough technologies in rehabilitation, physical therapy, human performance, and exercise.
The accelerator—a partnership among the Health Science Center, the city of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Goff Capital, and Techstars—is one of 50 Techstars accelerators worldwide. A global investment firm, Techstars provides access to one-on-one mentorship and customized programming for early-stage startups.
The 2024 Fort Worth cohort featured a mix of founders from across the globe, who brought “fresh perspectives and groundbreaking technologies to the forefront,” Bowles said.
Per Techstars, here’s a look at the 11 participating 2024 startups, each of whom performed a three-minute pitch before the Demo Day audience:
- Athlete: A U.K.-based company using exercise data to create fairer priced life insurance and help humans live longer.
- Electrokare: A Chicago-based company that unlocks peak performance and health with personalized electrolyte insights from your existing wearable.
- FluteSpace: A San Francisco-based company that transforms clinical decision support for radiologists, boosting productivity, patient care, and reducing administrative burden with cutting edge generative AI technology.
- Gale Payments: Headquartered in Southlake, Texas, Gale Payments simplifies HSA/FSA payments, making it easy for shoppers to find and buy eligible products, while helping merchants unlock a new revenue stream.
Gale Payments Co-Founder Tom Griffiths [Photo: Techstars]
- Gisens Biotech: A Berkeley, California-based company that’s introducing the next generation of at-home diagnostics, where both tests and results are performed in real-time and from the patient’s home. Gisens says it’s revolutionizing decentralized care, starting with biosensors for chronic kidney disease.
- Nerveli: A Dallas-based company offering a scientifically proven platform that empowers people to holistically understand and manage their pain, and then guides them with a personalized approach to pain relief.
Nerveli Founder and CEO Leon Jacobson. [Photo: Techstars]
- Peeq Industries: Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, Peeq provides products and services to alleviate dry eye, mitigating the damage caused by screens and smart phones.
- Proton Health: A London-based company building a modern “dermatology OS” to cure skin conditions.
- Revella Health: Based in Birmingham, Alabama, Revella empowers providers to capture missed revenue and close care gaps with AI insights.
- ReviMo: A Boston-based company creating a personal robotic assistant that helps people with limited mobility get out of bed and live independently.
- Syndicate Bio: A U.S.-based company launched out of Nigeria, this company is building “the world’s most diverse human health datasets” and applying AI/ ML to accelerate human discoveries and inclusive care globally.
Outside the Demo Day: Techstars Program Associate Barathi Aravindan, Program Manager Jordan Warnemont, and Entrepreneur in Residence Gabriela Sabate. [Photo: Techstars]
Accelerator looked at 10,000 companies—and invested in 31 from 17 countries
Bowles began the evening on the Tannahills stage by lauding the work all 11 startups had put in to reach the event.
“The progress these founders have made in just three months is astounding,” Bowles said. “Tonight is a celebration not just of their innovations but of their resilience, creativity, and commitment to building solutions that truly make a difference and change lives.”
Bowles also looked back over the last three years of the program, citing accomplishments and statistics including:
- Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth Accelerator looked at over 10,000 companies
- Techstars invested in 31 companies from 17 countries, with 84% diversity in investments made
- Participating companies have raised more than $18 million
- Techstars invested in 3 companies local to the DFW region
- The program has had one exit to date, through Zama Health
Finally, as a result of the three-year program, 10 companies “are actively looking for a way to move their companies to Fort Worth or create a presence in Fort Worth of some type,” Bowles said.
Local leaders add their voices
During the Demo Day, local leaders who’ve played key roles in supporting the Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth Accelerator added their voices to the event.
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker recorded a video message welcoming attendees to the historic Fort Worth Stockyards and speaking to Techstars’ original vision for coming to the city. That vision included highlighting innovation in healthcare currently happening in Fort Worth; welcoming entrepreneurs from all over the world to Fort Worth to see and realize the benefits of having a business or outpost in the city; launching one of the world’s leading accelerator programs in Fort Worth to showcase innovation and entrepreneurship resources; and supporting overall entrepreneurship growth and support to the citizens of Fort Worth.
Local leaders who took the stage included Councilman Michael Crain, who emphasized Fort Worth’s commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as Cameron Cushman, assistant VP of innovation systems at the UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth.
Cushman highlighted Fort Worth’s growing reputation as a hub for health technology and the collaborative spirit that drives the city’s success. He capped his remarks with a call to action for the audience, saying, “What will we do now?”
Post-pitch networking
Following the Demo Day pitches, investors and corporate reps in attendance had the opportunity to meet with the 11 founders one-on-one. The post-pitch networking sessions “often spark the collaborations and funding opportunities that drive startups to new heights,” Bowles noted.
Local leaders in Fort Worth’s growing innovation ecosystem were also on hand for the Demo Day, highlighting the city’s growing reputation as a hub for health technology.
Now, as the 11 startups join earlier cohorts in “embarking on the next stage of their entrepreneurial journey,” Bowles sees the program as continuing to ripple outward.
“As these startups scale and succeed,” he said, “they stand as a testament to the power of vision, collaboration, and community in shaping the future of physical health.”
GALLERY
Managing Director Trey Bowles with the Fort Worth team. [Photo: Gregory Cortez/Ohhh Wavy]
Gisens Biotech CEO Luis Pierpauli at the Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth Demo Day 2024. [Photo: Techstars]
The Techstars stage before the event. [Photo: Techstars]
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