Apart from other markets where innovation can scale taking shortcuts, Healthcare can be seen as a market where innovative ideas have to get a long and complex journey. Research, heavy funding needs and a strong distribution network are some of the challenges faced by Healthcare entrepreneurs. To increase the survival rate of new businesses in this market and “place Portugal in the healthcare innovation map” Healthcare City was created.
Healthcare City results from a partnership between NOVA Medical School, Janssen from Johnson & Johnson, Medis from Ocidental Group and Lusíadas from AMIL and UnitedHealth, that represent the academy and the market, to give the incubated initiatives a holistic support and help them to reach the market easily.
The incubator aims at supporting 250 entrepreneurs in the next three years, providing them with corporative services, mentoring, office space at CEDOC (Medical Science University of Lisbon) and access to labs and hospitals for piloting. The program targets not only startups but also small companies, from 10 to 20 employees, seeking for growth.
Nuno Carvalho, Healthcare City‘s CEO, highlights also the ecosystem generated by the project, which is prepared to deal with sector’s particularities as attracting the right kind of investors, that has to be willing to respect a long validation cycle, that sometimes takes more than 10 years.
The program is based in Lisbon and is available for Portuguese and international entrepreneurs. Applications will be open until may 20th.