Nov. 19, 2020 — Northern Kentucky University's Institute for Health Innovation celebrates the first five local startups to graduate from its health innovation accelerator, SoCap Accelerate, at the inaugural Demo Day on Nov. 19, at 6 p.m.

Demo Day showcases how each startup is pioneering ways to address the region's health problems. The cohort has spent the past six weeks connecting with leaders in the region's health care and entrepreneurial scenes to help grow and scale a sustainable company. Unlike the traditional funding model, SoCap Accelerate takes a creative approach to entrepreneurship by focusing on the founders and providing social capital rather than an equity stake investment.

"People always ask me how to start a business. We simply tell them to find a problem that breaks your heart and build a company out of it,” said Rico Grant, managing director of SoCap Accelerate. ”We want to discover the big problems pertaining to the health industry, bring them to the table and transform them into breakthroughs for our communities and across the globe. We build a custom curriculum to ensure we are tackling the most pressing needs of each company. No other program is alike in this way.”

Along with leveraging human capital, SoCap Accelerate’s programming also provides legal guidance from Frost Brown Todd, accounting assistance by Empower ABS, digital presence support by Canned Spinach and crowd investing support through Wunderfund.

SoCap Accelerate’s Fall 2020 Cohort includes:

EMDRVR | a virtual reality therapy vehicle which provides Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy to practices and individuals without access to traditional EMDR therapy. EMDRVR allows clinicians to remotely administer EMDR therapy to their patients as well as expand practice capacity and offerings.

Kare Mobile | a provider of dental services in a mobile format. They visit the patient in a mobile van and can perform a range of dental services. They plan to launch a licensing opportunity next year for other health care professionals who wish to be able to reach a wider demographic at a reduced cost to the provider and increased profitability. They will assist in managing their mobile business and provide them ancillary products to help them when providing mobile dental care.

Pop Base | an online learning platform for children focused on health education. PopBase’s “Woodland Fables” is a subscription, direct to consumer, interactive education experience focused on wellness that is targeted toward children and their caretakers. Think of it as an immersive mix of Headspace and Sesame Street. A uniquely interactive and immersive, story-driven experience built for a generation that is growing up on animation, video games and social media.

STRE.ME | a software as a service (SaaS) platform that aims to improve patient satisfaction, outcomes and hospital profitability by tackling the $270B spent annually in health care on premature deaths and avoidable health costs which result from biases and inequities. STRE.ME’s platform enables HR and diversity leaders in health care to train, set, track and view progress toward boosting organizational outcomes, like patient satisfaction.

Xen Mystic | a baseline orthopedic cushion product that provides neck support that also has a surround adjustable system. The pillow is designed with three mini adjustable and removable cushions. Since everyone does not have the same neck pain issues, the pillow’s design allows customers to choose using any number of mini cushions to satisfy their sleep, neck comfort or neck pain issues. Xen Pillow provides maximum pressure point support to relieve neck pain and muscle tension, along while keeping body alignment.

NKU continues its commitment to developing an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem. Earlier this fall, the university broke new ground on a one-stop innovation hub within Covington's Innovation Alley space. The Collaborative for Economic Engagement serves as a gateway to all the resources entrepreneurs need to thrive.

SoCap Accelerate is sponsored by the Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration i6 grant, along with support from St. Elizabeth Healthcare, the Durr Foundation and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation. 

To learn more about how NKU is bringing the next generation of health innovation and social capital to the region's forefront, visit SoCap Accelerate’s website.