Why Iron Yard Ventures is excited to partner with HubX
By now you may have heard about our newest partnership with HubX - a life science accelerator with an important twist. We are excited about this new program as well as the future it holds for great founders and Iron Yard Ventures.
We have now run five accelerator cohorts at Iron yard Ventures, investing in more than 50 startup companies and the incredible founders behind them over the last four years. Over this time we have learned quite a lot about how we can best have a clear and likely benefit on the entrepreneurs we work with and how to help them get to the next stage of their venture. Now four years, five cohorts and countless hours of hard work into this grand experiment, the best part is witnessing the real world impact our companies are having on their customers lives.
One of the lessons we have learned after investing in more than 50 startups is how critically important a great network and partner support is to early stage companies looking to bring their product to market. In healthcare this need for access to customers, users and other partners is particularly important. Ask any healthcare startup founder and they will agree that the sales cycle for healthcare companies can be painfully long. Large organizations with decision matrices can leave startups in limbo for too long. At the same time many corporations are searching for ways to innovate faster and adapt to rapidly changing markets - while working closer with quality startups.
About a year ago, as we were preparing for our fifth accelerator cohort and just as The Iron Yard Academy was launching a code school campus in Little Rock, Arkansas, a group of leaders from Little Rock approached us with their plan to run an accelerator with a focus on solving the access problem for entrepreneurs in healthcare as well as helping leading corporations become more innovative in adopting technology.
This group included a dedicated group of entrepreneurs, investors and perhaps most importantly - leadership from large healthcare providers and payers.
Over the last year we have worked diligently with this group to help them launch the HubX Life Science Accelerator with partnership from both Baptist Health and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Baptist Health and BCBS leadership have committed to investing unparalleled time and resources in the companies participating in the HubX program. This includes up to $50,000 in upfront investment, unparalleled access to decision makers as well as the opportunity for pilots and strategic follow-on investment once the product is in market and the entrepreneurs need to grow.
We are excited to be working with the leadership team at HubX, Baptist Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub and the many other leaders who are involved in building a powerful network for the entrepreneurs taking part in the program.
If you have any questions about the HubX program check them out here or email [email protected]. If you are a founder of a startup that is looking to work with leading providers or payers, applications for startups are open now.
This is the first of several new initiatives for us at Iron Yard Ventures in 2016 as we continue our focus on helping great entrepreneurs build strong, sustainable businesses that add real value to customer’s lives. Stay tuned for more :)