Mayo Clinic Adds Seven Startups to A.I.-Focused Accelerator Program

Aug. 15, 2022

Twenty-week program offers participants access to Mayo Clinic experts in regulatory, clinical, technology and business domains with a focus on AI model validation and clinical readiness

David Raths

Mayo Clinic has announced the seven startups participating in the second cohort of its program to help companies develop and validate their artificial intelligence-driven healthcare products or solutions and advance their business plans.

The program, called “Platform_Accelerate,” features an immersive, 20-week program that offers participants access to Mayo Clinic experts in regulatory, clinical, technology and business domains with a focus on AI model validation and clinical readiness. Technology experts from Google and Epic also will provide workshops for the participants.

As part of this in-kind investment, Mayo Clinic Platform takes an equity position in the companies.

The only way we can transform healthcare is by bringing together clinical experts with technology innovators," said John Halamka, M.D., president of Mayo Clinic Platform, which the organization describes as a strategic initiative to improve healthcare through insights and knowledge derived from data. "Our Accelerate program combines emerging companies with breakthrough ideas, leaders from Mayo's clinical practice and our unique 'data behind glass' approach to algorithm development," Halamka added, describing the secure environment that allows companies to build algorithm models they can use for innovation, but the data never leave the Mayo Clinic Platform.

The program will help participants explore ways to improve healthcare in a variety of areas:

• AESOP Technology: Using machine learning on 3.2 billion patient visits, AESOP aims to make physician data entry easier, faster and less error-prone by automating diagnosis input and improving medication-related workflows. AESOP has offices in California, Colorado and Taiwan.

• Biotia: By fighting infectious diseases with AI and genomics, Biota is leveraging new DNA sequencing technology to enable personalized, data-driven discovery of microorganisms that cause illness. The company is based in New York City.

• Delfina: Tackling the maternal health crisis, Delfina’s software is monitoring health data to assess pregnancy risks, coordinate with providers and deliver a personalized care plan to improve pregnancy outcomes. Delfina has offices in San Francisco, New York City and Rochester, Minnesota.

• Dynocardia: Using wearable technology for accurate real-world continuous blood pressure and other advanced heart function measures, Dynocardia is leveraging AI to enable early detection before serious health events. The company is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

• ImpriMed: To personalize human and animal cancer treatment, ImpriMed aims to validate an oncology platform to provide patients and clinicians with the best predictive information for individual cancer patients. The company has offices in Palo Alto, California, and Seoul, South Korea.

• Predicta Med: To shorten the diagnostic journey and enable early and effective treatment, Predicta Med is creating an AI-based decision support platform for early detection of autoimmune diseases. The company is based in Tel Aviv, Israel.

• SOAP Health: SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) Health seeks to enhance physician productivity and insight to ensure accurate and timely prediagnosis — made before occurrence of symptoms — and diagnosis. The company is based in Boca Raton, Florida.

Chosen from a competitive process, each company receives a benefit package that offers:

Access to deidentified patient data in a secure environment.
AI model validation with guidance from data science experts.
Ability to check for fairness and bias in AI models.
Exploratory collaboration discussions with clinical experts.
Guidance to understand Food and Drug Administration clearance pathways.
Support to plan clinical validation studies, such as clinical simulation or clinical research trials.

"In our first cohort, we already have seen these companies receive attention from potential investors, healthcare providers and others who want to support their work," says Eric Harnisch, vice president, Partner Programs, Mayo Clinic Platform, in a statement. "We are excited to further these efforts with the second group of companies."

The inaugural cohort of four companies recently finished the program. Applications for the third Mayo Clinic Platform_Accelerate cohort will be open soon and reviewed on a rolling basis.