Danish startups pursue US expansion opportunities through TMC Biobridge

Texas Medical Center (TMC) and the BioInnovation Institute (BII) announced that three startups from BII will join a customized accelerator program tailored for helping startups build their US go-to-market strategy. The specialized accelerator is modeled and builds off the success of the TMC Innovation (TMCi) Health Tech Accelerator program. The Denmark Biobridge between the TMC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark was signed in 2019.

TMC Innovation Factory offers a strategic entry point with training, access, and support for these small and medium-sized enterprises seeking to learn, expand and commercialize in the US market. Founders will be immersed in an intensive program to learn about the potential challenges companies face when entering global business markets and connect with experts who can help them strategically navigate these hurdles.

Emily Reiser, Associate Director, TMC Innovation: "At TMC, we are elevating our ability to create curated go-to-market experiences for hand-selected companies that have a relationship with our partners at the BioInnovation Institute and that are seeking to prepare for of market expansion in the US. We are excited about the opportunity to collaborate with BII and these founders."

BioInnovation Institute (BII) accelerate world-class life science start-up innovation for the benefit of people and society. As a non-profit institute, BII operates the company creation programs, Bio Studio, Venture Lab, and Venture House, to support life science startups with knowledge, network, infrastructure, and funding of up to €3 million per projects and €1,8 million per startup. Through its expertise, network, funding, and infrastructure, BII assists startups in bringing ideas to life and research to market, and since its inauguration in 2018 BII has financially supported 80 early-stage startups that has raised more than €413 million in external funding.

Tony Cheng-fu Chang, Principal, BioInnovation Institute: "As we strengthen our offering to support visionary healthcare innovators to develop products and solutions to address clear unmet needs, our partnership with Texas Medical Center allows BII startups to gain exposure to US market and ready themselves for US market entry. We are thrilled about this collaboration with the Texas Medical Center which is one of the largest life science ecosystems in the world. Through the customized accelerator program, these three healthcare startups will acquire critical insight to create field-ready plans for bringing their products and solutions to the US market."

The startups' areas of focus range from surgical devices to AI-enabled risk stratification and hospital efficiency. The selected cohort members are:

• Aiomic is developing a cutting-edge AI platform (Aiomic360) to combat postoperative complications. With automated tracking and real-time risk assessment, Aiomic360 will function as a quality management tool for hospitals, a decision support tool for healthcare practitioners, and an individualized patient empowerment tool for surgical candidates
• Orbit Health has developed an AI-enabled solution, Neptune, that uses simple motion data from smartwatches to track Parkinson's motor state and treatment response passively. Its continuous and objective insights enable regular treatment personalization that is needed throughout the course of the disease to optimize patient outcomes and improve quality of life. 
• HEI Therapeutics is developing the world's first at-home disease management solution for patients with hypothyroidism. The innovative solution includes a patented finger stick blood test and digital patient empowerment tools and aims to significantly reduce the share of patients that is poorly regulated with medication.

Program participants will travel to Houston on May 11, 2023, for an inaugural session to undertake preliminary customer validation, followed by six months in the incubator where founders will be able to experience a tailored program working with TMCi advisors and mentors to refine their strategic development plan and maximize their incubation experience.

www.tmc.edu
www.bii.dk