The selected finalists will work with expert teams to improve and scale their market solutions, targeted at enhancing equity in maternal and infant health in underserved populations.
Boston, MA (August 1, 2022) – MassChallenge in coordination with Ad Hoc, CNSI, Knowality and MITRE today announced two startups invited to participate in the Maternal Child Health Equity Challenge. The selected applicants demonstrated engagement in high-impact, innovative work to improve maternal and infant health, with a specific emphasis on solutions focused on:
- Reducing late or absent prenatal care and its impact to improve health outcomes and equity
- Improving pregnancy outcomes and equity for individuals with co-occurring health conditions, and
- Improving pregnancy outcomes and equity for individuals in rural areas
Meet the two finalists Flourish Fund and MyLÙA Health here.
“Flourish Fund and MyLÙA Health are at the forefront of innovation in this critically important field,” said Hope Hopkins, Head of Global Accelerator Programs. “MassChallenge is incredibly proud to support their growth and in collaboration with our partners, unite the public and private sectors around combatting disparities in maternal healthcare.”
This unique public-private collaboration will pair each startup with a dedicated team of venture capital firm executives, health plan executives, national advocates, state health leaders, and federal policy experts over a two-month period. Activities include an orientation boot camp, regular meetings with expert teams, workshops, tailored technical assistance, and access to MassChallenge’s proven acceleration resources and network. The Challenge will culminate in a final showcase with private and public sector stakeholder attendees. Save the date and register now for the event on September 23, 2022.
By partnering the Flourish Fund and MyLÙA Health with an integrated expert team, the collaborating partners expect to help drive the accelerated adoption of the companies’ innovative solutions in federal and state programs to improve maternal and infant care for underserved populations.
“The Flourish Fund is the first technology platform partnering with insurers and health systems to provide evidence-based community maternity care for their members. Eligible families are matched with vetted local providers and a personalized wellness toolkit, through a mobile app,” said Melissa Bowley, CEO and Founder of the Flourish Fund. “We are excited to collaborate with MITRE, MassChallenge and a new team of health plan executives and policy experts to expand our innovative model to more expecting families.”
“MyLÚA Health is a digital maternal care platform that predicts and manages risk of maternal complications via a patient app and clinician dashboard. Our mission is to reduce maternal mortality and advance health equity through inclusive data collection, personalized patient education, and interventional care measures,” said J’Vanay Santos, CEO and Founder of MyLÚA Health. “We are humbled and excited to be a part of the immense network and support provided by MassChallenge, and are eager to accelerate the adoption of MyLÚA Health across health plans, providers, and mothers.”
Ten semi-finalists will also participate in the Maternal-Child Health Equity Challenge and receive access to three workshops, the MassChallenge mentor network, and bi-weekly founder’s calls to learn from each other’s experiences. Collaboration is needed to tackle the intractable disparities in maternal health; MassChallenge hopes to sustain and grow a community of innovators who are solving these problems.
Please join us for a concluding Showcase to hear directly from the two Challenge finalists on September 23, 2022. Save the date and register here!
About Ad Hoc
Founded in 2014 by core members of the HealthCare.gov rescue team, Ad Hoc is a digital services company that helps the federal government better serve people. We collaborate closely with our government partners to solve the right problems and deliver software solutions that work. In doing so, we give agencies confidence that their tools will effectively meet the demands of their mission and the needs of their users. For more information about our work, visit https://adhoc.team, LinkedIn, or Twitter.
About CNSI
CNSI delivers a broad range of health information technology enterprise solutions and customizable products to a diverse base of state and federal agencies in the United States. CNSI aligns, builds, and manages innovative, high-quality, cost-effective solutions that help clients achieve their mission, enhance business performance, reduce costs, and improve the health of individuals and communities. Headquartered in the United States with a major technology center in Chennai, India, CNSI employs a world-class team of technologists, program managers, and subject matter experts with large-scale, mission-critical information technology implementation experience. Learn more at www.cns-inc.com.
About Knowality
Knowality LLC, a venture services firm dedicated to accelerating market adoption of innovative healthcare services and products that improve population health. By increasing the speed of market adoption for proven health care services, Knowality is increasing the likelihood of Americans living a healthier life.
About MassChallenge
MassChallenge is the global network for innovators. Headquartered in the United States with eight locations worldwide, MassChallenge equips bold entrepreneurs to disrupt the status quo and to create meaningful change. Since launching in 2009, more than 3,000 startups have participated in a MassChallenge program and non-profit has awarded over $17M in equity-free cash and prizes. Learn more about MassChallenge at masschallenge.org.
About MITRE
MITRE’s mission-driven teams are dedicated to solving problems for a safer world. Through our public-private partnerships and as an operator of federally funded R&D centers, we work across government and in partnership with industry to tackle challenges to the safety, stability, and well-being of our nation.