To support digital health startups, the City of Boston, MeHI, MACP, and MassChallenge established the digital health innovation hub MassChallenge HealthTech. At MassChallenge HealthTech, we work to accelerate high-impact digital health startups by forming partnerships with industry-leading Champions. Every startup at MassChallenge HealthTech receives at least one partnership through our matchmaking process (MCHT startups average over three partnerships each). Every startup then receives best-in-class training through our evidence-based accelerator program.

We believe that when entrepreneurs and the community come together to solve massive problems, we will accelerate innovation and transform healthcare. Our community comprises startups, Champions, business mentors, medical healthcare professionals, digital health enthusiasts, and people passionate about our shared mission of improving health through entrepreneurship.

View our 2020 Impact Report HERE.

The HealthTech Program Continues to Grow

About Our Community Initiatives

Women in Digital Health 

Launched in February 2018, the Women in Digital Health Initiative is focused on addressing the needs of women in the digital health community. By providing female entrepreneurs and innovation executives with relevant resources, content and a supportive community, we aim to help them develop the skills and confidence to be leaders in digital health. Learn more here.

Health Equity Initiative Launch

This year, health equity emerged as a leading priority across our digital health community of providers, government agencies, payers, pharmaceutical companies, startups, and other health care organizations. With the support and guidance of our partners, we launched our Health Equity Initiative in 2020. The focus areas of the initiative include the following: 

1. Identify and reduce inequities in health and care delivery  
2. Improve access to care  
3. Create more equitable solutions based on patient input (vs. “one-size-fits-all” solutions) 
4. Tackle the social determinants of health   
5. Support minority entrepreneurs and equip them with the resources they need to succeed.  

Convening Digital Health Partners to Advance Health Equity 

We are convening our partner community regularly to share the health equity work they are driving in their organizations and identify collaboration opportunities. In this initial discovery year of the initiative, we are synthesizing the priorities and trends highlighted by our partners and reflecting on ways this information can inform health equity efforts within MCHT. In future years, we plan to work with our partners to accomplish shared health equity goals informed by the conversations this year. 

Building a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Community 

We have taken initial steps to improve every stage of our core program to better support entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds, from applications, to judging, to program curriculum and resources.  

Health Equity Event Series: 

We have collaborated with the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission to develop an action-oriented Health Equity Event Series focused on helping MCHT partners and innovators gain insight into how digital health solutions can help advance health equity.  

If you are interested in learning more or getting involved with our Health Equity Initiative – please reach out to Healthtech@masschallenge.org!