Draft:Health Wildcatters

Health Wildcatters was founded in 2013 to address the need for a health innovation hub in the burgeoning Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex healthcare industry. Since its inception the Health Wildcatters portfolio has grown to 130 startups who have raised over $350 million. It is headquartered at Pegasus Park in Dallas, TX.^[1][2][3][4]

History

Health Wildcatters is a mentor-driven healthcare focused seed accelerator headquartered in Dallas, TX. Launched in 2013, Health Wildcatters accelerates healthcare startups in the fields of healthcare IT, SaaS, digital health, mobile health, medical devices, diagnostics and pharmaceutical companies.^[5][6][7][8]

Health Wildcatters was founded by Carl Soderstrom, Clay Heighten, MD, Hubert Zajicek, MD, MBA and Gabriella Draney Zielke.^[1][9]

The Health Wildcatters Accelerator Program has been ranked among the greatest in the nation according to the Seed Accelerator Rankings Project, a study conducted by MIT, University of Richmond and Rice University.^[10]

Structure

Health Wildcatters connects startups to a network of mentors and investors and presents a diverse curriculum to accelerate startups growth. 8-12 startups join the accelerator program annually and participate in the three month program. The program culminates in a Pitch Day where the startups pitch to an audience of investors.^[1] The terms for the Health Wildcatters program are in alignment with industry standards and what is found at most accelerators - $30,000 for 8% equity and opportunities for follow on and convertible note investments to total a maximum potential investment of $380k.^[11]

The Health Wildcatters mentor network comprises over 200 individuals spanning the healthcare industry. During the accelerator, startups are connected to this mentor network who in turn provide advice and counsel as well as open up their own personal networks to propel the business forward.^[12]

Health Wildcatters organizes and creates programming via other avenues including the Women in Science and Healthcare Network and Texas Healthcare Challenge, series of hackathons focused on healthcare solutions.^[13][14]

As of 2022, Health Wildcatters is headquartered in Pegasus Park, a biotech hub located in Dallas, Texas. Their space serves as a location for their annual startup accelerator program as well as a co-working space for health focused startups and companies.^{[15][16][17][18]}

Program Companies

Cariloop^[19]

Invertex^[20][21]

Pure Wine^[22][22]

Lantern Pharma^[23][24]

Medibookr^[25]

Parrots Inc.^[26]

VenoStent^[27]

Oral Genome^[28]

Gregor Diagnostics^[29]

Ataia^[29]

Articulate Labs^[29]

Beam Wellness^[30][31]

OncoSwab^[32]

Freezenit^[33]

Clearsight Therapeutics

MucoLife Therapeutics

Keyron^[34]