Women’s Health Innovation Program 2027

About

Upstart Impacts’ 2027 accelerator will support 10 Pennsylvania-based or relocating pre-seed and seed-stage life sciences and MedTech companies in examining their technologies through women’s biology while advancing commercialization, at no cost and with no equity requirement.

Benefits

• 🚀No-cost, equity-free program — Selected companies can participate at no cost, and no equity is required.
• 🧑‍🏫 Mentorship — Selected companies receive one-on-one mentoring and individualized support from experienced mentors, clinicians, investors, and industry experts.
• 🌐Expert network — Access to 50+ mentors and industry experts.
• 🤝Connections — Introductions to healthcare institutions, industry experts, and funding sources.
• 📚Curriculum — Immersive curriculum designed to prepare companies to advance toward funding and commercialization.
• 🏥Clinical partner — Lewis Katz School of Medicine serves as a clinical partner.

Eligibility Criteria

• Mandatory: pre-seed or seed-stage life sciences or MedTech company; based in Pennsylvania or Greater Philadelphia, or willing to relocate to Pennsylvania; willing to examine the company’s technology through the lens of women’s biology/female body.
• Not required: founders do not need to be women-led, and companies do not need to focus only on women-specific conditions; the program is disease-agnostic and welcomes companies whose technologies may have implications for women’s health even if not yet explored.
• Preferred (reported): companies that are coachable, curious, and open to support.

Participation Commitments

No participation fee and no equity requirement are stated. Selected companies participate in intensive programming from February through June 2027, a summer implementation period, and a September investor showcase. Technical.ly reports the program is mostly virtual with five in-person events; whether those in-person events are compulsory is not publicly stated.

Target Sector

Healthcare & Life Sciences

Target Location

Pre-seed and seed-stage life sciences or MedTech companies based in Pennsylvania or Greater Philadelphia, or willing to relocate to Pennsylvania. The 2027 cohort is described as Pennsylvania-based companies.