The Golden Ticket Competition
The Golden Ticket Competition marks the beginning of Ignite Health’s Annual Accelerator Program for women-led digital health and medical device startups. This event, based in North Texas, is designed to inspire, discover, and educate entrepreneurs in the middle of the country and provide them with early access to Ignite Health’s vast community of experts. Winners will receive a Golden Ticket to enter this year’s cohort of entrepreneurs selected to participate in Ignite Health’s one-of-a-kind healthcare focused Annual Accelerator Program providing learning through meaningful connections with a vibrant community of healthcare industry experts, leaders, and investors.
The Golden Ticket Competition will be held in Dallas, Texas on May 11, 2023, at Pegasus Park. It’s not just a pitch competition, it’s more — an audition for early entry into Ignite Health’s Annual Accelerator Program and our robust community!
Criteria to Apply:
- Submit a completed application no later than 5 pm (CDT) on April 12, 2023.
- Must have a woman founder, co-founder or CEO/COO/CFO/C-other, with a minimum equity stake of 5%.
- A digital health or medical device start-up that addresses an unmet need or creates a market opportunity with a defensible competitive advantage.
- A track record of achievement: prototype, grants, pilots, clients, revenue.
- A scalable business model.
- A capable leadership team and advisors with domain expertise.
- A plausible liquidity event, exit within 5-7 years.
- Available to Pitch in Dallas on May 11th, participate in virtual Accelerator meetings during August and September, Virtual semi-finals mid-October, and if selected as a finalist participate in Accelerator’s Fire Pitch Competition in early November in Houston, Texas.
Timeline
FAQs
- It’s a doorway into Ignite Health’s Annual Accelerator Program.
- The application fee to Ignite Health’s Annual Accelerator Program is waived for Golden Ticket Competition applicants.
- You benefit from early exposure and introductions to Ignite Health’s extensive community of potential customers, investors, and advisors.
- All Golden Ticket applicants will automatically be placed in the screening process for the Annual Accelerator Program, and you will gain more exposure to the Accelerator’s Screening Committee Members.
- Those selected to pitch will gain valuable feedback from the Golden Pitch Competition’s expert Judges.
- The Accelerator Program is conducted virtually over a 6-week period.
- Selected entrepreneurs will participate in the Accelerator’s Partner program and will be matched with mentors that represent a Customer Partner and Investor Partner providing connection with experts at the highest levels in industry leading organizations. Each Partner will meet with the entrepreneur 3 times for a guided assessment and advisement on aspects of your business.
- These meetings are complemented by a series of workshops led by industry experts on topics ranging from government grants, FDA regulations, presentation skills, to other topics providing educational opportunities to accelerate startups’ growth.
- Office hours with members of our national network of domain expert advisors are another feature of the Accelerator Program.
- The Program concludes with a virtual semi-final pitch competition. A group of 10-12 experts serve as Judges for these virtual pitch rounds. Their assessments together with the assessments from the startup’s Partner Program mentors/advisors are used to select finalists for the Program’s grand finale – the Fire Pitch Competition.
- Invaluable individual feedback from the Judges is shared with each entrepreneur all throughout the Accelerator Program.
The Ignite Accelerator Program is unique in many ways:
- It is focused on women-led healthcare companies and our organization is women-led.
- It actively seeks minority entrepreneurs.
- The depth of our clinical Customer Partners is enhanced by the inclusion of the world-class Texas Medical Center institutions, Pegasus Park, the premier life sciences facility in Dallas as well as many other leading organizations across the country.
- Our investor network stretches across the nation.
- The ability to be mentored by our Customer and Investor Partners provides a safe environment for asking questions without risk.
- Our growing alumni community together with our continued follow-up with participants ensures your success and provides you with valuable resources and contacts as you grow your business.
There are two fees associated with Ignite Health’s Programs.
- Application Fee of $125 for Ignite Health’s Annual Accelerator Program. This is waived for the Golden Ticket Competition.
- For all startups selected to participate in Ignite Health’s Annual Accelerator, there is a Program Fee of $1,000. These monies provide funds for Ignite Health Network to continue developing and deepening content in our programs that are vital to the success of women leading health tech and med device startups.