2019 Trend: Expansion of Incubators/Accelerators

7 new "incubators" of healthcare companies were identified in 2019. Alongside 5 known prior, there are at least 12 that call Medical Alley home.

Note: Terms like incubators and accelerators have varied definitions. For this article, an "incubator" creates or supports more than one startup at a time.

In a later post I'll write about the emergence of Medical Alley based investor funds.

The identified incubators are:

• MD Ignite https://www.md-ignite.com/
• Cerovations https://cerovations.com/
• Twin Ignition https://twinignition.com/
• Fourmation Medical https://fourthelementcapital.com/fourmation-medical
• Switchback Medical https://www.switchbackmedical.com/ (a contract manufacturing firm also involved in creating startups)
• NuXcel https://nuxcel.com/
• Motion Medical (https://news.bostonscientific.com/Mayo-Clinic-Collaboration)

These firms have a common model of identifying unmet clinical needs in smaller markets not well served by venture capital.

The support lowers the cost to develop a new product/service to a point where a corporate would acquire the company or distributors can sell the product.

These firms join previously identified groups:

• Invenshure (https://invenshure.com/)
• FocusStart https://www.focusstart.com/
• Minnetronix Neuro (https://minnetronixmedical.com/minnetronix-neuro/)
• gBETA Medtech (https://www.gbetamedtech.com/)
• Discovery Launchpad (https://research.umn.edu/units/techcomm/startups/discovery-launchpad) Not exclusively healthcare

Additionally, spaces like the ones below are providing specialized and dedicated space for healthcare innovators. 

• Mayo BioBusiness Accelerator (https://www.mcbusaccel.com/)
• University Enterprise Laboratories (https://www.uelmn.org/)
• Incubology (https://www.incubology.com/)
• Discovery Square (https://www.onediscoverysquare.com/)

Who did I miss?