People of color in under-resourced communities have historically had less access to the most basic needs including healthy food, clean air and drinking water, quality education, employment, housing and health care affecting the quality and longevity of their lives. As a result, the data suggest these barriers predispose them to higher rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death in the United States and around the world[1].
The American Heart Association, celebrating 100 years of saving lives, established the EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator™ to champion the growth and scalability of health impact-focused local businesses through training, funding and recognition. Recently, the Association awarded financial grants totaling $75,000 to the following local entrepreneurs to continue the innovative work they are doing to address health inequities in their communities:
- $50,000 – John Wilcox, founder of Diatech Diabetes, Memphis, TN
- Diatech Diabetes is a medical technology company using infusion monitoring software that detects insulin infusion failure and provides insights on how infusion performance affects diabetes management. Diatech Diabetes helps reduce the impact of insulin infusion failure for people living with diabetes.
- $12,000 – Sandra Saldana, founder of Alva Health, Dallas, TX
- Alva Health is developing a device that uses noninvasive wearables and AI/ML algorithms to monitor the onset of stroke symptoms and immediately initiate emergency calls. The wearable platform detects hemiparesis, a hallmark of stroke onset.
An additional $5,000 was awarded to "fan favorite" Tomas Armendariz, founder of AVaTAR Medtech, in San Fransico, CA, determined by an online public vote by the finalists' network of supporters. All of the remaining finalists each received $1,000 for their efforts.
Now in its eighth year, the American Heart Association's EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator has engaged and celebrated the work of more than 100 business founders operating local non-profit and for-profit businesses. All are focused on developing innovative ways to impact the health of the local communities where they live, work and play. To overcome today's biggest health challenges and accelerate that future, the American Heart Association believes everyone needs to be part of the progress.
"At the American Heart Association, our future is about improving yours," said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association. "Since 2017, the Association, with the support of corporate sponsors, has awarded more than $1.6 million to help accelerate innovation through start-ups and provide needed assistance to social entrepreneurs and organizations addressing the social drivers of health in their local communities We are continually inspired by these changemakers, whose passion and ingenuity are transforming the health outcomes of their communities."
The program's core curriculum offers formal instruction on design thinking, customer discovery, market positioning, brand development, fundraising and other essential business functions to help entrepreneurs enhance their business models and demonstrate the viability of their projects.
Out of nearly 300 applications, the top 10 finalists were selected by the American Heart Association based on the strength of their existing business models as well as their ability to measurably impact health equity barriers. The finalists were then formally evaluated by the American Heart Association's professional science health metrics team and scored based on a variety of criteria including health impact, innovation and scalability.
At the showcase finale, each founder delivered a one-minute pitch and received five minutes of coaching feedback from a group of expert advisors in real time. Founders' pitch decks and business model canvases were judged by a panel of experts in the business, community and health sectors including Ali Gates, director of National Health Tech and AI Initiatives at the American Heart Association, Candice Carpenter, PhD., co-founder and co-CEO of The Boston Congress of Public Health, and Vickram Pradhan, vice president of Sopris Capital, an early stage healthcare-focused venture capital and growth equity firm, located in Miami, FL.
The showcase finale was emceed by entrepreneur and former accelerator participant Jamie Gonzalez, director of Community Feeding Programs at Big State Produce Company in San Antonio, TX. Learn more about the EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator and the inspiring entrepreneurs making a difference in their communities here.
