Techstars restarts its DC programming with a new health accelerator 

Global investment company Techstars is teaming up with Kaiser Permanente’s arm for DC, Maryland and Virginia patients to launch a new accelerator for early-stage healthcare startups. 

The program, called the Techstars Healthcare Accelerator powered by Permanente Medicine Mid-Atlantic States, will provide founders with mentorship, strategic resources and access to the health provider’s network of nearly 1,800 physicians specializing in more than 60 medical and surgical fields. The accelerator will take place in person in DC. 

“We are committed to continuously improving upon our nation-leading patient care,” Dr. Richard McCarthy, the executive medical director of the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, said in a press release. “Innovation is fundamental to raising the bar.” 

Startups working in virtual care models, predictive analytics, preventive health, chronic disease management and other health-related fields are encouraged to apply. Applications for the program open on April 8 and will be accepted through June 11. 

This isn’t the investment and startup support firm’s first step into the health tech industry. Techstars previously launched a health and artificial intelligence accelerator in Baltimore via a partnership with Johns Hopkins University and regional insurance provider CareFirst. The program welcomed its first cohort in March. 

Some of Techstars’ other programs underwent major changes in the past year. It ended its JPMorgan-backed accelerator in DC last summer — amid a series of broader changes that saw Techstars lose 17% of its staff — and wrapped its last cohort in December. 

Keith Camhi, a managing director at Techstars, will lead the new accelerator in DC. He first joined the company in 2018 and led several programs on the East Coast, including the JP Morgan-backed DC program. Camhi also led Techstars’ global accelerator team before becoming a managing director in 2021. Since then, he invested in and advised about 70 startups, per his LinkedIn. 

“Entrepreneurs are central to transformation in healthcare,” Camhi said in a press release. “The opportunity to collaborate with a prominent healthcare provider like Permanente Medicine, combined with Techstars’ programming, capital, and network, amplifies their ability to create meaningful impact.”