Healthcare startups: Apply to Jefferson’s JAZ Tank for a shot at $10K

For its third-annual edition, Jefferson’s JAZ Tank pitch competition is going democratic: the contest’s Business Plan Track will be open to the entire entrepreneurial community.

Healthcare-focused startups can apply by March 24 for a shot at a standard pitch competition package: business mentorship, legal support (including a free patent filing), business consultations and a check for $10,000.

Count it as another resource for the region’s health IT scene, plus a way for Jefferson to position itself as a entrepreneur-friendly university the way that Penn, Drexel and Temple have all been doing.

Members of Jefferson’s community can also apply to the Opportunity Track, focused on home healthcare and intelligent disease management. For this part of the contest, entrants don’t need to bring a developed business plan but an innovative idea that can be implemented in the health care space.

Winning ideas will get $1,500 dollars in funding, plus business model exploration, access to entrepreneurial education, team building and prototype development.

To promote this year’s edition, Jefferson nabbed this quick shoutout from “Shark Tank” investor Daymond John:

Last year’s winning team, called “Mother’s Milk” was focused on facilitating breastfeeding options among working mothers in Bangladesh.

The contest has yielded connections and cash even to those companies not selected for the top spots. The team behind QSPACES, a startup that seeks to offer LGBTQ-friendly healthcare options, earned a slot in the top ten last year and, though they didn’t score the big check on the spot, Jefferson Innovation later contacted them to invest $10,000.