CUNY Public Health Innovation Accelerator

Illuminating public health solutions

The CUNY Public Health Innovation Accelerator helps entrepreneurs, CUNY students, faculty, staff, and the broader NYC community generate and scale ventures to create community well-being, with sustainable environmental, social and economic impact across multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In light of the Coronavirus pandemic, CUNY Startups and Firefly Innovations are joining up to host a summer accelerator that seeks to foster novel solutions to address different challenges connected to or exacerbated by the pandemic, including but not limited to rapid and lower-cost testing technologies, personal protective equipment design, improved surveillance systems, supply chain innovations that address wellbeing (e.g., food, healthcare supply, etc.), mental and social health or integrated health solutions.

What We Do
We plan to work with 6 teams to validate their ventures, test their prototypes in the marketplace, and launch their startups. Teams work in a mentored and collaborative environment over the course of 10 weeks and then pitch their ideas to the public to gather feedback and prepare for the next stage. This program consists of both learning and doing and can be tailored to the needs of each team. The program format includes 3 hours per week of online workshops and 3 hours per week working with mentors. As the pandemic situation allows, in-person sessions may be organized for hands-on collaborative work and networking.

Who Should Apply
Anyone can apply. You do NOT have to be a CUNY student. We welcome startups from any of the 5 boroughs. You can be a new applicant or participant of previous programs hosted by CUNY Startups. We encourage startups from any sector to apply. Your startup must have a public health impact. Startups can be nonprofit, for-profit or hybrid ventures. Startup teams made up of all backgrounds and disciplines are encouraged to apply. Your startup teams do not have to be in the health sector or be made up of health professionals to qualify. We particularly encourage innovators from underserved communities to participate. What you need is a desire and commitment to immerse yourself in the entrepreneurial process. Whether you are a scientist, a lawyer, a marketer, an engineer, an artist, a student or a teacher, you can be a change agent!

Who We Are Looking For & Requirements:
Teams of 2-5 co-founders with at least an initial prototype that are looking to move into the next stages in order to launch.
The best teams have co-founders with complementary talents: public health, science and engineering, tech development, business, finance, marketing, art and design, etc.

Schedule:
June 3 - August 6th
Sessions are every Wednesday and Thursday 10am-1pm

For more details about the application, go to our website.