Tigerlabs Health IT Accelerator Adds Innovation Track, Placing Entrepreneurs In Residence At Pharmaceutical And Hospital Participants

PRINCETON, N.J., April 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Tigerlabs today announced the launch of the Innovation Track to its Tigerlabs Health accelerator program. Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, LLC and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital will be active participants in the selection of Tigerlabs Health entrepreneurs, taking special interest in identifying those startups whose innovations promise to solve specific problems the participant organizations are facing. Those selected will then be offered entrepreneur-in-residence status with Innovation Track participants, with on-site access to facilities, collaboration and refinement with internal innovation teams, and pilot opportunities to accelerate time-to-market. Applications for Tigerlabs Health are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year, and applications for the Innovation Track are being accepted until July 2, 2013 with more information available at http://www.tigerlabs.co/health/.

The Innovation Track is an additional program within the Tigerlabs Health accelerator program. Companies already part of the accelerator program are eligible to be part of the Innovation Track in addition to new applicants.

Located in the heart of New Jersey's pharmaceutical corridor, Tigerlabs was founded to usher a new culture of innovation into the healthcare IT sector, leveraging its regional executive and investor relationships. With this vision in mind, Tigerlabs is extending its mentorship program for qualifying startups beyond the typical accelerator relationships – actually placing entrepreneurs within the facilities of Innovation Track participants to develop their solutions to real specifications based on the participants' needs. This provides Tigerlabs Health startups with the potential opportunity to rapidly progress into a pilot program with the Innovation Track participants they have been directly working with.

"The needs of the market have been paramount in dictating Tigerlabs' direction, from the formation of our organization to its concentration on healthcare IT – and the addition of the Innovation Track is no different," said Bert Navarrete, co-founder of Tigerlabs. "Our industry participants have expressed the need for more regular and more hands-on interaction with accelerator startups prior to Demo Day, in order to truly expedite the development of an industry-ready solution. So we've turned that request into a dedicated track in our program – which further differentiates Tigerlabs Health from an expanding pack of accelerators."

The healthcare industry at large faces significant challenges in the coming years. But these problems also open up opportunities to apply technology to improve care, decrease existing inefficiencies, and ultimately help society.  From their many areas of concentration, participating industry organizations will have a special focus to guide their entrepreneurial collaboration in the Tigerlabs Health Innovation Track: 

• Merck GHI seeks to address the impact of health technology, specifically big data, on healthcare.
• New York-Presbyterian Hospital seeks to identify new IT solutions that can help bring about positive changes in the way healthcare is delivered.       

To apply for entry into Tigerlabs Healthcare IT Accelerator Program with a chance to qualify for the Innovation Track by July 2, 2013 visit http://www.tigerlabs.co/health/.

About Tigerlabs  
Tigerlabs is an entrepreneurship campus founded by serial entrepreneurs and venture capitalists with the goal to organize the fast growing startup ecosystem of Princeton, NJ.  Located in downtown Princeton, Tigerlabs is a seed fund and entrepreneurship center. Through two programs, Tigerlabs Health for Healthcare IT Entrepreneurs and Tigerlabs University summer term for Student Entrepreneurs, Tigerlabs provides entrepreneurs with seed capital, a host of services, and intense mentorship to accelerate the innovation cycle, culminating in a Demo Day in front of investors and industry executives. Tigerlabs Commons provides a flexible and collaborative coworking space for emerging entrepreneurs. For information about applying for or partnering with Tigerlabs, visit www.tigerlabs.co.

SOURCE Tigerlabs