Seascape Clinical was one of 12 companies – selected from nearly 100 global applicants – that participated in the first cohort of the 10-week PharmStars Accelerator Program.
This (female founded!) pharma-focused accelerator program was designed to bridge the gaps between pharmaceutical companies seeking innovative solutions, and digital health startup companies – like ours – that develop them.
For the inaugural cohort, PharmStars sought startups developing clinical trial innovations, which was perfect for us. Future cohorts will focus on other categories.
The program’s “PharmaU” curriculum provided comprehensive education for startups delivered by the experienced PharmStars executive team through twice weekly classes over 10 weeks. The startups also received individualized mentorship sessions and introductions to representatives of digital innovation groups at the PharmStars member companies:
- Takeda
- Eli Lilly
- Alexion (a rare disease subsidiary of Astra Zeneca)
- Sumitovant
- Novo Nordisk
- Boehringer Ingelheim
While most startup accelerator programs focus on helping startups create investor targeted pitch decks, PharmStars‘ unique approach focuses on guiding startups to understand the needs of their prospective pharma customers. We were taught to effectively communicate how our solutions address pharma’s needs, in a way that would ultimately lead to mutually meaningful partnerships.
The program culminated with a Showcase Event where all the startups in the cohort – representing digital innovations of all stripes – presented our solutions to the PharmStars member companies. Innovations ranging from an AI oncology nurse, to a “smart” wireless capsule, to an “auditory” biomarker to name a few, alongside our own Clinical Operations Oversight Solution, roused significant interest. This led to subsequent discussions and requests for follow-up meetings.
PharmStars provided insights on access to a heavily regulated, historically conservative, and complex industry. Pharma U and mentoring highlighted how Seascape Clinical can help pharma companies adopt digital innovations in drug development and the healthcare landscape as a whole, to help improve patients’ lives while supporting the people who facilitate this.
