Pinkert Healthcare Accelerator
Got a game-changing idea for healthcare? Let’s bring it to life.
This program helps student entrepreneurs like you turn bold ideas into real-world solutions—with grant funding, hands-on mentorship, and all the resources you need to make an impact.
Program Structure
Students apply to the Pinkert Healthcare Accelerator across three startup stages.
Stage 1: Vision
Students have a vision for an important healthcare startup. They work to understand the need and refine the value-creation hypothesis clearly.
Stage 2: Test
Students have confirmed the unmet need and hypothesis for differentiation/impact of their solution.
Stage 3: Launch
Students have developed a plan for value creation with milestones.
Advisory Board
Michael S. Pinkert
Chief Executive Officer (Retired)
MHM Services, Inc.
Sameer Berry, MD, PhD
Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer
Oshi Health
Joe Cabral
Partner
Frazier Life Sciences
Adrienne Harris
Product Development Manager
in2being, LLC
Spencer Heaton, MD
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Espervita Therapeutics
Reda Jaber, MD, MBA
Director of Enterprise Innovation
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Sarah Jameson-Valencia
Associate Director of Ventures – Life Sciences
University of Michigan Innovation Partnerships
Angelique Johnson, PhD
Founder
MEMStim
Niki Kennedy, MD
Chief Executive Officer
ArborHive
David Kereiakes
Managing Partner
Windham Capital Partners
Ayşe Muñiz, PhD
Principal
Flagship Pioneering
Payal Parikh
Principal
CVS Health Ventures
Don Payerle
Former President, Joint Replacement
Stryker
W. Benton Swanson, DDS, PhD
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Skeletalis
Notable Participants
- Developed the first stem-cell-derived human intestinal organoid for predictive preclinical testing
- Winner of the 2025 Rice Business Plan Competition
- Provides precision literature reviews for superior in vivo study design
- Serves more than 40 universities, research institutions, and biotechnology customers
- Eliminating plastic from healthcare, one prescription at a time
- Named to Fast Company’s 2025 World Changing Ideas list
- Recruitment and hiring solution
- Winner of the Innovation Track at the 2026 Michigan Business Challenge
- Platform for navigating the admissions process
- Grown to more than 1.5 million monthly visits and more than 100,000 registered users