The HealthTech Center of Excellence leverages leading institutions to provide tailored resources, expert mentorship, and access to cutting-edge facilities.

Specialized Partners

Support Across Sectors

Bounce supports capital readiness through the Northeast Ohio Student Venture Fund and offers hands-on workshops designed for founders who are looking to expand their skills and knowledge to scale their businesses effectively, these interactive and hands-on workshops allow founders to engage with subject matter experts and are held the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month.

MAGNET supports hard tech startups with tailored resources for manufactured products, including prototyping, engineering expertise, operations assistance, and early-stage funding connections. MAGNET also runs Mspire, an annual manufacturing pitch competition for support services, and the Advanced Manufacturing Fund, an early-stage investment fund.

The Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI), an affiliate of Parallax Advanced Research, provides guidance to founders applying to the Ohio Third Frontier’s Technology Validation and Startup Fund (TVSF) and federal SBIR/STTR grants, specializing in working closely with deep tech startups to navigate key steps in the commercialization process.

UARF introduces the Business Model Canvas through Starting Line, its five-step, self-directed pre-accelerator program. For teams seeking to further validate ideas and better understand customer needs, UARF offers the NSF-funded I-Corps Program and Advanced Customer Discovery, which are six-week, online programs. UARF’s i-Pitch competition runs three times annually, providing recent I-Corps graduates the opportunity to pitch and compete for funding.

SUPPORT AT EVERY STAGE OF THE JOURNEY

Ideation: Exploring and Shaping an Idea

Bounce + NEOMED | Kinetic Shift

This cohort-based bootcamp guides founders through competitive analysis, market sizing, reimbursement and regulatory considerations, and cost-to-market estimates. The goal is to help founders critically assess their concept and decide whether to pursue the venture or pivot.

CWRU Healthcare I-Corps Node

This nationally recognized customer discovery program is tailored to help biomedical researchers and early-stage teams accelerate lab discoveries into market-ready health innovations.

ProMedica Early-Stage Support

Early-stage founders can receive assistance with evaluating and refining ideas, supporting IP development and gaining access to industry leaders and clinical mentors to assess market potential and strengthen their concepts.

Validation: Proving the Concept

Bounce + NEOMED | Kinetic: Healthcare Innovation in Motion

Together, these partners provide strategic and tactical guidance across regulatory, financial, and commercialization milestones. Founders gain access to expert mentorship, institutional partners, and advanced facilities including NEOMED’s MEDIC Innovation Lab, REDIzone incubator, Comparative Medicine Unit, and specialized wet and chemistry labs, along with support for quality systems, IP, pilot planning, and capital strategy.

Cleveland Clinic Quantum Computing Hub

Home to the first quantum computer dedicated to healthcare and life sciences research, for a fee founders can gain access to IBM’s Quantum System One at Cleveland Clinic. The 12-month Cleveland Clinic Quantum Innovation Catalyzer Program provides an opportunity for early- and venture stage companies to explore quantum computing applications in healthcare and life sciences, which includes an initial seed investment of cash and other services from the program.

Cleveland Clinic Technology Development

Innovators from idea to commercialization are supported through Technology Development and Entrepreneur-in-Residence programs. Founders aligned with the Clinic’s priorities gain access to expert mentorship, project development funding, and connections to clinical and industry leaders – helping transform early concepts into validated, licensable technologies or startup ventures aligned with healthcare market needs.

CWRU Cedar Founders Playbook

A 16-session seminar series for 1000 Cedar incubator clients and live-streamed, each session pairs national and local experts to deliver practical, step-by-step guidance from incorporation to exit. Track-specific content ensures both therapeutic and device teams gain tailored insights, networking, and regional community connections.

CWRU Launch Services

Founders who are members of CWRU’s 11000 Cedar Startup Incubator (virtual and in-person) are connected with domain experts to validate the business model and potentially embed those experts into the startup prior to raising dilutive capital.

CWRU Facilities

11000 Cedar Startup Incubator features 80,000 sq. ft. of space with 30,000 sq. ft. of wet labs, private and shared offices, dry labs, and single-bench options. Startups benefit from shared equipment, conference rooms, and access to CWRU’s research facilities, plus proximity to Cleveland’s hospitals, university resources, and cultural amenities. Virtual membership is also available to founders.

CWRU Core-Facility Use

Access to 40+ specialized facilities for fabrication, testing, and characterization provides affordable, pay-as-you-go use of high-cost equipment and expertise, helping founders move faster while conserving capital.

Additional programs in this stage: Kinetic Shift, ProMedica Early-Stage Support

Traction: Early Customers and Measurable Momentum

CWRU Startup Services

Founders who are members of 11000 Cedar Startup Incubator, make connections to vetted, subsidized service providers for critical functions like HR, accounting, and marketing. This helps founders avoid costly missteps and extend their runway.

JumpStart's Burton D. Morgan Mentoring Program

Participants receive ongoing guidance from dedicated mentors who help them prepare for JumpStart’s Trailblazer, other accelerator programs, or funding. This support is geared towards founders with traction in need of additional diligence and growth before raising.

ProMedica Clinical Support

Clinical experts can be accessed to provide feedback on strategy, regulatory pathways, and business materials. This support helps refine solutions, build credibility, and improve adoption by connecting founders with clinical experts for feedback on strategy, regulatory pathways, and business materials.

Additional programs in this stage: Cleveland Clinic Quantum Computing Hub, Cleveland Clinic Technology Development, Kinetic: Healthcare Innovation in Motion, CWRU Core-Facility Use, CWRU Facilities, CWRU Founders Playbook 

Pre-Seed to Seed+: Securing Early Funding to Scale

JumpStart Trailblazer HealthTech Accelerator

This program is for pre-seed and seed-stage startups showing market traction and offers access to $50K in expert services, along with mentorship and a proven curriculum focused on regulatory pathways, clinical integration, reimbursement and commercialization. The five-month Trailblazer program culminates in an investor showcase.

ProMedica Customer Support

Market insight and potential early customer opportunities can be available by leveraging healthcare system expertise and purchasing power.

Additional programs in this stage: Cleveland Clinic Quantum Computing Hub, Cleveland Clinic Technology Development, CWRU Core-Facility Use, CWRU Facilities, CWRU Startup Services, Kinetic: Healthcare Innovation in Motion, JumpStart’s Burton D. Morgan Mentoring Program

Series A: Accelerating Growth with Investment

Programs in this stage: Cleveland Clinic Quantum Computing Hub, CWRU Core-Facility Use, Kinetic: Healthcare Innovation in Motion, JumpStart’s Burton D. Morgan Mentoring Program

Don’t Know Where to Begin? Start Here.

Every entrepreneur starts somewhere, and you don’t have to figure it out on your own. Fill out the form below and we’ll connect you with a Regional Startup Ambassador who can help you find the right resources, programs, and next steps.