PHILADELPHIA, PA — Upstart Impacts is launching a Pennsylvania startup accelerator focused on women’s healthcare, offering 10 early-stage biotechnology and medical technology companies free commercialization support to address gaps in medical research and expand opportunities for investment and product development.
The Philadelphia-based nonprofit will accept applications through December 15 for its Women’s Health Innovation Program, with participants selected in January and the inaugural cohort beginning in February 2027.
The initiative is designed to help companies evaluate how biological differences between women and men could affect the safety, effectiveness and commercial applications of their technologies.
The program comes amid persistent disparities in healthcare research. According to figures cited by Upstart Impacts, women’s health receives approximately 5% of healthcare research and development funding, despite women representing nearly half the global population.
Women are also nearly twice as likely as men to experience adverse drug effects and 50% more likely to be misdiagnosed following a heart attack, according to the organization.
Unlike programs focused exclusively on reproductive health or companies founded by women, the initiative will accept startups developing treatments and technologies across cardiovascular, neurological, autoimmune, endocrine, metabolic and other medical fields.
“Women’s health is not just about solutions that specifically address women’s health and wellness needs, it’s about having all life sciences and medtech companies consider women’s biology in how their products are built and evaluated,” said Karina Sotnik, president of Upstart Impacts and chief executive officer of WorldUpstart.
Sotnik said examining how products function in women could help startups identify additional intellectual property, potential markets and improvements to existing technologies.
Selected companies will receive individualized mentoring, commercialization guidance, access to more than 50 industry mentors and experts, and introductions to healthcare institutions and potential investors.
Participation is free, and Upstart Impacts will not require companies to surrender equity.
Eligible applicants include pre-seed and seed-stage life sciences and medical technology companies based in Pennsylvania or Greater Philadelphia, as well as businesses willing to relocate to Pennsylvania.
The initiative builds on a 2025 accelerator operated by Upstart Impacts for early-stage healthcare companies led by underrepresented founders in the Philadelphia region.
That program, funded by the Knight Foundation, supported 10 companies, eight of which subsequently secured funding. Participating businesses have collectively raised $7.4 million, according to Upstart Impacts.
Philadelphia biotechnology company Ajaya Bio, which is developing a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, participated in the earlier program. The company credited its mentors with helping management prepare for additional financing and avoid costly development decisions.
The new initiative will use a similar mentoring and commercialization structure while adding an emphasis on differences in women’s biology and healthcare experiences.
Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania and Life Sciences Greenhouse Investments are partners in the program.
Scott Nissenbaum, president and chief executive officer of Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, identified the region’s research institutions, health systems and startup community as resources for developing women’s healthcare businesses.
Applications for the Women’s Health Innovation Program are open from October 15 through December 15, 2026, through the Upstart Impacts website.
Support the local news that supports Chester County. MyChesCo delivers reliable, fact-based reporting and essential community resources—free for everyone. If you value that, click here to become a patron today.