TMC PULSE

t m c » p u l s e | j u ly 2 0 1 6 26 Pitch Parade The TMCx Accelerator's second class said goodbye in celebratory fashion at Demo Day B y C h r i s t i n e H a l l Every single one of the companies made tremen- dous progress and is getting great traction with TMC member institutions and other institutions around Texas and the country. That, to me, was rewarding and reassuring that we are on the right track here. — ERIK HALVORSEN, PH.D. Director of the TMC Innovation Institute I t was a graduation ceremony without the cap and gown, but with plenty of pomp and circumstance. The 12 digital health companies that were part of the second TMCx class, the Texas Medical Center's accelerator program, topped off their journey just as they started, with a pitch. Since late January, the entrepre- neurs and their teams have logged hours with mentors, curriculum and hospital tours, learning how to tailor their messages. All of that hard work came together June 2, when each of them stood onstage in the TMC Innovation Institute, focused on the crowd sitting before them and poured all that experience into a three-minute pitch. "Thank you everyone for coming out to be here, to all of you advisors and mentors who worked closely with the companies to get to where they are today," said Robert C. Robbins, M.D., president and CEO of the Texas Medical Center, to the crowd gathered at the TMC Innovation Institute. "You are in for a great treat." TMCx Demo Day is a graduation of sorts for the entrepreneur teams, which were whittled down from more than 150 applications. Half were from around Texas and half were from other areas of the country. Throughout the day, attendees were able to hear pitches from each company, as well as speak personally with the teams and learn about their plans for after the accelerator. Over the 19-week program, the 12 companies have raised a total of $18 million in venture funding, success- fully developed 27 customer engage- ments, including pilots and validation studies, and hired 16 employ- ees. It gets better from there—two acquisition offers were made, which is the epitome of success in the startup world. During his welcoming remarks, Erik Halvorsen, Ph.D., director of the TMC Innovation Institute, joked that it would be enlightening to see the initial 60-second and three-minute videos that the companies did upon starting the program four months earlier, and compare it to the day's much more polished pitches. Halvorsen joined TMC in January, and one of his first goals—having started several companies himself—was to make time to work individually with the companies coming into TMCx. He wanted to bring the experience and perspective he honed in Boston to the companies at TMCx, ultimately to see them advance and get into the market with their product. "Today was a chance to see those results," Halvorsen said. "Every single one of the 12 companies made tremen- dous progress and is getting great traction with TMC hospitals and other institutions around the country. That, to me, was rewarding and reassuring that we are on the right track here."

• Cover