2022 NXTSTAGE Community Health & Vibrancy Pilot Competition

Presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas

This competition brings together leading entrepreneurs to present their technology solutions to Kansas organizations focused on improving the health of Kansans and removing barriers to community growth.

During the competition’s June innovation showcase, 22 pilot projects, as well as 13 additional potential projects, were announced, all aimed at tackling key issues such as access to mental health care and addiction treatment, improving senior care and expanding charitable giving in Kansas:

•   Healthy Bourbon County Action Team committed to pilot projects with Small Bites Adventure Club, SpairTime and SoulFIRE Health, and is connecting Akesa Health, Caregivers Insight and Embrace Prevention Care with care providers in the county to scope out future projects. They are also continuing discussions with Kadogo to construct a collaboration.

• Hodgeman County Economic Development: Awarded pilots to Debtle, PursueCare, Small Bites Adventure Club, SoulFIRE Health and Televeda. They are still exploring collaborations with three additional finalists.

• LiveWell Northwest Kansas: Doing pilot projects with PursueCare and Akesa Health and joining other partners in expanding Televeda’s work in Kansas.

• Scott County Development Committee: Awarded a pilot project to Televeda and committed to a multi-entity project, alongside Stepping-Up Ministries, with Akesa Health, PursueCare, SoulFIRE Health and Vincere Health. SCDC’s leader has also committed to a personal pilot for Caregivers Insight.

• Thrive Allen County: Awarded four new and one continuing pilot: Akesa Health, PursueCare, Small Bites Adventure Club, SoulFIRE Health, and Televeda (continuing). They are also continuing to explore funding for 6 more projects, with Caregivers Insight, Embrace Prevention Care, Kadogo, Ringorang, SpairTime and Vincere Health.

2022 Program Finalists

Here are the startups offering their exciting technology tools to help improve population health and unlock economic growth in Kansas communities. These 12 finalists were chosen from 119 competitors from 28 states and 7 countries:

• Akesa HealthAkesa Health (San Ramon, Calif.) offers a guided self-therapy that helps users transform distress into resilience using their cell phones.

• Caregivers InsightCaregivers Insight (Midland, Mich.) empowers caregivers to alter daily care using easy-to-understand graphs of one’s changing health condition. Better Insights. Better Care.

• DebtleDebtle (Sheboygan, Wisc.) Every year, 70 million Americans experience difficulty paying for their healthcare. Debtle’s cloud-based software automates the negotiation, settlement and payment of overdue medical bills.

• Embrace Prevention CareEmbrace Prevention Care (Andover, Mass.) provides value-based care via an integrated suite of Medicare-reimbursed services to help older adults take actions to stay healthy & out of the hospital, and independently age in place.

• WithKadogo Kadogo, (Kansas City, Mo.) individuals can give others' money away while saving on taxes. The app makes it simple to fill a Giving Account with outside funds, like charitable donations matched by employers and brands.

• PursueCarePursueCare (Topeka, Kan.) provides comprehensive telemedicine treatment for addiction & mental health issues through a smartphone app. The company partners with health systems and community resources to rapidly get patients into virtual treatment, reducing overuse of high-cost in-patient & ER visits.

• RingorangRingorang, (Wichita, Kan.) by Knowledge as a Service, is clinically proven software that ensures people form lasting habits through microlearning and repetition, helping companies and communities achieve and measure real-time results from education campaigns or training initiatives.

• Small Bites Adventure Club Small Bites Adventure Club (Atlanta, Ga.) helps teachers and community programs promote healthy eating and a love of fresh fruits and vegetables via online materials and a subscription for activity kits.

• SoulFIRE HealthSoulFIRE Health, (Overland Park, Kan.) a program of 5th Dimension Strategies, presents evidence-based healthy nutrition and activities content, targeting communities and health coaches working with persons with chronic disease.

• SpairTime SpairTime (Syracuse, N.Y.) is a community-focused marketplace designed to improve the discovery process of local microbusinesses and facilitate purchases of their products and services.

• Televeda Televeda (Phoenix, Ariz.) alleviates social isolation and loneliness by helping community-based organizations efficiently and effectively reach, engage and track the mental wellbeing of their members via virtual/hybrid programs.

• VincereVincere (Boston, Mass.) offers a smoking (and vaping) cessation program accessible to lower-income residents that provides instant rewards and coaching that intercepts smokers earlier in their quitting journey.

Our 2022 Pilot Partners are six future-minded Kansas organizations:

These community partners will access value-added technology solutions that can help them ‘work smarter’ to improve population health and remove barriers to community growth in Kansas.

Other partners are welcome and should contact Mary Beth Jarvis at 316.559.4010 or marybeth@nxtus.io.