2022 NXTSTAGE Community Health & Vibrancy Pilot Competition
Launches with Multi-Year Support from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
NXTSTAGE Community Health & Vibrancy Competition Innovation Showcase, 2022
NXTUS, Inc. officials kicked off the 2022 NXTSTAGE season today by launching the NXTSTAGE Community Health and Vibrancy Pilot Competition, backed by a multi-year presenting sponsorship from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS).
This innovation program allows startups from around the region and the world to present their technology solutions to Kansas organizations focused on improving the health of Kansans and removing barriers to community growth. By participating in the pilot competition, startups hope to earn pilot projects and gain customers; the community partners hope to access value-added technology solutions and use innovation to ‘work smarter’ to tackle key challenges in the state.
BCBSKS was the competition’s presenting sponsor in 2021 and has committed $240,000, spread over the next three years, to help cover program costs and enable community health and economic development entities from around the state to implement promising technologies.
“We have served our state for 80 years, and while we’re pleased with the ways we’ve been able to help improve the health of Kansans, we know that we can do even more,” said Virginia Barnes, director, BCBSKS Blue Health Initiatives. “This competition matches new technology with real health issues faced by our communities. We look forward to seeing the partnerships formed to solve health disparities.”
The 2021 NXTSTAGE Community Health and Vibrancy Pilot Competition, presented by BCBSKS, created great momentum in improving the health of Kansans:
It attracted 126 diverse competitors. Eighty two percent had minority or female founders, and the applicants hailed from 28 states and 15 countries.
The program’s 12 finalists offered technology tools tackling key issues such as access to health care, seniors aging in place, child-care capacity, diabetes management and alleviating Kansans’ medical debt.
The finalists were from 10 states plus Montreal, Canada, and 83 percent had minority or female founders.
Five pilot projects have been implemented since the competition’s innovation showcase was held in August at Botanica, the Wichita Gardens.
One of the 2021 pilot winners was Phoenix-based Televeda, which offers a technology platform designed to help seniors ‘aging in place’ and all community members improve their physical and mental health and keep them connected in their communities. The NXTSTAGE program helped expand Televeda’s reach to Kansas and provided the startup with market feedback pointing them to additional growth paths.
Shruti Gurudanti, Televeda Co-Founder, said, “This program is a phenomenal opportunity because it gives startups a chance to meet and talk to local leaders, learn their most pressing problems, and then implement a solution to positively impact the most number of people. It's what every startup wants!”
“Our goal is to connect Kansas’ forward-thinking organizations with tools that are helping communities elsewhere get stronger and healthier,” said Mary Beth Jarvis, NXTUS executive director. “We think our state can be a great proving ground for game-changing technologies, and this competition offers a triple win: we grow young companies, we build up the state’s innovation culture, and we address high-priority challenges to improve the health of Kansans and their communities,” Jarvis said.
The current competition launches with five pilot partners that will evaluate the offerings of startups from around the world to find innovative technology solutions they believe can add value in their communities:
The BCBSKS grant, along with support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, will help NXTSTAGE achieve its overall goals of boosting the growth of young tech companies and accelerating the pace of innovation in the region.
Applications for the 2022 NXTSTAGE Community Health and Vibrancy Competition, presented by BCBSKS, are now being accepted on the f6s startup platform.