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PharmStars Digital Health Accelerator White Logo

Accelerating pharma-digital health partnerships

Watch this space!

Opening for Spring 2025 Applications on
January 2, 2025

Watch this space!

Deadline extended to 23:59 EST Wednesday Feb 9, 2020

Watch this space!

Deadline extended to 23:59 EST Wednesday Feb 9, 2020

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applications being accepted

Applications now being accepted for the next cohort focused on:

Digital Innovations in Clinical Trials

Applications close in:
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Apply Now!

About PharmStarsTM

PharmStars is the pharma-focused accelerator for digital health startups, dedicated to driving digital health adoption to improve patient outcomes. We educate and mentor digital health startups seeking engagement with pharma and biotech firms. We are supported by our pharma members who are committed to working with startups that graduate from our accelerator.

PharmStars  mission is to facilitate and accelerate successful partnerships between digital health startups and pharma, leading to greater success for each and faster adoption of digital health to improve patient outcomes.

Promise of digital health

Digital health has the potential to transform the pharmaceutical industry and the patient experience. Digital health and pharma firms are eager to engage with one another. Yet both have found it challenging to create successful partnerships.

Bridging the pharma-startup gap

Digital health has the potential to transform the pharmaceutical industry and the patient experience. Digital health and pharma firms are eager to engage with one another. Yet both have found it challenging to create successful partnerships.

PharmStars is a novel digital health accelerator aimed at bridging the pharma-startup gap to drive greater adoption of digital health. Our 10-week accelerator program is designed to prepare startups for more productive engagements with pharma by teaching them what they need to know. The program culminates with the Showcase Event. Startups present their solutions to our pharma members and then have the opportunity to meet individually with them.

"Our mission is to facilitate and accelerate successful partnerships between digital health startups and pharma, leading to greater success for each and faster adoption of digital health to improve patient outcomes."
- Naomi Fried PhD, Founder & CEO, PharmStars

Accelerator Highlights

Our next cohort is about to launch! Digital health startups, with market-ready solutions in our theme area and interested in engaging with pharma, are encouraged to apply. Please refer to our Accelerator Terms for the detailed requirements.

Our next cohort is about to launch! Digital health startups, with market-ready solutions in our theme area and interested in engaging with pharma, are encouraged to apply. Please refer to our Program Terms for the detailed requirements.

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Pharma-Specific Cohort Themes

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10 Digital Health 
Startups

Personalized
Mentoring

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Pharma Curriculum

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Pitch Presentation
to Pharma

Graduate School

Fall 2024 Cohort Theme:
Digital Innovations in Clinical Trials

PharmStars’ Fall 2024 cohort theme is “Digital Innovations in Clinical Trials.”  This cohort will focus on startups offering innovative digital health solutions that can be utilized by the biopharma industry to enhance the clinical trials process for drug development.

We welcome applications from startups with technology that improves the design or execution of clinical trials, enhances participant recruitment, or positively impacts the patient experience with trials.

 Areas of interest include but are not limited to:
  • Participant recruitment and retention
  • Trial design
  • Trial execution, including remote monitoring and virtual trials
  • Data collection and management
  • Personalized treatment and health equity
  • Medication adherence
  • Patient communication, education, and support

Digital health startups that have an innovative clinical trial product or prototype are encouraged to apply.  The application deadline is July 15, 2024. For details and program requirements, please refer to the Program Terms.

Oncology drug discovery tools
  • Target identification and selection
  • Drug candidate selection
Oncology drug delivery platforms
Clinical trials tools
  • Participant recruitment and retention
  • Trial design and execution
  • Personalized treatment and health equity
Provider tools for:
  • Information management and therapy selection
  • Cancer detection and diagnosis
  • Remote patient monitoring
Patient care solutions for:
  • Side effect management
  • Medication adherence
  • Communication, navigation, and education
  • Caregiver support

    Fall 2024 Timeline

    Applications open

    June 17

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    Applications due

    July 15

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    Acceptances sent

    August 28

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    Launch Event

    September 10 - 11

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    Virtual PharmaU

    Sept 16 - Nov 7

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    Showcase Event

    November 2024

    PharmaUTM

    The centerpiece of the PharmStars accelerator is PharmaU: a unique, comprehensive educational program. Its three components are a curriculum for startups, mentoring for startups, and "Executive Ed" courses for pharma. PharmaU’s courses are developed and led by PharmStars’ experienced team of former pharma executives with deep expertise in digital health, innovation, and startups.

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    Curriculum

    Courses for startups about how to engage pharma successfully include topics such as:

    • drug development process
    • pharma’s internal structures and functions
    • pharma business models
    • regulatory drivers
    • pharma-startup deal structures
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    Mentoring

    Individualized coaching from our PharmStars staff on how startups can successfully engage pharma. We guide startups through the process, from building a compelling value proposition through crafting an effective pitch.

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    Executive Education

    Workshops and seminars for pharma members, providing insight and peer-to-peer discussions on how to successfully implement digital health programs and partnerships.

    2022 Spring Cohort Theme Coming Soon

    Are You Ready?

    PharmStars Spring 2025 Applications Open January 2, 2025!