Village Capital Opens Applications for LIFT: Accelerating Equitable Health Innovation

Seeking ten early-stage startups that are addressing disparities in the non-medical drivers of health among underserved communities 

Washington, DC (April 5, 2024) – Village Capital, in collaboration with the Deloitte* Health Equity Institute (DHEI) and with support from Impact Ventures by Johnson & Johnson Foundation, is launching a call for applications for the “LIFT: Accelerating Equitable Health Innovation” accelerator. The program is part of a broader Village Capital US Health Equity initiative focused on improving health equity and creating healthier communities in the US by supporting entrepreneurs building non-medical solutions that increase access to food, transportation, housing, education, social connection, and safety. The Deloitte Health Equity Institute is a founding supporter of the US Health Equity Initiative and this year’s “LIFT: Accelerating Equitable Health Innovation” program. 

Across various health indicators, healthcare factors, and social determinants of health, historically marginalized communities including, but not limited to, Black, Hispanic, APPI (Asian, Pacific Islander), and AIAN (American Indian, Alaska Native) individuals, low-income, LGBTQIA+,  disabled, or rural communities in the US generally experience worse outcomes compared to White individuals. This highlights disparities in health equity. Closing these gaps will be important to help ensure that everyone has an equitable opportunity to achieve their full health potential.

Early-stage health innovation provides a unique solution poised for scaling reach to vulnerable populations and for addressing the social, environmental, and education-based drivers of health. Village Capital will lead the delivery of a robust investment-readiness accelerator program for health equity startups and empower them with the capacity, skills, capital, and networks to further develop the impact of their solutions.

This hybrid program will support ten startups. Village Capital is seeking startups across the US focused on addressing critical non-medical drivers of health and with the mission to improve health outcomes for historically marginalized communities including, but not limited to, Black, Hispanic, APPI (Asian, Pacific Islander), and AIAN (American Indian, Alaska Native) individuals, low-income, LGBTQ+, disabled, or rural communities.

Solutions built by founders who have lived experience with the challenges they are solving or who come from the communities they are serving will be prioritized. 

Applications close on May 6. Full details and eligibility criteria can be found here. Preference will be given to solutions that serve historically marginalized populations.

From June to September 2024, the selected startups are expected to work closely with industry experts, investors, and ecosystem partners and will participate in a one-week intensive workshop, followed by monthly check-ins, and one in-person Summit. A founder/C-suite member of each selected startup will travel with all expenses included to the Summit.

All the startups that complete the program will be eligible to receive USD 10K each in non-dilutive grant funding to support their operations. All startups that apply to the program will be invited to join Abaca, Village Capital’s free web app. Abaca includes Capital Explorer, which equips entrepreneurs to make strategic fundraising decisions that align with their mission and vision and identify relevant resources and capital providers. Abaca also helps entrepreneurs on a venture path to assess their investment readiness using a consistent set of Venture Investment Levels (1-9) and then plan and track progress toward their next level with the Milestone Planner.

For more information, reach out to Yireth Villaverde at Village Capital ([email protected]).

If you are interested in supporting the US Health Equity Initiative, reach out to Kelly Bryan at [email protected] 

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About Village Capital 

Village Capital is reinventing the system to back the entrepreneurs of the future. Known for its groundbreaking approaches to supporting founders who are building solutions to emergent social, economic, and environmental challenges, VilCap unlocks critical social and financial capital for early-stage companies to maximize business and impact growth.

Village Capital has operated in the US since 2009 by running close to 50 accelerator programs. VilCap has supported more than 570 startups from over 43 states and 23 entrepreneur support organizations (ESO) working in sectors such as financial health, health equity, justice tech, and sustainability. Learn more at www.vilcap.com and follow @villagecapital. 

About the Deloitte Health Equity Institute

Recognizing the imperative for immediate and sustained effort and grounded in Deloitte’s acknowledgment of racism as a public health crisis, Deloitte established the Deloitte Health Equity Institute (DHEI) in spring 2021. DHEI is dedicated to creating public good through community collaboration and investment, data and analytics, and knowledge development. DHEI builds on Deloitte’s commitment to advance health equity, informed by work with clients, a decade of impact made by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, and our perspective on how life sciences and health care organizations can activate health equity. The DHEI reinforces Deloitte’s purpose of making a positive, enduring impact that matters. By collaborating with local and national organizations, DHEI is a catalyst, helping advance health equity at scale. Our initiatives aim to help everyone achieve their full potential in all aspects of health and well-being, building a more equitable society for all.

*Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of their legal structure.