Application

Applications now open for the 2022 Accelerator Course

The Epilepsy Foundation, in partnership with the Danny Did Foundation, are pleased to bring back our annual accelerator course. This six-week virtual course is designed for startup companies focused on improving the lives of people living with epilepsy. Each week for six weeks beginning this fall, the Epilepsy Foundation will bring in featured experts in epilepsy and successful entrepreneurs. Each expert will provide participants selected for the program with multiple perspectives and considerations to commercialize a venture.

Deep dives into topics during the course may include:

  • Market strategy / Describing vision and mission
  • Regulatory strategy and IP considerations
  • Case studies from successful entrepreneurs in epilepsy
  • Finding funding partners / Building the advisory board
  • Perfecting the pitch

The goal of the course is to assess and enhance the business plan of your product, improve your pitch, and learn from guest speakers. Each part of the course aims to help your business improve its impact in the epilepsy space. From investment to start-up, each session provides insights that accelerate the growth of your company.

At the end of course, each team will pitch their venture to the Epilepsy Ventures Fund (EVF). The EVF is a new fund from the Epilepsy Foundation that aims to accelerate new therapies and treatments for people living with epilepsy in a timeframe that matters. The Epilepsy Ventures Fund representatives will consider an investment of up to $500,000 in one or more promising ventures.

Applications are now open. Deadline for applications is August 1, 2022. Participants must be able to attend all sessions.

The sessions are tentatively scheduled as follows (all times are ET):

  • Week 1: Tuesday 10/4 12:00PM – 2:00PM and Thursday 10/6 12:00PM – 1:00PM
  • Week 2: Tuesday 10/11 12:00PM – 1:30PM and Thursday 10/13 12:00PM – 1:00PM
  • Week 3: Tuesday 10/18 12:00PM – 1:30PM and Thursday 10/20 12:00PM – 1:00PM
  • Week 4: Tuesday 10/25 12:00PM – 1:30PM and Thursday 10/27 12:00PM – 1:00PM
  • Week 5: Practice Pitch Feedback Sessions (TBD)
  • Week 6: Pitch to Epilepsy Ventures Fund Investors (TBD)

To be eligible to apply for the course, you must:

  • Be developing a device, technology, or digital health tool designed for people with epilepsy.
  • Apply as a business entity. No university-based applications will be considered. A university may partner with an existing company through licensing to commercialize the venture, but the company must be the applicant.
  • Must demonstrate in the application an ability to move the proposed plan to completion, showing how an investment can accelerate a step along the path to market.
  • Applicants must submit a model/prototype of proposed project (must include demonstration of some form of materialization – i.e. early sample, model or release of a product built for testing).
  • Entrepreneurs who have previously received Epilepsy Foundation funding through Shark Tank Competitions or New Therapy Commercialization Grants are encouraged to re-submit their ideas if substantial progress has been made.
  • Applicants may reside in any country so long as they are committed to attending all lectures.

Examples of ventures considered for the course:

  • A drug or device treatment that stops a seizure (especially those already developed or approved for a different indication)
  • A system that helps patients manage their treatment or their epilepsy (less invasive, less costly anti-epileptic drug measurement, for example)
  • Any other concept that could improve the lives of people with epilepsy potentially in the near future

Still have questions about the course for startups? Please reach out to us at [email protected]