The latest competition from the NXTSTAGE arm of local entrepreneurial organization NXTUS Inc. has landed pilot projects for three participating startups.
As part of the organization’s pilot competition for community health and vibrancy, NXTUS says that Hodgeman County Economic Development has signed a pilot deal with Televeda, which uses technology to combat loneliness among seniors; Thrive Allen County signed on with Advocatia, a health-care screening and enrollment platform; and Hunter Health has awarded a pilot project with Diabetes Care, which helps people with the disease better manage their care and comes from Miguel Johns and his Wichita-based KingFit Preventive Health and Performance LLC.
Each project was awarded from among the 12 finalists for the NXTSTAGE competition, culminated recently in an innovation showcase at Botanica, which also led to four future projects and 19 ongoing collaborations.
“All 12 finalists offered innovations that resonated with our future-minded partners, and now their offerings are poised to change Kansas communities for the better,” Mary Beth Jarvis, NXTUS executive director, says in a press release. “Raising Kansas’ profile as a proving ground for promising technologies is what NXTSTAGE is all about. We believe the Air Capital of the World can become the Pilot Capital of the World, and we want to show innovators that they can thrive here.”
The 2021 pilot contest followed the entrepreneurial organization’s inaugural one last year that focused on financial technology.
This latest contest was being presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, which supported the event with a $65,000 grant.
“Through NXTSTAGE, we’re helping imagine and create a healthier, more vibrant Kansas,” say Virginia Barnes, Blue Health Initiatives director at BCBSK. “By taking action to support these initial pilot projects, we’re connecting communities we serve with entrepreneurs who have developed technology tools with the potential to change lives and improve health outcomes.”