Introducing Halcyon’s 2026 Cohort for the US Health Accelerator 

Impact-driven entrepreneurs from ten US-based ventures selected for Halcyon’s third health-focused accelerator program 

WASHINGTON, DC (July 20, 2026) — Halcyon, a global impact-driven startup accelerator, today announced the cohort for its 2026 US Health Accelerator. 

This program will support ten ventures from across the United States using technology to improve health outcomes, reduce barriers to care, and make healthcare more accessible and affordable. 

“We are very excited about what these entrepreneurs are doing to close both access and knowledge gaps through innovation and technology, particularly for rural health and women’s health more broadly,” said Emily Owen, Program Manager at Halcyon. 

The program begins with a one-week, in-person residency in Chicago, Illinois, followed by virtual programming and a final one-week, in-person residency in Washington, DC. 

The program will conclude with an Innovation Spotlight event supported by Kaiser Permanente and hosted at Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Total Health. The evening will include a panel discussion centered on how AI is reshaping clinical care and the innovators using advanced technology to expand access for patients. The event will also feature live pitches from the 2026 US Health cohort members to an audience of healthcare ecosystem leaders, followed by a networking reception.  

“Kaiser Permanente is honored to sponsor Halcyon’s 2026 US Health Accelerator and to partner with Halcyon on the important work of supporting the medical innovations that will help us reduce barriers to high-quality care and create thriving communities,” said Charima Young, Senior Director of Community Relations at Kaiser Permanente. 

The 2026 US Health Accelerator’s entrepreneurs will benefit from masterclasses and workshops on product-market fit, capital strategy, and leadership, professional advisors, networking with investors and health industry stakeholders, and other resources throughout their program. Each venture will also receive $10,000 in Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) credits and a $6,000 equity-free stipend, enabling founders to dedicate focused time to the program. 

“The most impactful innovations are built through collaboration, and technology holds enormous potential to advance the way people live and work. But that potential can only be realized when technology is applied ethically and sustainably. That’s why HPE is proud to partner with Halcyon and this coalition of industry partners to scale AI-enabled innovation that can help close diagnostic and care gaps that communities and individuals have lived with for decades.” 

— Fred Tan, Head of Social Impact, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Deputy Director, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation 

The selected ventures are advancing solutions that support health for women and underserved communities, with focus areas in sub-sectors including: 

• Diagnostics 

• Patient navigation and telehealth 

• Physical health infrastructure 

• Other solutions addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) or community-based delivery models that demonstrably improve access and affordability for underserved populations 

 This program received funding support from Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation and Kaiser Permanente. HPE experts will also provide strategic advisory and support. Additional support is provided by Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS). 

The 2026 Accelerator marks Halcyon’s third program dedicated specifically to health-focused ventures, and its second focused on the US market. 

Halcyon currently supports 110 alumni ventures in its Health vertical, representing 25% of its total alumni pool. After completing the program, the 2026 US Health Accelerator founders will join Halcyon’s global alumni community, gaining continued access to resources, peer support, and opportunities designed to help ventures grow beyond the initial accelerator experience. 

Meet the Founders and Their Ventures:

Kirsten Karchmer, Conceivable
Conceivable is an operating system for women’s reproductive health delivering AI-powered clinical care through a 24/7 team of specialized agents at a fraction of the cost of conventional IVF, designed to support women conventional fertility medicine never reaches across nine reproductive life stages. 

McCall Brinskele, Cove
Cove is a medical device company developing a standardized at-home menstrual fluid collection system for diagnostics and regenerative medicine. Their platform enables researchers and clinicians to access a previously untapped biological sample type with consistent, research-grade quality. 

 Gabriele G. Niederauer, Freyya, Inc.
Freyya is a wearable biofeedback platform that provides real-time monitoring during everyday activities, enabling clinicians to remotely guide therapy, improve adherence, expand access to care, and deliver objective data that supports better treatment outcomes for women suffering from pelvic floor disorders. 

Luis Pierpauli, Gisens Biotech
Gisens Biotech is replacing periodic lab snapshots with real-time, non-invasive biomarker monitoring powered by nanobiosensors and AI to serve health systems, nephrology and cardiology practices, and value-based care organizations managing patients with Chronic Kidney Disease and Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic syndrome. 

 Sudhakar Kaushik, Jeeva AI Health Systems LLC
Jeeva Health AI is a collaborative care infrastructure platform that gives rural primary care providers a trusted, fast digital channel to behavioral health support, without requiring them to become mental health providers themselves, so they function more effectively at scale. 

Marie Onakomaiya & Adebayo Dawodu, Metric Health
Metric Health enables clinicians to deliver longitudinal cognitive and behavioral assessment in everyday care settings. Using a patient app, automated scoring, and direct EMR delivery, it turns follow-up into a routine, scalable, and reimbursable process, serving neurology and rehabilitation clinics, health systems, and nonprofits supporting underserved populations affected by brain injury.  

Estefania Alexandre, OvaWise, Inc.
OvaWise™ is building the first longitudinal monitoring infrastructure for women’s pelvic health, closing the gap between annual OB/GYN visits and the years women lose to undiagnosed endometriosis, PCOS, fibroids, and other gynecologic conditions. The platform combines a wearable pelvic biosensor belt, an at-home biomarker baseline, and MinervaAI™, an AI engine built for women historically underserved by the system. 

Chrissa McFarlane, Patientory, Inc.
Patientory is a digital platform that enables individuals to securely access, manage, and consent to the sharing of their health data across providers, insurers, researchers, and wellness applications. Using decentralized technologies, AI, and interoperability standards, Patientory transforms fragmented health information into actionable insights to improve patient engagement, care coordination, and health outcomes. 

Ivan Hsiao, Trans Health HQ
Trans Health HQ is a digital gender-affirming care navigation platform connecting trans people with affirming healthcare and social services. Their enterprise software gives health systems a shared digital layer that guides trans patients seamlessly across specialties and helps them capture reimbursement for the critical care navigation work of referring patients to the right providers and affirming resources. 

About Halcyon 

Halcyon accelerates the impact-driven future of business. Since 2014, Halcyon’s fellowships for early-stage social entrepreneurs have provided space, community, and access to 650+ founders, infusing support at a critical juncture where many impact-driven startups fail. 

Halcyon is focused on serving social entrepreneurs with ventures in Climate, Health, and EquityTech, three verticals that drive equity and inclusivity in society. Halcyon’s support includes tailored business training for leadership, product-market fit, and capital strategy and additional resources to help Halcyon founders scale their ventures.