The DigitalHealth.London Leap programme was launched in the direction of the top of December final yr, an initiative that’s dedicated to championing inclusivity and supporting well being tech founders from various backgrounds.
In response to the Alan Turing Institute, girls are being left behind within the race to put money into AI – with female-founded corporations accounting for lower than 3% of enterprise capital funding offers. It’s the same image for corporations with founders from an ethnic minority background. A report from The Treasury Committee revealed that in 2021, lower than 2% of all enterprise capital funding went to black and ethnic minority-led companies.
The inaugural Leap programme was launched as a part of DigitalHealth.London’s efforts to handle such disparities. It goals to foster inclusivity and domesticate an setting that may assist propel digital well being innovators from underrepresented communities to success. The programme is open to founders from various backgrounds – together with people who determine as being from Black, Asian or minority ethnic communities, the worldwide majority, feminine (cis or trans) and those that are neurodiverse and/or disabled.
Funded by the UK Authorities by way of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the DigitalHealth.London Leap programme is delivered by the Well being Innovation Community (HIN) South London, in partnership with the Workplace of Life Sciences, CW+, Medicity, NHS England, the Mayor of London, and the Levelling Up Fund.
Profitable candidates stand to realize the advantages of a complete growth curriculum that comes with teaching, peer help, mentoring, studying alternatives, networking and, the place acceptable, potential funding and funding help.
Mentoring alternatives come from a devoted and various programme advisory panel of subject material specialists. As well as, spherical desk occasions and Motion Studying Units will assist to foster a collaborative setting for peer-to-peer help, and drop-in classes with a devoted digital well being navigator present personalised help,
Purposes are actually open and events have till 14 January 2024 to use.
Though the Leap programme is in its infancy, DigitalHealth.London has a historical past of working profitable accelerator programmes. In November final yr, it opened functions for the sixth Launchpad programme which was open to London-based corporations near launch stage.