HealthTech Arkansas, PwC Singapore to collaborate

HealthTech Arkansas and PwC Singapore will be cooperating to bring HealthTech portfolio companies and supported startups of the PwC Singapore’s Venture Hub to Arkansas to work with the 11 Arkansas healthcare providers participating as part of the HealthTech Arkansas provider coalition.

HealthTech Arkansas is the healthcare accelerator and investment fund that connects early-stage healthcare companies with disruptive technologies to Arkansas healthcare providers. Arkansas Heart Hospital, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Arkansas Urology, Baptist Health, CHI St. Vincent, Conway Regional, Mercy, St. Bernards Healthcare, OrthoArkansas, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), and Washington Regional Medical Center are all participants in the accelerator.

As part of the cooperation, HealthTech Arkansas will evaluate HealthTech portfolio companies and supported startups of PwC Singapore’s Venture Hub for prospective participation in clinical trials or pilot projects in Arkansas. This effort aligns with HealthTech Arkansas’s mission to identify and bring superior healthcare technologies to Arkansas to benefit the state’s providers.

“Our goal at HealthTech Arkansas is to introduce promising new technologies to our hospitals, which makes our hospitals stronger and increases the quality of care for all Arkansans,” said Jeff Stinson, director of HealthTech Arkansas. “Working with the HealthTech team in PwC Singapore’s Venture Hub opens new opportunities to find the best innovations in healthcare, and also provides the opportunity for international companies to develop relationships with U.S. healthcare providers.”

For PwC, the opportunity to work with an accelerator program that provides deep clinical engagement for its startups is valuable, according to its organizers.

“We are very excited for this first-of-its-kind cooperation which is specially designed to be beneficial for HealthTech startups and will help to grow the HealthTech capabilities in PwC Singapore’s Venture Hub,” said Dr. Zubin Daruwalla, Health Industries Leader for PwC Singapore.

“This cooperation will not only provide our HealthTech portfolio companies and startups that successfully complete the tailored programs we run for them with direct access to potential pilot projects and/or clinical trials, but also provides support to bridge the gap between the U.S. and [the Asia-Pacific] regions. This will enable HealthTech startups to have greater access to the required and experienced support from both a business and clinical perspective,” he said.

In addition to bringing new healthcare innovations to the state, the cooperation with PwC may result in new jobs in Arkansas, said Stinson.