March 15, 2018: Challenge goes live and application submission period begins (Submission period March 15, 2018 - April 27, 2018)

April 27, 2018: Deadline for all submissions

May 4, 2018: Contestants announced

May 31 & June 1, 2018: Bootcamp held at Hofstra University

October 2: Symposium held at Hofstra University; Challenge winner(s) selected

No. Contestants may enter individually, or as part of a team. However, an individual may not join more than one team, and an individual who is part of a team may not enter the Competition on an individual basis.

A team consists of not more than five (5) individuals, who much each meet eligibility requirements. An individual may not join more than one team, and an individual who is part of a team may not enter the Competition on an individual basis. Each team must also designate one individual as the team captain to represent and act, including registering and entering a Submission, on behalf of the team. No additional team members may be added after the application is submitted.

No. Contestants do not need to have formed a company to participate, but preference will be given to those who demonstrate and/or document plans to do so.

The following ventures are ineligible to participate: buy-outs, expansions of existing companies, real estate syndications, tax shelters, franchises, and licensing agreements for distribution in a different geographical area.

Potential Contestants must answer all questions about their venture and Idea on the Application Form. Optionally, you may also include a separate pitch summary of the Idea (no more than 3 pages, single-spaced, 12 pt. font); a separate video of the idea (no longer than 5 minutes); and/or an image, diagram or representative prototype of the Idea.

All Contestants are required to send at least one representative to the Bootcamp hosted by the Center for Entrepreneurship at Hofstra University on May 31 and June 1, 2018. The same representative must attend both days. All Contestants are also required send at least one representative to participate in a full-day symposium on October 2, 2018 to be held at Hofstra University.

Judges will be announced in the Summer of 2018.

The Healthcare Entrepreneurship Community Challenge affords you with a unique opportunity to develop your product with access to communities, healthcare providers, and healthcare entrepreneurs. You will be able to test your product directly with community members and will receive instruction from seasoned entrepreneurs and investors in the healthcare sector. Entrepreneurs will participate in a two-day Bootcamp and will receive individual mentorship leading up to the Regional Symposium. Entrepreneurs will showcase their innovations and participate in a pitch competition for an opportunity to win $25,000 in prizes at the Regional Symposium, which will include investors, community members, representatives from healthcare systems, and entrepreneurs. The relationship with the Hofstra University Center for Entrepreneurship will not end at the Regional Symposium – it is our goal to see the innovations effectively deployed into the communities to have a real impact.

No, as long as the application meets the eligibility criteria in the rules and addresses the 2018 topic of “Empowering Patients and Communities,” it can be any type of market-based solution.

Directions to Hofstra University by car and public transportation can be found here https://www.hofstra.edu/visitors/visitors_info_dirmaps.html

We will do our best to accommodate any dietary restrictions on a case-by-case basis.

No, but you are expected to attend the events at Hofstra University and conduct your customer discovery in the impacted communities in New York.

Yes, as long as you can attend the mandatory events at Hofstra University (see rules for details) and can participate in customer discovery activities in one or more of our target communities.

The submission can solve a problem facing one underserved community and target that community or it can address a problem facing all underserved communities on Long Island, in New York City, or in the Hudson Valley.

Yes, if the decision aid improves patient knowledge, literacy and/or satisfaction; improves healthcare quality and safety; lowers healthcare costs; and/or advances the health of populations, that sounds like an appropriate innovation for this Challenge.

A minimum of 30 entrepreneurs will participate in the bootcamp, either as individuals or as teams of up to five members (i.e., one team with five members counts as five entrepreneurs). The number of possible winning teams will be determined once the number of participating teams has been finalized.

Yes, as long as (1) your solution addresses an issue in NYC, Long Island, and/or the Hudson Valley; (2) you can attend the mandatory events at Hofstra University (see rules for details); and (3) can participate in customer discovery activities in one or more of our target communities.

Ideas will be judged based on criteria such as: responsiveness to the Challenge Theme; innovation; feasibility and marketability. Submissions will not automatically receive a higher ranking based solely on presence of an established company.

This Challenge is seeking unique solutions from early stage companies with high-growth potential to address community health issues. Product development is the process of bringing an item to market; once the item is widely available for sale to consumers or another target audience, it’s no longer considered “under development” and would be classified as “commercially available.” An example of a commercially available product is one that is available to consumers in national chains like CVS or Walgreens, or being produced on a large scale, like thousands of units of a product being sold to hospitals. If an applicant’s product is being sold to customers, but the stage of product development is the alpha or beta testing phase, the applicant is eligible. Applicants are also expected to distinguish themselves from competitors. In the context of the rules, if a substantially similar product has already been brought to market — either by a Challenge applicant or another business – and is commercially available, the applicant would not be eligible. The litmus test for Section 4C boils down to the answer to, “Can someone currently buy a product that’s the same or substantially similar to the one that’s being proposed?”

Following an initial eligibility review by Challenge staff, proposals that met submission requirements were scored by the three Entrepreneurial Instructors.

All proposals are evaluated based on the guidelines and expectations outlined in the Challenge rules [link to rules] and were scored based the following criteria: (1) Target Market. Does the business model have the potential to improve healthcare outcomes in an underserved community in NYC, on Long Island, or in the Hudson Valley?; (2) Problem & Solution. Is the problem valid, well defined, and relevant to Topic of Patient Empowerment? Does the solution address the problem, is feasible to produce, high quality, and marketable?; (3) Business Prospects. Is the proposal feasible, with clearly defined goals for participation? Does the team have outside sources of funding, revenue, and/or patents; or if in idea phase, does the proposal have realistic potential to achieve these milestones? Has the team expressed clear, realistic expectations for participation in the boot camp?

All teams will receive notification no later than 5 PM EST on Wednesday, May 16. If you submitted a proposal and have not received a response by that deadline, please check your spam folder or use our contact form to submit a request for information.