J&J Health and Wellness Solutions and Plug and Play Tech Center create accelerator to support innovation

 

 

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions on Wednesday announced a collaboration with Plug and Play Tech Center, a global investor and technology accelerator, to support innovative, early-stage companies developing direct-to-consumer solutions that enhance wellness.

 

Participation in the newly created Health and Wellness Technology Accelerator is open to companies that support human wellbeing through interventions that target nutrition, physical activity, stress, sleep, alcohol and smoking cessation.  Companies will be selected based on criteria established jointly by JJHWS and Plug and Play.  

 

"We take a very investor-driven mindset [toward start-up companies or entrepreneurs], which is really about establishing what are the proof points, what are the points of derisking new technology and structuring a pilot or proof of concept around that," Stacy Feld, senior director of Consumer Scientific Innovation at Johnson & Johnson Innovation, shared with a Plug and Play panel at the IoT & Health Expo in December (see video above). "Then we wrap the right business structure around that, recognizing that it's not one size fits all." 

 

Consistent with Johnson & Johnson's efforts to support diversity and its focus on increasing women's representation in science and technology, the accelerator will target at least 30% participation by companies founded by women or minorities.

 

The Health and Wellness Technology Accelerator complements Johnson & Johnson Innovation JLABS, which supports emerging pharmaceutical and medical device companies with a specific focus on new medicines, molecules and products. 

 

"Our collaboration with Plug and Play extends Johnson & Johnson's focus on innovation and investment in a technology-driven healthcare ecosystem that puts people at the center," stated Len Greer, president of JJHWS. "Our company offers a unique combination of deep consumer insights, behavioral and biological science expertise, regulatory experience, analytics and design thinking capability, and we are committed to collaborating with the best technology companies to transform human health and wellbeing."

 

The accelerator will provide a rigorous three-month program for two groups of companies per year. Both Johnson & Johnson Health & Wellness Solutions and Plug and Play will provide coaching and mentorship support to the start-up founders. As part of this mentorship, the companies may be eligible to participate in the Corporate Athlete program offered by the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute, which trains executives on how to manage and expand their energy to maximize performance in both their business and personal lives.

 

The collaboration commitment is for three years, with annual renewal options thereafter. Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions will provide an award for the three most promising companies in each group, based on their potential to make a meaningful impact in consumer wellness.

 

Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions and Plug and Play may also provide seed funding for companies that best align with the Johnson & Johnson wellness mission. Follow-on funding may also be available for select companies.

 

Applications for the first group opened Jan. 6 and close on Feb. 15, 2016, and the program kicks off on March 31, 2016. To apply, visit: http://bit.ly/applyhealth