How It Works
The 2023 Community Health Incubator is sponsored by the Humana Foundation and powered by SEED SPOT. Our Incubator partner SEED SPOT is a 501(c)3 entrepreneurship support organization which, since 2012, has helped over 3,000 founders raise over $122M in capital and generate over 5,300 jobs.
The Incubator will guide up to six Startup Founders through the 12-week program where participants will benefit from the expertise and collaboration with the VOA network, gain business training and tailored mentorship, and engage in health equity training.
Applications are now closed. If you are interested in applying for the 2024 cohort, email tgathers@voa.org.
2023 Cohort
With over 100 applicants considered, we are excited to announce six startup companies have been accepted into the 2023 Community Health Incubator cohort! We are pleased to introduce bEHR Health System, Inc., The Cooks Nook, Malama Health, Samaritan, TrainingGrounds, Inc., and Welfie, LLC into year two of the Incubator.
The VOA Futures Fund Community Health Incubator will provide each startup company with a $25,000 grant and expert mentoring to support the continued development of their business. VOA National staff, Futures Fund Board of Directors and the Incubator’s extraordinary Advisory Board will help to identify pilots and joint venture opportunities these companies can have with VOA Affiliates and other strategic partners across the country. By participating in the Incubator, each company is also eligible for a potential follow-on investment of up to $200,000.
ADVISORY BOARD
Abbie Gilbert
HUMANA ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR HEALTH & ADVOCACY
Abbie Gilbert is an Associate Director with Humana’s Office of Health Affairs & Advocacy, supporting physician relationships, government affairs, thought leadership and the company’s population health strategy; connecting together with state and local health initiatives for the benefit of members, employees, and the community at large. Abbie began her work at Humana in 2014 in Management Consulting where she worked with company leaders to define and evaluate initiatives, lead consulting engagements, and work on specific project goals for the Executive Leadership Team. In 2012, Abbie was named one of the Louisville Business First’s 40 under 40.
Christopher Thompson
HUMANA DIRECTOR, CORPORATE STRATEGIES/STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
Chris is a Director of Corporate Strategy at Humana having held the position since November 2019. In his current capacity, he leads a team that solves complex business problems and helps to advance Humana’s strategic objectives. Over the past year his team has evaluated new growth markets, assessed divesture opportunities, provided analytical insights, developed enterprise strategies and optimized core business capabilities. Prior to his current position, Chris started his career and had some of his most notable accomplishments and life experiences as an Army Infantry Officer during combat operations in Iraq.
Claire-Cecile Pierre, M.D.
BRIGHAM AND WOMEN’S HOSPITAL ASSOCIATE CHIEF MEDICAL
Trained in Internal Medicine and Board Certified in Clinical Informatics, Dr. Pierre holds decades of experience in the use of technology to improve the quality of care in the US working in large multi hospital academic health systems and in community health centers. With a career focused on health equity, Dr. Pierre seeks to encourage healthcare innovations that appropriately value the expertise of patients and communities. She is a faculty member of Harvard Medical School and is exploring the role of targeted investments and entrepreneurial leadership in increasing health equity.
Clare Herceg
LET’S GET SET, CEO AND FOUNDER
Clare Herceg is the CEO and Founder of Let’s Get Set, a mission-driven fintech making wealth-building Possible for the 90 million households making less than $70,000. Their app and text line help others secure their maximum tax credits ($5,500) and their piece of the $12B that is left unclaimed every year. Her passion for economic mobility has fueled her decade of work funding and scaling mission-driven initiatives in low-income communities. As Director of Strategic Initiatives at First Place for Youth, a California-based nonprofit providing education, employment, and housing to youth aging out of foster care, she led a team to enable national expansion into Mississippi, Massachusetts, and New York. Prior to that, she worked for a foundation investing in national youth-serving nonprofits. Clare has an M.B.A. from MIT and a B.A. from Princeton in Public Policy.
Gema Moreno
VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA MID-STATES, DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Gema Moreno serves as Director of Business Development for Volunteers of America Mid-States, a role she assumed in 2022. In this capacity, she oversees the implementation of new programs and the expansion of existing programs. Gema joined VOA in 2016 as the Community Engagement Manager, overseeing volunteerism and in-kind donations, and began managing Beaded Treasures, VOA’s social enterprise, in 2019. She started her professional career in media production before transitioning into non-profit, where she worked with AMVETS, a veteran service organization.
Gregory Downing, D.O., Ph.D.
INNOVATION HORIZONS, LLC FOUNDER
Gregory Downing is the Founder of Innovation Horizons, LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based health consulting organization focused on supporting the integration of highly innovative health technologies and services into business practices that support value-based health and health care practices. In current practice, Dr. Downing provides business development services to organizations by designing programs, strengthening infrastructure, and enhancing leadership capabilities that are aimed collectively at raising their innovation capacity.
Jordana Pleat
CAPSHIFT, DIRECTOR, IMPACT INVESTING
Jordana is responsible for impact assessment and screening and analyzing investment opportunities on the CapShift platform. Prior to joining the CapShift team, Jordana worked as a consultant at The Bridgespan Group, a social impact management consulting firm founded out of Bain & Company and as the CFO of Kunduz, an early stage education technology startup. She has experience designing and implementing organization and fund strategy, diligence tools, and impact reporting. Jordana graduated from Columbia University with a BA in Sustainable Development and Business Management, magna cum laude. She is author of Back to the Frontier: Investing that Puts Impact First and Venture Capital’s Next Unicorn? Impact. Jordana is an avid guide-runner with Achilles International.
Julia Ryan
LOCAL INITIATIVES SUPPORT CORPORATION (LISC), SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE VICE PRESIDENT
Julia Ryan leads LISC’s national work to improve health in communities across America, leveraging the organization’s significant nationwide investments – totaling $2 billion in 2020 – that address housing, economic opportunity, safety and justice and other social determinants of health. Since the pandemic, the team’s focus expanded to encompass LISC’s work to rebuild a more affordable, equitable childcare industry; to support holistic fitness and wellness opportunities in communities of color; and to promote equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
Ravi Sharma
OOTIFY, CEO AND FOUNDER; VENTURE PARTNER (IBOS VENTURES)
Ravi Sharma is a mental health activist, investor, and fourth-time entrepreneur. He has incubated and invested in numerous technology startups (including multiple mental health startups) through iBOS Ventures, and is currently the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of a new mental health platform called OOTify. Ravi’s latest passion project is a Children’s Mental Health Book he wrote after recently becoming a father. The book speaks to physical health and mental health parity and is a great conversation starter to start talking about mental health early.
Shayna Hetzel
AMERICAN FAMILY INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR CORPORATE AND SOCIAL IMPACT INVESTMENT DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY & SOCIAL IMPACT
Shayna is a community builder focused on collective action for greater social impact – with 15+ years of experience in education, equity, and social justice. She currently leads teams at American Family Insurance that are focused on social innovation and community collaboration to close equity gaps in education and for our youth through venture capital investments, strategic partnerships, and community programs. As part of this work, Shayna serves on the board of directors of several social impact startups.
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