A pain-management app, an AI-enabled medical records software company, and a cloud-based wellness tracking platform for employers are among Venture Hall’s first cohort of healthcare-related startups that will spend three months in Portland this summer scaling their businesses and expanding their networks.

Venture Hall, which launched last July with the mission of offering Portland a year-round hub for innovation, revealed the names of its inaugural startup accelerator cohort on Friday. (Scroll to the bottom for the names.)

The cohort consists of seven early-stage companies. Two are from Maine, two from California, and one each from Colorado, Missouri, and Texas. Four of the companies have female founders. Two are graduates of previous accelerator programs in other parts of the country.

Venture Hall received 83 applications from startups located in 23 states and seven countries, according to Jess Knox, Venture Hall’s president and co-founder.

To be considered, companies had to have a working prototype and have a product or service that would support healthcare workers, their well-being, efficacy, engagement, and resilience.

“We’re incredibly excited to bring these teams to Maine to be a part of our accelerator program this summer,” Knox said. “Each of these companies provide a real opportunity to explore different ways of supporting the resilience of frontline caregivers. We’re excited to get them here and start working with them.

The healthcare bent is a result of a partnership Venture Hall announced in February with MaineHealth, the owner of Maine Medical Center, and Unum, the major insurance provider. Besides offering financial support (each company contributed $100,000), MaineHealth and Unum have each pledged to take an active role in the accelerator, providing mentors, business resources, and subject matter expertise to the startups accepted into the accelerator. Representatives from each company were also involved in the acceptance process.

Indeed, Mike Sobol, Venture Hall’s CEO and other co-founder, said Unum and MaineHealth’s involvement drove interest in the accelerator from founders looking to not only take advantage of potential mentorship opportunities, but to develop business relationships and channel partnerships with the companies and their affiliates.

“The opportunity to work with MaineHealth and Unum yielded companies with a very serious pedigree,” Sobol said.

The founders accepted into the cohort will arrive in Portland in early June for three months of learning, networking, and scaling their companies. The founders will work out of Cloudport Co-working Multispace, where Venture Hall is located.

Venture Hall has developed its accelerator program in partnership with Village Capital, a Washington D.C.-based venture capital firm that supports startup accelerator programs around the world. Unlike some accelerator programs, Venture Hall doesn’t require a slice of equity in the startups it accepts into the cohort.

The accelerator will be capped with that Demo Day on Sept. 8, which will be attended by active angel and venture capital investors.

Venture Hall’s inaugural cohort of startups consists of…

    • Welnys, based in Texas, has developed a wellness-provider marketplace and dashboard for employers. Its platform is running in several cities with paying users, including Paypal and Black & Decker.
    • Livzo, based in California, has developed a wellness support and tracking platform for employers. Its platform is in beta-testing with nurses and other wellness providers.
    • Ella, based in California, has developed a pain management app based on mindfulness exercises. Ella is a Techstars Los Angeles Accelerator ‘16 grad and has conducted initial product testing at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.
    • Cliexa, based in Colorado, has developed chronic condition management apps. It’s a graduate of the
      Boulder, Colo.-based Boomtown Accelerator and has developed its product in partnership with Kaiser Permanente.
    • Janus Choice, based in Missouri, has developed a platform for choosing and enrolling in post-acute care. It currently has 12 paying hospital clients.
    • SpinDocs, based in Maine, a medical records software company that integrates artificial intelligence with electronic medical records systems. Its first pilot is currently underway with a medical practice in Massachusetts.
    • Rockport Medical, based in Maine, has developed sensor-enabled medical needle systems. It’s in the prototype-testing phase and working on FDA approval and business model strategy.