South Carolina’s SCRA Leads with Inaugural Awards from $5M Tech Catalyst Fund to Advance Rural Health Innovation
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South Carolina Research AuthorityFrom the $5 million allocated in Year 1, early-stage companies will receive funding to improve access, affordability, and quality of care in rural South Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Research Authority today announced the first four companies that will receive inaugural funding awards for its Tech Catalyst Fund, a rural health innovation initiative administered by SCRA in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services as part of South Carolina’s Rural Health Transformation Program. These four companies, awarded a total of $2.2 million from the Fund, are ElectroWire Medical, Pressiant Health Inc., PulManage Inc., and Robinhood Health. Additional companies receiving Year 1 funding will be announced in the coming days.
The Tech Catalyst Fund is one of five initiatives within South Carolina’s Rural Health Transformation Program. The fund targets early-stage companies developing a range of consumer-facing, technology-driven solutions to increase the quality, affordability, and accessibility of care, with an emphasis on chronic disease prevention and management and improving maternal health outcomes. SCDHHS selected SCRA to manage and administer the fund, leveraging SCRA’s experience supporting technology startups, fostering innovation, and driving economic development through technology investments.
“South Carolina is leading the way by investing in innovative solutions that bring quality health care closer to home for rural families,” said Governor Henry McMaster. “Through the Tech Catalyst Fund, we are supporting companies developing new technologies to improve access to care and address health care needs in rural South Carolina communities. These investments will help strengthen families, support rural communities, and build a healthier future for our state.”
“Through the Tech Catalyst Fund, South Carolina is supporting innovative solutions to some of the most pressing health care challenges facing our rural communities, from managing chronic disease and improving maternal health outcomes to helping people receive care closer to home,” said Eunice Medina, Director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
Following a highly competitive application process that drew nearly 100 submissions, companies advanced through SCRA’s multi-stage due diligence process, culminating in a two-day pitch event before an external review committee. The review committee, composed of South Carolina-based rural health providers and healthcare investors, evaluated the finalists and provided funding recommendations.
“The response to the Tech Catalyst Fund exceeded expectations and reflects both the urgency of rural healthcare challenges and the strength of the innovation community working to solve them,” said SCRA President and CEO Bill Kirkland. “These awards will accelerate promising healthcare solutions for rural residents across South Carolina, especially in communities that have historically lacked the same access to care as more urban areas. By investing in these companies now, we have an opportunity to improve outcomes for all South Carolinians.”
“We asked the people who deliver care in rural South Carolina every day to help us decide what was worth funding,” said Kella Player, SCRA and Tech Catalyst Fund Program Manager. “Rural hospitals and clinics told us which technologies would make a real difference for their patients, and experienced healthcare investors helped us identify the teams ready to deliver.”
The Rural Health Transformation Program is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a financial assistance award totaling $200,030,252.32, with 100% funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CMS/HHS or the U.S. Government.
Visit scra.org/techcatalyst to learn more about the awarded companies. Stay tuned as additional companies awarded Tech Catalyst funding will be highlighted in the coming days.
About SCRA
Established to help the state’s most promising technology startups grow here, hire here, and solve problems that matter to South Carolinians. SCRA is a public, nonprofit corporation chartered in 1983, and provides grants, investment, coaching, and workspace to entrepreneurs and researchers statewide. Learn more at scra.org.
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