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Accelerating successful digital health startup-pharma partnerships
PharmStars is the pharma-focused accelerator for digital health startups, dedicated to driving digital health adoption to improve patient outcomes. We educate and mentor digital health startups seeking engagement with pharma and biotech firms. We are supported by our pharma members who are committed to working with startups that graduate from our accelerator.
PharmStars’ mission is to facilitate and accelerate successful partnerships between digital health startups and pharma, leading to greater success for each and faster adoption of digital health to improve patient outcomes.
10
Cohorts
completed
112
Startups
graduated
99%
Graduation
rate
$1B+
Cumulative
funding
raised by alumni
100+
Pharma Deals
Among first 35 graduates
Digital health has the potential to transform the pharmaceutical industry and the patient experience. Pharma firms and innovative digital health startups are eager to collaborate to achieve these wins. Yet both have found it challenging to create successful partnerships.
PharmStars is the only digital health accelerator aimed at bridging the pharma-startup gap to drive greater adoption of digital health. Our 10-week accelerator is designed to prepare startups for more productive engagements with pharma, teaching them how drugs are developed, how pharma is organized, and about the biopharma industry. The program culminates with the Startup Showcase. Startups present their solutions to our pharma members and then have the opportunity to meet individually with them.
Our next cohort is about to launch! Digital health startups with market-ready solutions in our theme area and interested in engaging with pharma, are encouraged to apply. Please refer to our Accelerator Terms for the detailed requirements.
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Immunology is the study of the body’s immune system, which is highly complex and interconnected with nearly every organ system. When the immune system malfunctions, it can lead to a broad range of disorders, including autoimmune diseases, inflammatory conditions, allergies, and asthma. These conditions affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide (1). Because many of these conditions are lifelong and often characterized by unpredictable, periodic flares, they require intensive, long-term management and significant patient engagement.
Advances in the scientific understanding of the immune system have enabled novel, powerful pharmacological interventions for both classical immune-based diseases and other conditions. Today, patients benefit from immunological therapies, including vaccines to prevent infectious diseases, immuno-oncology treatments to fight cancer, and advanced cellular immunotherapies.
The highly individualized and dynamic nature of immune responses can make diagnosis, treatment, disease monitoring, and prediction of response to therapeutic intervention difficult. Furthermore, the complexity of the immune system and the broad range of immunological conditions create unique challenges for the pharmaceutical industry across drug discovery, clinical development, and patient care.
Digital innovations have the unique potential to support and transform pharma’s multifaceted activities in immunology.The theme of the PharmStars’ Fall 2026 cohort is “Digital Innovations in Immunology.” Applications are welcome from startups with digital innovations in immunological disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and patient care. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:
Digital health startups with a product or prototype addressing any aspect of the theme are invited to apply by July 12, 2026. For more details and program requirements, please refer to the Accelerator Terms.
1. https://www.jaadinternational.org/article/S2666-3287(24)00180-9/fulltext
June 1
July 12
August 26
September 9-10
September 14 - November 5
Mid-November 2026
The centerpiece of the PharmStars accelerator is PharmaU: a unique, comprehensive educational program. Its three components are a curriculum for startups, mentoring for startups, and "Executive Ed" programming for pharma leadership. PharmaU’s courses are developed and led by PharmStars’ experienced team of former pharma executives with deep expertise in digital health, innovation, and startups.
Courses for startups about how to engage pharma successfully include topics such as:
Individualized coaching from our PharmStars staff on how startups can successfully engage pharma. We guide startups on applying their PharmaU education, from building a compelling value proposition through crafting an effective pharma-oriented pitch.
Workshops and seminars for pharma members, providing insight and peer-to-peer discussions on digital health innovation and startup partnerships.
