PharmStars is a global accelerator for digital health startups seeking pharma (including biotech) clients or partners. Our program offers tailored education and personalized mentoring to startups with the aim of achieving greater success when partnering with pharma. Our pharma members enjoy premium access to a select group of promising, groomed digital health startups that align with their digital health strategies.

• Specialization: We are the accelerator focused on the needs of digital health startups that want pharma as a client or partner.
• Curriculum: We are the only accelerator that offers startups a carefully structured, comprehensive pharma curriculum.
• Mentor network: Our mentoring program is unique. All mentoring is by PharmStars' professional staff, which consists of experienced pharma and digital health experts. Unlike other accelerators, we do not leave the vital coaching of startups to an ad hoc group of volunteer mentors.
• Non-proprietary: Unlike an accelerator run by a single pharma, we offer membership to multiple pharma companies, enabling startups to simultaneously engage with different firms.

Startups apply online to participate in a cohort focused on a particular theme. Ten startups are selected to participate in PharmaUTM, a 10-week educational and mentoring program that culminates with a private, members-only Showcase Event. Our educated and prepped startups present their refined pitches to pharma members and have one-on-one meetings with them at the Showcase Event.

PharmaU is PharmStars’ educational program, developed and led by the PharmStars team. PharmaU consists of three parts:
1) a structured curriculum to teach startups what they need to know about pharma;
2) individualized coaching and mentoring for startups on how to successfully engage pharma; and
3) a series of workshops and seminars for pharma members, known as “Executive Ed,” on how to implement digital health programs and partnerships.

Our classes are interactive and focus on the pharma industry including: pharma’s internal structure and functions, pharma business models, regulatory drivers, pharma-startup deal structures, and current industry trends. The curriculum is taught by PharmStars' expert faculty and occasional external speakers. There is ample opportunity for peer-to-peer sharing and discussion. Our curriculum is both educational and fun.

Each cohort culminates with the private Showcase Event. All startups pitch to an audience of PharmStars’ pharma members. Private, one-on-one meetings between startups and the members occur at the Showcase Event.

We are accepting digital health startups that want to engage pharma as clients or partners, would benefit from priority access to our pharma members, and recognize the importance of an enhanced understanding of pharma. Digital health startups that are interested in receiving coaching to create clearer value propositions and better pitches to engage pharma are ideal candidates.

We will choose digital health startups to join the accelerator based on:

• Fit: Have a promising digital health innovation that pharma can use related to the cohort theme.
• Product stage: Have a developed product or viable prototype that can be immediately adopted by pharma.
• Need: Have not yet broadly and successfully engaged with pharma and are in a position to benefit from the education and coaching PharmStars offers.

Startups that participate in PharmStars can benefit in numerous ways. Through PharmaU, participants learn about the pharma ecosystem and how to successfully navigate pharma organizations. Startups also receive personalized mentoring to assist them in articulating a value proposition that resonates with pharma. Startups meet our pharma members during the Showcase Event and may be invited to one-on-one meetings with them. Startups also have the opportunity to be part of a community with other pharma-focused startups.