Lyfebulb and UnitedHealth Group will jointly launch an innovation challenge for new business and product ideas targeting inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
The challenge, to take place later this year, is open to entrepreneurs living with IBD or those who have family members living with IBD. To enter, contestants’ companies must be developing ideas to better manage IBD using pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices or consumer products.
“Patients living with chronic disease and caregivers caring for someone with chronic disease understand the many challenges they face, and are often in the best position to offer tangible solutions,” Dr. Deneen Vojta, UnitedHealth’s executive vice president of research and development. said in a press release. “UnitedHealth Group’s partnership with Lyfebulb will help place the patient at the center of early-stage innovation, thus providing us a unique opportunity to learn from and be inspired by patient-entrepreneurs.”
By linking representatives with entrepreneurs, New York-based Lyfebulb and Minneapolis-based UnitedHealth hope to reward efforts and ideas worth pursuing as well as to provide discussion, direction and inspiration.
“This partnership with UnitedHealth Group in IBD means a tremendous amount to Lyfebulb in our efforts to enhance patient-driven innovation,” added Karin Hehenberger, Lyfebulb’s founder and CEO. “Continuing to build on the concept of patient entrepreneurs and partnering with leaders across health care are key components to fulfilling our mission to improve the quality of life of people living with chronic disease.”
Official rules and eligibility criteria will be announced in April, with a July event planned by UnitedHealth for 10 finalists. A panel of judges will award cash prizes to three winners, to fund their winning innovations.
Lyfebulb’s Entrepreneur Circle is an educational and inspirational platform for all people living with or affected by chronic disease. It allows entrepreneurs to educate new dreamers through the website and live events.