WalkWise is the first North Dakota company selected to take part in a Techstars Accelerator Program and will join a group of startups with a combined market cap of $22B. The Minneapolis Techstars program runs until December in partnership with United Healthcare, the world’s largest healthcare company.
For the next three months the Fargo startup will be working with a curated group of world class business leaders and entrepreneurs to help grow their business, gain traction, and develop strategic partnerships. “We couldn’t be more excited to be part of the UnitedHealthcare Techstars Accelerator. This is an important step for our company as we advance our mission of helping seniors and families throughout the country. We are grateful to the customers who have already adopted WalkWise and the organizations that have supported us along our journey,” stated Founder & CEO Peter Chamberlain (MIT ’16). Marketing Manager Nic Bordwell (MSUM ’19) and Account Executive Jordan Risher (MSUM ’13) will be a part of the WalkWise team heading to Minneapolis for the accelerator program.
Chamberlain credits the support of the Fargo community and organizations like Emerging Prairie for making it possible to start a technology company in North Dakota. WalkWise is the only company in this year’s program from outside a major metro area.
Techstars is one of the largest and most exclusive accelerators in the world, with graduates such as PillPack (recently acquired by Amazon for $1B) and Owlet Baby Care. According to Techstars, they have invested in 1,900 companies that have gone on to raise a total of $7.6B in funding. WalkWise will also be able to utilize their powerful worldwide network for future challenges after graduating from the program.
WalkWise uses simple and discrete technologies to help seniors maintain their independence, provide peace of mind to families, and improve the offerings of senior living communities. Their smart walker attachment tracks activity and fitness levels while also alerting families and caregivers to possible emergencies. Machine-learning algorithms running in the cloud can also help screen for infections. With monthly reports on walking activity, seniors can finally take pride in their walker and their mobility.
Longtime customer Jim Sweeney has been using WalkWise since 2018. “After installing the WalkWise system on my mother’s walker, it has become a routine conversation starter… ‘I see you walked almost a mile today!’ or ‘how is your day going?’ after seeing a limited amount of walking. The app allows multiple family members to track her activity, which provides peace of mind when we can’t be there personally on a daily basis. I would not want to be without WalkWise going forward.”
Complete article provided by WalkWise.com.