Hartford Healthcare to Pilot Global Innovations in Home-care Technology in Partnership with Upward Labs and Connecticut Innovations

The growing aging population in Connecticut and beyond is increasingly becoming the driving force behind innovation and new enterprises in Hartford.  That momentum was given a strong nudge forward with the announcement of new homegrown partnership.

Hartford HealthCare has announced plans to collaborate with Upward Labs and its AgeTech Fund for 2020. The partnership establishes Hartford HealthCare as Upward Labs’ exclusive home-care partner – the healthcare company with which AgeTech companies will pilot their senior living technologies during the fund’s 6-month program.

The announcement was made by David Whitehead, Hartford HealthCare’s Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, in collaboration with Shana Schlossberg, CEO, Upward, and Phil Siuta, COO, Connecticut Innovations.

Hartford HealthCare, the state’s most comprehensive health system, joins Upward Labs’ list of influential partners that facilitate 6-month pilot testing of the program’s AgeTech and PropTech products as customized solutions for various lines of business.

The inaugural aged care and smart building cohort took residence in Hartford last spring. Funded in part by Connecticut Innovations, Upward Labs successfully closed that first cohort in October, with half of the companies announcing continued residency in Hartford due to positive pilot results and ongoing relationships with local partners.

The second cohort of startups reaches the mid-point of their piloting period this month, and scouting has begun for the third cohort, slated to arrive in Hartford in April.  Through this partnership, Hartford HealthCare will leverage its differentiated Innovation ecosystem to accelerate a co-created pilot with each of the semi-annual program cohort’s AgeTech companies.

“My colleagues and I at Hartford HealthCare are delighted to work with Upward Labs on this unique opportunity,” Whitehead said. “We are Connecticut’s largest provider of care for seniors, and this opportunity allows us to extend that expertise and access in new and exciting ways — in our state and beyond.”

Upward Labs, Connecticut’s first venture fund for AgeTech and PropTech startups, offers global companies the opportunity to live and work in downtown Hartford while refining their cutting-edge technologies under the purview of nearly 30 local partners in healthcare and real estate industries.

Hartford HealthCare joins the program as one of four organizations that collaborate with the startups to design custom pilots to address business and customer needs, alongside Upward Labs’ assisted living pilot partner for AgeTech startups, Priority Life Care, and PropTech partners Shelbourne Global and Lexington Partners.

The Upward Labs website indicates that Hartford was selected as the home for the Lab because “it has the most relevant corporate community for AgeTech and PropTech.”  The site points out that “millions of commercial buildings, multifamily residential and retail are owned, managed and have insurance policies originating in Hartford. Similarly, the welfare of millions of aging Americans is being improved by the Health and Life Insurers located in Hartford.”  The site notes that “since Baby Boomers are opting to stay within the comforts of their home as they age, an entire industry of home health-care has exploded along with demand to make assisted-living communities more upscale.”

“Partnering with Hartford HealthCare is a game changer for our startups innovating within the senior care vertical,” said Shana Schlossberg, CEO of Upward. “The opportunity to collaborate with the staff of a world-class healthcare organization such as Hartford HealthCare is invaluable for the high caliber startup companies this program is attracting.”

“Upward Labs continues to forge ahead at a pace exceeding our expectations,” added Phil Siuta, COO of Connecticut Innovations. “Shana and her team are creating strong partnerships with corporates and providing early-stage funders access to Fortune 1000 executives working in Connecticut. We're confident that this new partnership with Hartford HealthCare will work to reinforce Hartford's position as a global hub for AgeTech innovation.”