Incubated by the City of Chicago and initially funded by the State of Illinois and area businesses, MATTER opened in February 2015 with 30 startup companies and a few programs, and has since grown to include hundreds of startup and growth stage companies from around the world, dozens of corporate partners and a diverse array of programs supporting healthcare entrepreneurship and innovation.
With MATTER’s non-profit and no-equity model as the foundation, our community is a neutral platform where entrepreneurs can come together with industry leaders, scientists and clinicians from across the globe to collaborate on developing next-generation healthcare and life sciences technologies.
MATTER’s name was inspired by interviews with dozens of entrepreneurs. We found that, like all entrepreneurs, those in healthcare want to change the world, be their own bosses and participate in the economic upside that can come with entrepreneurship.
But unlike other entrepreneurs, those in healthcare tend to be in this field for very specific reasons. They have familial connections to the healthcare industry or have been touched in deeply personal ways by situations that have drawn them to think deeply about health and healthcare.
They didn’t stumble into healthcare but rather were drawn to it. They are incredibly passionate not just about building businesses, but about building businesses that will make the world healthier. Most will not be satisfied building companies in other industries. They are passionate about health and healthcare, and about doing something that matters.
Learn more about healthcare startup incubator, community nexus and corporate innovation accelerator that is mobilizing a community of entrepreneurs, industry innovators, scientists and clinicians committed to improving health and care for every patient.
