CareQuest Innovation Partners has partnered with Matter, a healthcare startup backer, to launch SMILE Health, a program designed to support early-stage startups prioritizing oral healthcare equity.
CareQuest Innovation Partners is a for-profit subsidiary of Boston-based CareQuest Institute for Oral Health that focuses on oral healthcare solutions.
SMILE Health is a 12-week program for early-stage startups that are aiming to make oral healthcare more equitable. The program includes a curriculum about oral health, innovation and venture capital, according to a March 14 news release.
Up to 10 early-stage startups will be selected, and participants will receive a $10,000 stipend for their participation. Applications for the program are open from March 14 through April 22.
"Innovations focused on improving oral health have lagged the tremendous advances focused on medicine," Steven Collens, Matter CEO, said. "Smile Health is the beginning of the end of that unfortunate dynamic and we couldn't be more enthusiastic about partnering with CareQuest Innovation Partners on this work."