CareQuest Innovation Partners has chosen its first cohort of entrepreneurial dental companies for its Smile Health startup initiative.
CareQuest Innovation Partners is a for-profit subsidiary of Boston-based CareQuest Institute for Oral Health that focuses on oral healthcare solutions. The company launched Smile Health in March in partnership with Matter, a healthcare startup backer, to support early-stage startups prioritizing oral healthcare equity.
CareQuest received more than 100 applications from startup companies spanning 11 countries and 28 U.S. states, according to a May 10 news release. Five startups were ultimately selected to participate in the program.
The startup companies chosen for the inaugural cohort include Charleston, S.C.-based Denture Care Shop; Chicago-based OrisDX; Newport Beach, Calif.-based SleepArchitects; Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Wide Awake VR and New Zealand-based Novel White Plastic Preformed Crown.
Each startup will have access to mentors, curriculum on scaling solutions and resources to anticipate growth barriers. They will receive a $10,000 stipend and be matched with industry partners during a 12-week process to test their solutions to oral health problems. Solutions meeting certain investment criteria will gain access to more than $1.3 million in available capital.