HealthTech Works FAQs
HealthTech Works supports Yale faculty building early-stage health technology: digital health, devices, diagnostics, and AI/ML tools. Each team must have at least one Yale faculty member, and the innovation must have been created at Yale and be eligible for Yale University IP. A formal invention disclosure is not required to apply.
HealthTech Works supports faculty innovation at an early stage, and applicants are not required to have a formed company or a developed product. The more useful consideration is whether the program's resources (funding, a dedicated student associate team, and mentorship) can advance your work over the course of the year. Projects positioned to benefit from customer discovery and validation are well suited to the program.
Awards are non-dilutive grants. Because funds flow through the department, HealthTech Works takes no equity.
Funds can be spent on advancing the technology, including personnel, prototyping, development or consulting services, and the evidence generation needed to move the work forward. Funds cannot be used for capital equipment, faculty salary support, or travel.
Awardees receive up to $100,000 in non-dilutive, milestone-based commercialization grants, along with a dedicated student associate team, mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs and industry advisors, and workshops spanning regulatory, reimbursement, fundraising, and commercial strategy.
Every applicant receives a structured venture analysis: your concept, the opportunity you're addressing, and the most important question to answer next. Applying is designed to be worth your time regardless of outcome.
No. The innovation needs to be eligible for Yale University IP, meaning it was created at Yale, but a formal disclosure is not required at the time of application. Health technologies often benefit from one, and we'll help you navigate it. Software projects may pursue an open-source path.
2026 applications open September 1 and close September 25. Applications are reviewed in October and November, and all applicants are notified by mid-November. Advancing teams present at PitchFest in early December, and awardees are announced in January. Customer discovery through I-Corps runs during the fall and informs the final selection. See the current cycle timeline for this year’s dates.
Yes, reviews are confidential. Applications are reviewed by Yale Ventures staff and our Entrepreneurs-in-Residence network. Each application is scored by multiple reviewers, and those scores inform a group discussion that determines which teams advance to PitchFest.
Yes. Awardees take part in programming that begins in January and runs through the spring semester. Topics include customer validation, IP strategy, regulatory pathways, reimbursement, fundraising, and go-to-market planning. Sessions are led by experienced operators and subject-matter experts. Alongside programming, each team works with a dedicated student associate team and receives ongoing mentorship from Entrepreneurs-in-Residence and industry advisors.