• EYEFOCUS ACCELERATOR

      FOCUS - DISRUPT - INNOVATE

      EyeFocus Accelerator is the world's first innovation program for companies producing products for preventing, curing, and living with eye disease and blindness.

      In 2015, the EyeFocus Accelerator became the world's first innovation program supporting companies making products for preventing, curing, and living with eye disease and blindness. The first program ran as a residential accelerator at Rainmaking Loft, Berlin. The Second Program ran from late 2016 until January 2017. It was a global, virtual accelerator, with events around the world, mentoring, and a conference in London. EyeFocus is a for-profit social enterprise that has built a unique global ecosystem of eye-care innovators. Our aim is to support innovation that helps people who are blind, visually impaired, or at risk of eye-disease.

      285 million people are affected by sight loss globally. 80% of sight loss is avoidable. We want to use technology to address this.

    • EYEFOCUS PROGRAMS

      EYEFOCUS RAN TWO PROGRAMS, IN 2015 AND 2016

      EYEFOCUS ACCELERATOR 2015

      Residential accelerator in Berlin

      The first EyeFocus program accepted 16 companies from 14 countries, and invested in 4 of the companies. Some of these startups spent 3 months in Berlin, at Rainmaking Loft, receiving intensive mentoring, whilst others joined as Associates, attending as suited them, and receiving mentoring online.

      EYEFOCUS ACCELERATOR 2016

      A virtual, global program

      The second EyeFocus program consisted of meet-up and pitch events, and Idea Hacks around the world. The events found startups, scale-ups, and spin outs at events in the US, India, UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, collecting them into a cohort of 31 companies which received online and in person mentoring.

      EYECARE CONFERENCE 2017

      A unique tech conference

      The second program ended with a one-day conference on eye-care innovation at the Royal Academy of Engineering. This brought together leading investors, academics, medics, innovators, and NGOs for a series of panel discussions and startup pitches.

    • EyeFocus Sponsors

      EyeFocus was made possible with the support of our corporate sponsors

    • Background

      Evolving the startup accelerator

      EyeFocus was developed to explore how startup accelerators could offer better support to startups. The original idea was that a very focussed accelerator would offer better support to startups within that sector. Over time we learned and adapted, exploring the benefits of a non-residential accelerator, which opened up involvement to a far wider range of companies, and not investing a standard amount, which also put off some participants.

      EyeFocus evolved into an Ecosystem Builder, an accelerator program that connects innovators, knowledge (universities, experts, NGOs), routes to market (corporates, hospitals), and investors, to accelerate the progress early stage companies make to getting products to people.

      This work is supported by academic research and first hand experience working with accelerators, startups, and thought leaders in both the startup and eye-care sectors.

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