The MinneAnalytics community was out in full force last Friday, March 29, for HALICON 2019 at Optum. The conference schedule featured 49 sessions covering a range of topics in healthcare data science and emerging technology, including several sessions and panels focused on startups and innovation.

The large room at HALICON 2019 where the Startup Showcase took place was packed to capacity all morning as nine startups gave six-minute pitches and took questions afterward. Four of the startups were Minnesota-based (including two from Rochester), with others coming from Denver, Boston, Miami, and Austin. You can view all nine pitch decks here.

A Startup Alumni Panel followed the pitches, featuring founders of three successful startups who had pitched at HALICON events in previous years. The panelists shared their experiences building successful startups and answered thoughtful questions from the audience.

“We had no problem finding great panelists, as more than a third of the 94 startups who have pitched at our events over the years have achieved great success,” said Graeme Thickins, session chair and MinneAnalytics board member. “That has included raising significant funding, meeting other key milestones, and collectively adding hundreds of new jobs.”

After breaking for lunch, the Startup Reverse Pitch panel also drew a full room, featuring executives that included a former chief medical officer at HCMC, an Optum Analytics COO, and a UnitedHealthcare VP of innovation, who also heads the new Techstars program at that firm. Also in attendance were Minnesota-based accelerator and incubator programs BetaMN, Gener8tor, MN Cup, University Enterprise Labs, and the U of M’s Discovery Launchpad.

Thank you to all who participated in these sessions! We look forward to continuing to showcase the talent and innovation in the Minnesota community and beyond. View more photos from the showcase and panels here.