Warm introductions to U.S. decision-makers
Curated introductions to health system leaders, investors, and strategic partners who influence purchasing at scale. Includes immersion visits to Nashville-area systems.
LIGHT
Lab for Innovation in Global Health Technology
Nashville · Applications open
International companies know the U.S. healthcare opportunity. They rarely know the way in.
An open-ended landing program for international healthcare companies entering the U.S. market through Nashville — where the buying and adoption decisions are made.
Founding member companies in residence by September 14, 2026
$97B
Annual revenue from Nashville-headquartered healthcare companies
500+
Healthcare companies operating in the Nashville region
17
Publicly traded healthcare companies HQ'd here — including HCA, the largest U.S. hospital operator
$1.6B
Healthcare venture capital invested in the region over the last decade
Why Nashville. Why now.
The Silicon Valley of healthcare services.
Nashville is where U.S. healthcare actually operates. Not where it is studied — where it is bought, run, and scaled.
HCA Healthcare, Ardent Health, the country's largest senior living provider, and one of the largest behavioral health groups are all headquartered here. Anchored by Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, and three university-based medical schools. Host to HLTH, ViVE, ABHI, and the global health innovation circuit.
If you want into the U.S. market, this is the room you want to be in.
The room you'll be in
Where Nashville's healthcare ecosystem already gathers.
The Entrepreneur Center is the hub for Nashville's founder economy. LIGHT plants international healthcare companies inside it.
What member companies get
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Senior Shield Technologies · Project Healthcare
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An open-ended landing — bespoke, relationship-driven, designed around where you are.
Physical presence in Nashville's healthcare hub
A dedicated desk in a named LIGHT bay at the EC, with 24/7 access and a Nashville mailing address. Up to 8 dedicated desks, 15 companies total.
Full Entrepreneur Center membership
175+ mentors and advisors, the capital connector network, pitch events, weekly programming, and the broader EC community of 300+ founders.
This has been a transformational experience for us coming to the healthcare capital of the country.Kareem Elfoulie
Senior Shield Technologies · Project Healthcare
Nashville's healthcare event calendar
Priority access to the Global Health Innovator Summit, Entrepreneur Day, investor matchmaking, and partner events with GHC, ABHI, and others.
A 12-month market-entry partnership
The EC serves as your lead contact and navigator. When you need a specific introduction or meeting, we make it happen — using the full coalition.
U.S. market intelligence
U.S. payment methodologies, federal policy, CMMI (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation), and programs like Rural Healthcare Transformation. The rules of the market, not just the rooms.
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Benefits, one program
Connections to other U.S. innovation regions
Through Global Health Connector's U.S. and international ecosystems — peer networks and relationships beyond Nashville, plus the broader global health community.
Applications open · Rolling admission
Two ways in.
The math
Three ways into the U.S. healthcare market.
Most international companies pick the first by default — because they don't know there's a third.
Going it alone
$175K–$235K. 18 months. Mostly in airports.
Cold outreach into health systems that don't open it. Most don't make it — and decide the U.S. "wasn't right for them" when the real problem was they never got in front of the right people.
A short boot camp
5 days. A binder. A few introductions.
Useful orientation. Not a relationship. You leave with a notebook and no one in Nashville to call next week when you actually need a meeting.
LIGHT
A desk in Nashville. The relationships you came for. Open-ended.
A landing program, not a classroom. Dedicated workspace, full EC membership, and curated introductions that turn into pilots, partnerships, and traction.
Voices from the building
LIGHT is not Project Healthcare. It's built on the same access.
These are Project Healthcare founders. Same building. Same rooms. Same operators that LIGHT member companies walk into.
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Had some really good meetings with Vanderbilt — which was our #1 goal for the program.Laura Epstein · Founder, Pulse Charter Connect · Project Healthcare graduate
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We're going to use this to accelerate development and build better business relationships that accelerate our path to market.Mark Norton · Founder & CEO, Adele Health
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The accelerator helped us refine our business model and gain a clearer understanding of the healthcare landscape. The mentorship has been game-changing.Andrea Shields · Co-founder, Varda 5 · Project Healthcare graduate
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This has been a transformational experience for us coming to the healthcare capital of the country. There's no place like this.Kareem Elfoulie · Founder, Senior Shield Technologies · Project Healthcare graduate
First member companies in residence by September 14
Don't wait for the ribbon cutting.
The coalition
A coalition, not a single program.
The Nashville Entrepreneur Center and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce are co-founding partners — the Chamber also serves as economic development lead. Global Health Connector is anchor partner. Academic engagement comes from Vanderbilt, Belmont, and Meharry.
Nashville Entrepreneur Center
Co-Founding Partner · Host & program operator
Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
Co-Founding Partner · Economic development lead
Global Health Connector
Anchor partner · International recruitment & ecosystem
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Academic partner
Meharry Medical College
Academic partner
Thomas F. Frist, Jr. School of Medicine at Belmont University
Academic partner
Get more info
Tell us where you are. We'll send the rest.
Four short emails over two weeks. No deck, no pitch. Reply directly to Sam if you have questions.
The basics
Quick answers before you apply.
Who is LIGHT for?
Growth-stage international healthcare companies — digital health, medtech, health IT, adjacent services — operating profitably in their home markets and ready to enter the U.S. Proven products, not pre-revenue startups. CEO or C-level decision-makers.
What countries are you recruiting from?
Year-one focus is the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and the EU. The program is designed to be market-agnostic over time.
How long is the program?
Open-ended. LIGHT is a landing program, not a fixed-term boot camp. The pilot year is underwritten by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. Companies maintain their home operations and rotate executives through the Nashville bay as needed.
What does it cost?
The pilot year is underwritten by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. Future participation will involve fees, corporate sponsorships, or home-country support — TBD after year one.
When does it start?
Applications open and reviewed on a rolling basis. The first member companies will be in residence by September 14, 2026, in time for the Global Health Innovator Summit and ribbon cutting.
Is this an accelerator?
No. The EC has Project Healthcare for that. LIGHT is a market-entry residency — bespoke, relationship-driven, and designed around where each company is, not a fixed curriculum.
Apply or get more info
International companies know the opportunity. LIGHT turns the lights on.
If you're ready, apply. If you're still figuring it out, get the four-email walk-through and decide from there.