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.
First member companies in residence by September 15, 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 Health, 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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AVRwell · 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
200+ mentors and advisors, the capital connector network, pitch events, weekly programming, and the broader EC community of 300+ founders.
The advisor network has been especially valuable. Connecting with experienced professionals across different areas has provided practical, real-world insights directly applicable to building and scaling the business.Emily Daviss
AVRwell · Project Healthcare
LIGHT-specific programming
A monthly founders board of LIGHT member CEOs, plus bespoke sessions built around the companies in residence — founder-led sales, fireside chats, regulatory deep-dives.
Project Healthcare crossover
Selective access to Project Healthcare sessions — including the Michael Burcham workshop, open to all LIGHT members. Companies that want the full accelerator apply separately.
Onboarding concierge
In your first 30 days: warm, pre-briefed meetings with a U.S. attorney, an accountant, and a go-to-market advisor. Entity setup, tax, and channel strategy — answered early.
Global Health Connector network
GHC membership at no cost, structured introductions into the Global Health Innovators network of ~50 companies and 35+ community leaders, and connections to other U.S. innovation regions.
$0
Cost to participate · Year One underwritten by the Chamber
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.
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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Project Healthcare wasn't so much about the curriculum as it was about access to a trust layer that we'd otherwise have no way to reach. The advisor and founder network connected us with multiple contacts at VUMC, USVetServ, Legion Fund and more — introduced by people they trust.Andrew Hogue · NEUROFIT · Project Healthcare
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I've valued the conversations within the curated Project Healthcare network: introductions to Lifepoint Health, advice from Bobby Frist, lessons from Michael Burcham, tours of the Belmont simulation center. I would not have been able to engage within the healthcare space in the same way from another program.James Valencia · Radical Shoots · Project Healthcare
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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
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The most valuable part has been the access to mentors and peers who understand the realities of scaling impact-driven ventures. The candid conversations and connections have helped me refine Deaftronics' growth strategy and opened doors to partnerships that will make our solar-powered hearing aids more accessible across Africa.Tendekayi Katsiga · Deaftronics · Project Healthcare
First member companies in residence by September 15
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 medical center engagement comes from Vanderbilt and Belmont. LIGHT is also building Academic, Community, Corporate, and Capital partnerships around the program.
Founding & Anchor
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
Academic Medical Center Partners
Vanderbilt Health
Academic Medical Center Partner
Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine at Belmont University
Academic Medical Center Partner
Building the broader coalition
Academic Partners
Tennessee universities and graduate programs intersecting global health technology.
Community Partners
Nashville civic, industry, and ecosystem organizations.
Corporate Partners
Healthcare operators, payers, providers, and adjacent enterprises.
Capital Partners
Healthcare-focused venture, growth equity, family offices, and corporate venture.
Get more info
Tell us where you are. We'll send the rest.
One email with everything you need to decide. No deck, no pitch, no drip sequence. Reply directly to Dakota 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 — that are revenue-positive in their home market and entering the U.S. for the first time. Proven products, not pre-revenue startups. CEO or C-level decision-makers. (Already operating in the U.S., or a domestic company? Project Healthcare is the better fit.)
What countries are you recruiting from?
Year-one recruitment focuses on the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and the European Union — but LIGHT is open to international healthcare companies from any market. The program is designed to be market-agnostic over time.
How long is the program?
Each company's engagement runs up to 12 months. LIGHT itself is an open-ended, ongoing program — not a fixed-term cohort or boot camp. You keep your home operations running and rotate executives through the Nashville bay as needed.
What does it cost?
There is no cost to participate. Year One is underwritten by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce — the equivalent of $15,000 per company, roughly half the benchmark rate for comparable U.S. market-entry support. That covers your dedicated desk, full EC membership, curated introductions, programming, and the complete LIGHT benefit set.
When does it start?
Applications are open and reviewed on a rolling basis — there's no hard deadline. The first member companies will be in residence by September 15, 2026, in time for the ribbon cutting and the Global Health Innovator Summit.
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 leads the way
If you're ready, apply. If you're still figuring it out, get more info from Dakota Simpson, Chief Program Officer, and decide from there.