Lake Nona’s WHIT and Welltech Ventures Announce Global Wellness and Health Innovation Competition
A competition for innovators pioneering the newest health and wellness technologies for the home; Will be judged by a high-profile panel of experts
ORLANDO, Fla. – August 1, 2023 – Lake Nona’s Wellness Home Built on Innovation and Technology (WHIT), and Welltech Ventures, a prominent wellness and health innovation fund, today announced the establishment of a global call to action competition to discover groundbreaking technologies that tackle major challenges in wellness and ultimately answer the question: “what is a healthy home?”
Entrepreneurs and established companies dedicated to creating health and wellness solutions and experiences are invited to participate in this extraordinary opportunity. A distinguished panel of international CEOs and business leaders from the wellness and technology sectors will serve as judges, including Daniel Kraft, M.D., Founder & Chair, NextMed Health, and John Driscoll, EVP & President, U.S. Healthcare, Walgreens Boots Alliance. The judges will evaluate the submissions and provide feedback on the participating startups during a virtual demo day, which is scheduled for November 13, 2023. The winner will be announced in a news release following the event.
“We’re excited to partner with Lake Nona for this Call for Innovation, as they offer the perfect environment to evaluate the next generation of health and wellness technologies for the home within its WHIT house,” said Galit Horovitz, Co-Founder & Partner at Welltech Ventures. “We are witnessing health and wellness at the forefront of innovation in the home. This is just the beginning of an extraordinary revolution in wellness and health. In the contest, we will be looking for disruptive technologies helping people live happier, healthier, and longer lives in their home environment.”
WHIT, which was created by the Lake Nona Institute, stands as a pioneering home, purposefully designed to integrate wellness solutions and technologies while rigorously researching their effectiveness in enhancing health and wellbeing. Nestled in Lake Nona, a smart and sustainable city in Central Florida, WHIT exemplifies a forward-thinking approach to home design focused on optimizing health and well-being within the built environment.
“It’s our pleasure to support the global call for action this year,” said Gloria A. Caulfield, Vice President of Strategic Alliances for Tavistock and President of the Lake Nona Institute. “The focus on health and wellness in the home environment is timely, as sustainability and longevity practices continue to increase in popularity and necessity. It is our hope that these innovations will enable a whole new living experience and an immersive approach to health and wellness.”
Modern consumers care deeply about wellness. A recent report from McKinsey & Co. showed continued growth of consumer interest in health and wellness globally, with a market of more than $1.5 trillion and annual growth of 5 to 10 percent. Despite being an increasingly crowded space, there are still gaps in the market that present exciting opportunities to introduce novel products and solutions. This competition seeks to identify and pursue those opportunities, and offer the winner the chance to evaluate their product in the unique living lab setting of WHIT House. The winner will also receive a prize of $10,000.
The contest is now open: APPLY HERE
Deadline: September 30, 2023
About Welltech Ventures
Welltech Ventures is a leading venture capital firm solely focused on the wellness and health space. Our experience, thought leadership, vast global network, and founder-focused, fast-paced culture makes us the partner of choice for the most promising and profitable well-tech entrepreneurs.
We’re passionate about investing in early-stage startups that are harnessing new technologies to improve people’s lives in ways we never dreamed possible, innovating in areas such as remote care, preventive medicine, mental health, physical wellness, nutrition, longevity, wellness sustainability, and more.
About Lake Nona
Planned and developed by the Tavistock Group, Lake Nona is one of the fastest growing and most innovative communities in America. Located in Orlando, Florida, the 17-square-mile community has established a new standard of living for its residents with groundbreaking initiatives around technology, mobility, and wellbeing. Lake Nona is located contiguous to Orlando International Airport in the most visited destination in the U.S. The smart and connected community’s advanced infrastructure and commitment to collaboration has drawn visionary companies and entrepreneurs from across the globe to join its living lab environment accelerating economic growth and opportunity across health and life sciences, education, hospitality, and sports and performance. Lake Nona’s attractive business ecosystem is enhanced by a thriving cultural landscape defined by iconic architecture and engaging public art installations, miles of trails and walkable green spaces, weekly signature events, shopping, dining and entertainment options set amongst Central Florida’s beautiful natural landscape and year-round sunshine. For more information, visit www.lakenona.com
About WHIT
The Wellness Home built on Innovation and Technology (WHIT) is a first-of-its-kind home designed to activate health solutions and technologies and research their ability to measurably improve health and wellbeing. It is both a livable space and a living laboratory to test new prototypes, evaluate solutions and assess health and wellness concepts within an established wellbeing centered community. For more information, visit www.meetwhit.com/.
About Tavistock Development Company
Tavistock Development Company is a diversified real estate firm located in Orlando, Fla. owned by Tavistock Group. Specializing in planning, design, finance, construction, and development of groundbreaking projects, Tavistock Development Company has built a portfolio of nationally-acclaimed residential, retail, commercial, and industrial projects highlighted by master-planned communities Lake Nona and Sunbridge in Central Florida and Pier Sixty-Six in Fort Lauderdale. For more information, visit tavistockdevelopment.com.