Australia's BlueChilli teams up with Enterprise Singapore to launch healthtech accelerator programme

Select startups will get access to tech development services and seed funding.

Australian venture studio and innovation group BlueChilli has partnered with Enterprise Singapore to launch a Singapore-based healthtech accelerator, an announcement revealed.

The BlueChilli healthtech accelerator will reportedly scout for ideas from domain experts across Southeast Asia, and founders who will be selected to build or advance their startup through the programme will get access to tech development services with no additional cost, startup training, seed funding and a global network of advisors and mentors.

The Asia Pacific’s healthtech sector is said to be the second largest in the world for investment funds raised, after only the US. In 2018, $6.3b was deployed into healthtech startups in the region, which significantly exceeded 2017 and doubled that of 2016. Southeast Asia’s healthtech ecosystem is still emerging within the region and poised for growth, with Singapore and Indonesia contributing to most of its notable deals in 2018.

Also read: Here's why Singapore's healthtech landscape looks promising

“New ideas, innovative business models and emerging technologies coming out of the accelerator have immense potential to disrupt and transform the health industry and improve quality of life across the globe,” according to BlueChilli’s CEO Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin . “By removing the barriers of access to technology and capital, we can help a more diverse range of entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia bring their unique experiences and novel ideas to the global innovation ecosystem.”

Building up its activities in the region, BlueChilli also launched an innovation centre in partnership with Coca-Cola Amatil in Indonesia in April 2019.

Meanwhile, BlueChilli has also joined Enterprise Singapore’s Startup SG Accelerator initiative with its healthtech accelerator programme.

Applications for the BlueChilli healthtech accelerator will open on 28 May.