Project Healthcare · Fall 2026 · Nashville Entrepreneur Center
The rooms you can't get into on your own.
Nashville is the healthcare capital of the country — and over 12 weeks, Project Healthcare puts you in front of the people inside HCA Healthcare, LifePoint Health, and Ascension Saint Thomas who decide what gets bought, then shows you exactly how to sell to them.
Apply for Fall 2026 See what the last three cohorts did →Self-reported by founders at program exit · Spring 2025, Fall 2025, and Spring 2026 cohorts · 32 responses
Is this you?
This is built for one kind of founder.
You're selling to health systems, payers, employers, provider groups, or life sciences organizations. You know your clinical or operational problem cold. What you don't know is who signs, what procurement asks for, or how reimbursement actually works.
You'll fit if
You have a B2B product — live or near launch — aimed at healthcare organizations, and getting in front of the people who buy is the thing standing between you and your next stage.
You won't — and here's where to go instead
Direct-to-consumer, general wellness, or still validating the problem? You want TakeOff, InFlight, or PreFlight — EC programs built for exactly that stage. Apply there; come back when you're selling into healthcare.
The four questions everyone asks
Answered up front, not in a footer FAQ.
Do you take equity?
No. $6,000 is a fixed cost. Six percent is a cost that grows every time you win.
Do I have to live in Nashville?
No — the program runs primarily virtual. You'll come to Nashville three times: September 15–17, October 19–20, and December 2–3. Seven on-site days total.
How much time does it take?
A 90-minute session every Thursday afternoon, optional Friday webinars, and the three immersion visits. Built around founders who are still running their company.
Is the access real?
Keep scrolling. The next two sections are the mechanism and the receipts.
How the access actually works
"Access" is a word. Here's the mechanism.
You're in the room
A CIO or VP of innovation from a major system spends about an hour with the cohort. Not a panel. Not a mixer.
You ask about your company
Every session ends with Q&A on your specific business model — not general advice.
Some take the follow-up
Executives have taken one-on-ones with founders after these sessions. That's where customer discovery turns into a pilot conversation.
The executive sessions are on the program calendar — every founder sits in every room. The follow-up one-on-ones have happened in every recent cohort, but they're earned in the room, not guaranteed by the program. That distinction is why executives keep saying yes.
Why you can't do this alone: you don't know who to ask for, and cold outreach to a health system CIO has roughly the success rate you'd expect. Project Healthcare does the curation so the executive's hour isn't wasted.
On the Fall 2026 immersion agenda
Ardent Health · Ascension Saint Thomas · HealthStream · Vanderbilt University Medical Center · AMSurg · Shore Capital · Nashville Health Care Council · Belmont Simulation Center · Global Health Innovators Summit
Sample agenda — final immersion schedules are shared with the cohort ahead of each visit.
The receipts
What founders got in the room — in their words.
From exit surveys across the last three cohorts. Self-reported at program exit; named-partner outcomes are early-stage traction — first meetings, follow-ups, verbal pilot commitments.
"InvestTN committed $1M in our raise!"
"Really good meetings with Vanderbilt — which was our #1 goal for the program."
"We formed a relationship with Teresa Dail at Vanderbilt — real value in collaboration with their VAC teams."
"The introduction to HCA was helpful — we've had one meeting and look forward to the next step."
"Grateful to connect with so many wonderful investors and cohort members." Raised $500K during the program.
"New investors, new customers, new partners and new friends!" Raised $500K and created 4 jobs during the program.
"Connection with a partner — HealthStream — that we think will really accelerate our business."
"The crowd-favorite award at Entrepreneur Day validated our product — people love the idea and want it adopted."
"The access to the people and perspectives within the healthcare innovation ecosystem — insight that would have taken years to gain independently."
Emily Daviss — AVRwell, Spring 2026The program
Twelve weeks. Built around the access.
Curriculum
- Navigating the healthcare ecosystem
- Interacting with healthcare enterprises
- Procurement, GPOs & value analysis
- Regulatory pathways: HIPAA, FDA & getting to yes
- Moving beyond founder-led sales
- Investor pitch practice & feedback
Included
- 75+ vetted healthcare mentors
- Dedicated program manager
- The Investor Rounds — curated 1:1 investor meetings
- $20,000 in non-dilutive Impact Grants
- EC membership, workspace & alumni community
Dates
September 10 – December 3, 2026
Thursday sessions, 2–3:30 PM CT · Immersion visits Sept 15–17, Oct 19–20, Dec 2–3 · Graduation at Nashville Entrepreneur Day
Cost
$6,000
or $1,500 × 4 months · HCA Scholarship available · No equity
Two ways in
Ready now — or just curious. Both are fine.
Ready now
Applications for the Fall 2026 cohort are open. The cohort kicks off September 10. No equity, ever.
Apply for Fall 2026Not ready — but curious
Tell us where you are and we'll send what the last cohort actually did — who they met, what came of it, and a sample of the curriculum.
Send me the detailsProject Healthcare is a program of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center.