Six oral health startups gathered in Chicago at MATTER for the annual SMILE Health Reveal Day to showcase their solutions to industry partners, investors, and experts. Their mission? To improve overall health through oral health for all.

“Reveal Day is more than just a presentation; it’s a culmination of months of collaboration, mentorship, and growth,” said Faisal Chaudhry, manager of innovation solutions & services at CareQuest Innovation Partners. “It’s an opportunity for them to spotlight their work on validation studies with industry partners during SMILE and connect with other influential industry leaders and investors.”

The six startups are graduates of CareQuest Innovation Partners’ 2024 SMILE Health cohort. SMILE Health, currently in its third year, is a 12-week semi-virtual program that connects diverse innovators with a network of mission-aligned industry partners who help advance their solutions and road maps, in partnership with MATTER. As part of the 2024 program, startups receive a $10,000 stipend, take part in data-driven validation studies, receive mentorship, and participate in curriculum and networking.

Now those startups are gearing up for Demo Day at HLTH 2024, the preeminent health care conference that brings together innovators and thinkers to explore the latest trends, technologies, and solutions. Demo Day enables each startup to present their solutions to health care leaders and more potential investors, partners, and clients. From oral wound healing therapies and salivary diagnostics to AI-enabled bots for health service enrollment and at-home dentures, you won’t want to miss Demo Day on the Startup Stage at 1:30 p.m. PDT on October 22, 2024.

Also, at HLTH, CareQuest Innovation Partners, in partnership with Colgate-Palmolive Company, Henry Schein, and PDS Health, will debut a first-of-its-kind Oral Health Pavilion. The Oral Health Pavilion will highlight clinical practice innovation and the importance of preventive self-care. The SMILE startups will offer live demonstrations of their solutions that enhance medical-dental integration.

“We’re thrilled to be taking our SMILE Health accelerator to HLTH,” said Julia Green, director of innovation programs & services at CareQuest Innovation Partners. “This premier health care conference provides an unparalleled platform for our startups to showcase their innovative solutions to a global audience of industry leaders, connectors, and influencers.”

 

Get to Know This Year’s Startups

 

Startups unveiled their refined solutions after completing the 12-week program, hoping to advance their solutions to close gaps in medical-dental integrated care.

Read on to get to know this year’s startups.

 

 

DentKits | Las Vegas, NV:

DentKits provides at-home dentures utilizing digital dentures and teledental technologies. By offering dentist-prescribed dentures that are both convenient and affordable, DentKits is improving access to dental care for underserved and vulnerable populations.

“One of the most impactful parts of SMILE Health for us was the mentor that we collaborated with in the program. His knowledge was instrumental in guiding our plans for scale. Overall, the entire team has been extremely excited about innovation that improves access to care for those who need it — and that’s exactly what we learned about.”

– Kevin Early, CEO of DentKits

 

 

DifferentKind | Buena Vista, CO:

DifferentKind is a dental experience and outcomes measurement platform to produce data that drives improved outcomes for patients, practices, and payers. 

“SMILE Health has been the most meaningful accelerator that we’ve ever participated in, in terms of go-to-market activities, strategy, and execution. We’ve participated in a lot of programs that have taught us how to run a startup, but every startup is measured by how successful they are in their go-to-market. SMILE Health has been incredibly helpful in that regard, especially as it relates to the matching that they do with the industry partners.”  

– Matthew Allen, DDS, co-founder and CEO of DifferentKind 

 

 

OraLiva | Durham, NC:

OraLiva provides a non-invasive, clinically validated, AI-powered diagnostic for screening oral lesions. This innovative solution delivers highly accurate diagnostic information to dental and medical providers and will launch in the market with their first commercial customer in early 2025. 

“SMILE Health has helped us refine our pricing structure for our initial product release. By evaluating tens of thousands of billing codes, both in medical and dental, we have been able to quantify the reduction of systemic medical costs our test can provide and to create a win-win scenario for patients, payers, and OraLiva. However, the most significant and impactful part of our participation in the SMILE Health program was the development of an unbelievable network. This particular accelerator created warm introductions to impactful leaders and KOLs across the industry that would have otherwise taken us years to form.”  

– John McDevitt, PhD, Scientific Founder and Chief Scientist at OraLiva 

 

 

ThriveLink | St. Louis, MO:

ThriveLink is dedicated to simplifying essential health program enrollment. ThriveLink AI telephonic enrollment agents help families verbally enroll in social and health programs, including Medicaid, food stamps, utility assistance, and more. The solution does not require the internet, a smartphone, or the ability to read, and removes key barriers to access for maximum patient impact.

“The SMILE Health validation studies with our three industry partners helped us plan next year’s growth model. Now that we understand dental operations and how they engage members and patients inside clinics, we can do that successfully in dental spaces — the same way that we’ve done in medical spaces.”

– Kwamane Liddell, JD, MHA, BSN, founder and CEO of ThriveLink

 

 

 Umayana | Istanbul, Turkey:

Umayana is a biotech company with a range of products, Murnia, which prevent and treat severe cancer and acute wounds, including oral mucositis, through its patented molecular compound and formulations.  

“SMILE Health was fantastic for us, especially through its validation studies. With help and expertise from our industry partner, we now understand how much our solution is needed in the marketplace to help patients, confirming a 96% purchase interest on our products.”  

– Hülya Da?öttüren, PhD, researcher, biochemist, and co-founder of Umayana 

 

 

Yumlish | Dallas, TX:

Yumlish provides tech-enabled, culturally affirming prevention programs, like diabetes prevention, to Medicaid and Medicare members. Through its collaboration with SMILE Health, Yumlish aims to equip providers, like dentists and hygienists, with evidence-based nutrition education, fostering improved oral and overall health outcomes.

“Through the SMILE Health validation studies, we were able to understand all the different ways in which we can provide preventive health solutions to individuals. We now understand other avenues and opportunities in which we can provide oral health and nutrition information in a way that is accessible and reaches low-income communities.”

– Shireen Abdullah, MBA, PMP, founder and CEO of Yumlish

 

 

 

Photos from SMILE Health Reveal Day