PharmStars Accelerator (PharmaU)

PharmStars runs one accelerator, PharmaU, in a spring and an autumn cohort of ten startups each. Every cohort has a theme set with the pharma member companies; the autumn 2026 theme was digital innovations in immunology and applications for it closed in July 2026, so the next entry point is the following cohort. The ten weeks begin with a compulsory two-day launch event in Boston, run virtually through classes on Monday and Thursday afternoons US Eastern time, and end with a startup showcase, also in Boston.

What you get

• The PharmaU course: recorded videos and live classes on how drugs are developed, how a pharma company is structured, pharma business models, regulatory drivers, how pharma-startup deals are built, and industry trends
• Weekly one-to-one mentoring from staff and mentor advisors who are former pharma executives and digital health specialists
• A rebuilt, pharma-focused pitch deck produced during the programme
• Fireside chats and panels with the champions of each pharma member company
• A pitch at the startup showcase in front of members, investors and sponsors, plus pre-arranged private meetings with member firms
• An investment from the PharmStars Ventures Fund on successful completion, made as a SAFE
• A place in the alumni community and the monthly graduate school afterwards

Who can apply

• Digital health startups — software, devices, AI and machine learning, or tech-enabled services delivering care or information to patients or providers — that want pharma and biotech firms as clients or partners
• Any startup wherever it is located may apply, but only startups from countries where a SAFE is a recognised legal instrument are accepted; no country list is published
• You need a prototype or product pharma could adopt now, and it must fit the cohort's theme; teams from pre-seed through Series B have taken part
• Applicants must be eighteen or over; startups with existing pharma clients and alumni of other accelerators are both welcome
• You must send two to four full-time senior employees, not consultants, with authority to negotiate and sign pharma contracts, and the chief executive plus one other must attend both Boston events in person

How selection works: Ten startups are chosen by PharmStars staff alone; member companies help set the theme but take no part in choosing. The stated criteria are fit with the cohort theme, product stage — a built product or a working prototype pharma could adopt immediately — and need, meaning you have not yet engaged pharma broadly and successfully. Semi-finalists are told by email on a rolling basis and have three working days to sign the terms acknowledgement and pay a refundable participation deposit. Finalists are told by a stated date and have two working days to confirm and pay a tuition deposit.

How to apply: Online through the Apply tab, which appears on the main site menu only while a window is open. There is no fee to apply. The form must be completed in one sitting because it cannot be saved as a draft, though a downloadable copy is offered so you can prepare your answers first, and it cannot be amended after submission. General questions go to the info inbox at pharmstars.com.