Northwestern Medicine has announced a partnership with Founders Factory, a global startup accelerator, to bring artificial intelligence (AI) ventures from the UK and Europe into the US healthcare market. The collaboration aims to support European founders as they develop and implement new technologies addressing key challenges in American healthcare.
The initiative is part of Northwestern Medicine’s broader strategy to adopt innovations that improve patient care, advance research, and create operational efficiencies. AI technologies are increasingly used in healthcare for tasks such as disease detection, chronic condition management, treatment planning, and accelerating research efforts. In oncology, more than 40% of drugs discovered using AI rely on AI-assisted trial platforms during early-stage development. Industry reports indicate that clinical AI could help prevent up to 250,000 deaths globally by 2030.
London is recognized as one of the world’s top technology ecosystems and Founders Factory has been named a leading UK startup hub. The program will give selected startups access to Northwestern Medicine’s integrated academic health system in Chicago, which includes 11 hospitals, over 5,400 affiliated physicians, research facilities, and more than 200 outpatient and diagnostic sites. Northwestern Memorial Hospital anchors the system and has appeared on the Best Hospital Honor Roll by U.S. News and World Report for 14 consecutive years.
The program will allow startups to test, deploy, and scale their solutions within Northwestern Medicine’s network and its partners. According to Doug King, Chief Digital and Information Officer at Northwestern Medicine: “Northwestern Medicine is committed to accelerating innovation that meaningfully improves patient care, advances research, and strengthens the way healthcare is delivered. This collaboration with Founders Factory creates a powerful bridge between world‑class European talent and one of America’s leading academic health systems.”
A spokesperson from Founders Factory stated: “By teaming up with Northwestern, one of America's top medical institutions, we are de-risking entry into the world’s biggest healthcare market for UK and European startups. There has never been a more exciting time for healthcare breakthroughs and technological efficiencies, and it is very exciting to be supporting the best of Europe with access to one of America’s most important healthcare providers. This program promotes cross-border collaboration that will ultimately drive patient outcomes in the US.”
The four-month accelerator program will be led by Founders Factory. It will help founders commercialize their solutions with both Northwestern Medicine and its partners such as The London Clinic in the UK. Participants will also be invited to spend a week at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago to collaborate with clinical and commercial teams.
Applications are now open via Founders Factory’s website (https://foundersfactory.com/) until March 31, 2026.
Northwestern Medicine operates under its parent organization Northwestern Memorial HealthCare according to its official website. The health system is known for providing high-quality patient care through education and research initiatives as noted on its website. The organization recognizes community contributions through humanitarian awards reflecting values of compassion according to official sources, supports physician well-being through nationally recognized programs as reported on its site, engages in strategic collaborations for clinical research per official information, and is led by president and chief executive officer Howard B. Chrisman according to its official site.
Founders Factory invests in early-stage companies across several sectors including health technology. Since its founding in 2015, it has built or funded over 450 technology companies worldwide.
