Access is everything, whether it’s care, information, or the tools people rely on to make decisions every day. Yet too often, that access breaks down. Patients face barriers to timely treatment. Providers are asked to make high-stakes calls with limited support. Healthy habits fail to stick without the right reinforcement. And in rural communities, even finding a local business can be harder than it should be. These four companies are working to close those gaps by building solutions that make essential systems more accessible, usable, and effective. Through ACCEL-KS, they are advancing toward real-world impact, where better access leads to better outcomes for people and the communities they call home.
This is the fourth and final blog in a series of features showcasing the companies awarded ACCEL-KS funding through KU Innovation Park. Each company answered the same three questions, and you can read about each venture below.
STAT Therapeutics | Overland Park, Johnson County
About STAT Therapeutics
STAT Therapeutics is developing a first-of-its-kind device designed to make intramuscular (IM) injections accessible outside of clinical settings. While IM injections are commonly used for rapid, life-saving treatments, they are almost always administered by trained healthcare professionals, limiting access in urgent situations. The company’s solution, D-CUFF, is a wearable device that enables safe, easy-to-use IM injections in the forearm, without the need for traditional injection sites or specialized training. Through ACCEL-KS, STAT Therapeutics is advancing its prototype and validating real-world use cases across a range of acute conditions. The technology aligns with a broader shift toward decentralized, home-based care. The goal is to expand access to timely treatment while reducing unnecessary strain on emergency and clinical systems.
What problem are you solving and why does it matter now?
Acute intramuscular (IM) injections are used in critical situations but are almost always administered by healthcare professionals. Most people are not trained or comfortable giving an IM injection themselves, which limits access to timely care.
This matters now for several reasons. Emergency department visits are costly, often ranging from $1,000 to $2,600 per visit, and many could potentially be avoided with earlier intervention. In addition, approximately 120 million people in the United States live in healthcare deserts, with limited access to nearby providers. Expanding the ability to administer IM injections outside of clinical settings can improve access, reduce costs, and support better outcomes.
What are you building or validating through ACCEL-KS?
D-CUFF is a wearable device placed on the forearm that delivers an intramuscular injection when activated. It is designed to be easy to use, with a hidden needle and minimal discomfort, enabling use by patients or caregivers in non-clinical settings.
The device represents a new approach to IM delivery. Traditional IM injections require access to specific muscle groups that often involve undressing, while D-CUFF targets a forearm muscle that is more accessible. Initial applications include conditions such as migraine, pain, seizures, and acute anxiety, where rapid onset of treatment is critical. The platform also has broader potential across additional therapies and vaccines.
Through ACCEL-KS, we are advancing prototype development and validating the device’s usability and application across these use cases.
What excites you the most about taking this next step with your company?
What excites us most is moving from concept toward real-world impact. Advancing the D-CUFF prototype brings us closer to delivering a practical solution that expands access to care and supports both patients and providers.
By enabling safe, layperson-administered IM injections, we see the potential to shift appropriate care into home settings, reduce avoidable emergency visits, and lower overall healthcare costs. This approach aligns with broader trends in healthcare, including decentralization and increased demand for home-based treatment.
Ultimately, we are focused on building solutions that make care more accessible, efficient, and responsive to patient needs.
My Health Sentry | Shawnee, Johnson County
About My Health Sentry
My Health Sentry is building a digital platform that turns everyday health data into sustained behavior change. While wearable devices have become widely adopted, most users struggle to translate that data into meaningful, long-term outcomes. The company addresses this gap by combining gamified social engagement, personalized insights, and an AI-driven experience that connects daily activity to long-term health. Through ACCEL-KS, My Health Sentry is expanding its platform capabilities, including broader device accessibility and new features that integrate directly into provider workflows. This work supports validation within physical therapy and preventative wellness settings, where engagement and retention are critical. The broader aim is to make healthier choices more intuitive, consistent, and scalable across larger populations.
What problem are you solving and why does it matter now?
Despite the widespread use of wearable fitness trackers, most people never translate that data into lasting behavior change. The issue is not the technology itself, but the lack of meaningful motivation and community to sustain engagement. As a result, preventable chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and dementia continue to rise.
My Health Sentry addresses this gap by combining gamified social competition, a witty AI companion, and personalized insights that connect daily activity to long-term health outcomes in a way that is engaging and sustainable. The timing is important. Wearable adoption has reached a tipping point, and wellness professionals, employers, and insurers are increasingly looking for tools that can improve population health at scale.
What are you building or validating through ACCEL-KS?
Through ACCEL-KS, we are advancing two key initiatives. First, we are completing the Android version of Wearable Wars, expanding beyond iOS to reach a broader user base. Second, we are developing integrated scheduling and payment features, driven by demand from an existing physical therapy client.
This addition is strategic. It shifts My Health Sentry from a motivational add-on to a more central operational tool for providers, improving retention and strengthening its value. Together, these efforts help validate product-market fit in physical therapy and preventative wellness while supporting future scale.
What excites you the most about taking this next step with your company?
What excites me most is the opportunity to reach people who have not been well served by traditional fitness apps. Not just those who are already motivated, but the much larger group that wants to be healthier but has not found something that works for them.
By partnering with fitness and health coaches, we gain a trusted pathway to that audience. The coach becomes a force multiplier, and the platform becomes the layer that keeps people engaged and accountable over time. That combination is what makes this next step so meaningful.
Dizzy 911 | Lawrence, Douglas County
About Dizzy911
Dizzy911 is a smartphone-based simulation platform designed to improve clinicians’ bedside assessment of dizziness and vertigo. Created by a practicing physical therapist, the tool helps providers recognize subtle yet critical eye movements that can distinguish between benign conditions and serious neurological events. Missed or misinterpreted symptoms often lead to unnecessary imaging, hospital admissions, or, in some cases, missed diagnoses with serious consequences. Through ACCEL-KS, Dizzy911 is refining and validating its platform in real clinical settings, working directly with providers to ensure it is both effective and scalable. The goal is straightforward: make dizziness assessment more accurate, accessible, and teachable across care environments. As demand on healthcare systems continues to grow, tools like Dizzy911 aim to improve decision-making at the point of care.
What problem are you solving and why does it matter now?
Every year, millions of patients seek care for dizziness, one of the most common reasons older adults visit the emergency room or a physical therapist. The challenge is that dizziness can signal anything from a minor inner ear condition to a life-threatening stroke. Dizzy911 uses smartphone-based simulation to help providers assess patients at the bedside.
Many clinicians are not trained to confidently recognize subtle eye movements called nystagmus, which are critical for distinguishing minor from serious conditions. When nystagmus is missed or misinterpreted, patients may receive unnecessary imaging and hospital admissions or, in some cases, be discharged while experiencing a stroke.
With emergency departments under pressure, an aging population at higher risk for falls, and rising healthcare costs tied to misdiagnosis, better training is needed. Dizzy911 was created to make dizziness and vertigo assessments more accurate, accessible, and teachable so patients receive the right care at the right time.
What are you building or validating through ACCEL-KS?
Through ACCEL-KS, Dizzy911 is building and validating a smartphone-based simulation platform that teaches clinicians how to recognize and interpret nystagmus. The program supports continued prototyping and refinement, with a focus on educational effectiveness and scalability. Development is happening alongside clinicians, incorporating real-time feedback and testing in care environments to ensure the tool supports clinical decision-making at the bedside.
What excites you the most about taking this next step with your company?
What excites me most is the opportunity to move from a smartphone prototype to measurable impact.
For years, I have seen the challenges involved in assessing and treating patients with vertigo and dizziness in practice. Evaluating these symptoms can be complex and intimidating, not only for therapists but also for urgent care and emergency medicine clinicians who must quickly determine whether a condition is benign or life-threatening. Dizzy911 creates an opportunity to translate that clinical experience into a scalable solution that strengthens evaluation across care settings and improves outcomes beyond the patients I personally treat.
ACCEL-KS funding represents a meaningful step forward. It allows us to refine, validate, and expand a tool designed to improve bedside assessment and support better clinical decisions in Kansas and beyond.
Vina | Stockton, Rooks County
About Vina
Vina is building a platform that helps rural communities maintain accurate, accessible online information about local businesses. In many small towns, business listings are outdated, incomplete, or missing entirely, making it difficult for customers to find and support local options. As consumer behavior increasingly depends on online search, this visibility gap directly impacts revenue and long-term viability. Vina’s approach focuses on simplicity and sustainability, keeping business information current without requiring technical expertise or ongoing manual effort. Through ACCEL-KS, the company is piloting its platform in rural communities to test adoption, accuracy, and long-term usability. The goal is to create a repeatable model that strengthens local economies by making businesses easier to discover and support. In doing so, Vina is addressing a foundational challenge for rural communities navigating a digital-first marketplace.
What problem are you solving and why does it matter now?
Rural small businesses are often difficult to find online. Many have outdated or missing information, and when customers cannot find accurate details, they move on.
This matters more than ever as consumer behavior has shifted. Most people search for local businesses online, and many will choose a competitor if information is incorrect. In rural areas, that competitor is often outside the community, meaning dollars leave and do not return.
Local businesses are central to rural communities. They create jobs and support schools, events, and local organizations. When visibility is limited, the impact extends beyond individual businesses to the entire community. Vina was built to close this gap in a way that is easy for business owners to maintain.
What are you building or validating through ACCEL-KS?
Through ACCEL-KS, we are building and validating the pilot version of the Vina platform in rural communities across Kansas and the Midwest.
We are testing whether the model is truly sustainable. Vina is designed so updates happen naturally, without relying on volunteers or additional effort from business owners. We are evaluating how quickly communities can launch, how businesses engage, and whether information remains accurate over time.
The goal is to create a repeatable model that can be expanded to rural communities across the country.
What excites you the most about taking this next step with your company?
What excites me most is the opportunity to create both economic and human impact. When local businesses are easier to find, more money stays in the community, strengthening the entire town.
There is also strong potential for scale. This is a widespread challenge for communities without digital tools designed for their needs. If we can demonstrate that this model works, it can be applied broadly. Starting in my own community and expanding outward makes this work especially meaningful.
