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Pan-Asian insurance group AIA and Japanese tech builder Konica Minolta are collaborating for a new startup accelerator based in Singapore, the companies announced today. The AIA – Konica Minolta Digital Health Accelerator will be taking applications from December 1, 2015, until January 31, 2016. The program will last for 12 weeks and will start on February 22.

The program “aims to create opportunities to groom and nurture startups and supports the Singapore government’s push on adopting information and communication technologies to develop an integrated healthcare delivery system in the country,” according to a statement.

The accelerator is looking for startups developing healthtech products including health measuring sensors, diagnostic tools, digital imaging tech, analytics tools, and more.

Startups selected for the program will receive support and expertise from AIA and Konica Minolta, including access to the two companies’ marketing, strategy, and networking resources. They will have the chance to build relationships with the two companies with a view toward future partnerships. Industry experts will also provide mentorship and insights.

A nest for health startups

At the moment it’s not clear what kind of investments will be made into the participating startups. However, the startups will have the chance to pitch to investors during a demo day at the end of the program.

The accelerator will be run by venture capital and incubation firm Nest, which has previously worked with corporations such as Singapore bank DBS and car maker Infiniti on startup acceleration programs. Previous investments include Simple, a Philippines-based startup making a health monitoring sensor for the elderly, and Hong Kong-based online education startup Gowell.

AIA and Nest have also been collaborating on a healthtech accelerator based in Hong Kong, now in its second year.

The Singapore government has been taking steps toward encouraging startups to come up with healthtech solutions for problems related to aging and the elderly.

We have reached out for more information on the accelerator and we will update this story when we hear back.

Is digital health and healthtech an exciting space for you? Do you think it’s set to become the next big thing in Singapore’s startup ecosystem? Chime in with your thoughts below.

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