MassRobotics has announced a call for applicants for Cohort 6 of its Healthcare Robotics Startup Catalyst Program, a four-month, non-equity initiative that helps robotics and automation teams accelerate clinical readiness, technical validation, and go-to-market in healthcare and life sciences. Applications open October 15, 2026 and close December 31, 2026, with the cohort running February through June 2027 and concluding with company showcases at the Robotics Summit and Expo in Boston.
Program Overview
• Program name: Healthcare Robotics Startup Catalyst Program – Cohort 6
• Organizer: MassRobotics
• Format: Four-month, non-equity initiative
• Focus: Clinical readiness, technical validation, and go-to-market for healthcare and life sciences robotics and automation
• Application window: October 15, 2026 – December 31, 2026
• Program period: February – June 2027
• Conclusion: Company showcases at the Robotics Summit and Expo in Boston
• Location: Boston, MA
Steering Committee and Partners
• Founding partners: Festo, Novanta, and Mitsubishi Electric US
• New steering committee member: Intel
• Intel contribution: Mentorship and technical depth in edge AI and on-device compute for surgical and procedure-enabling robotics and OR automation, an area of growing interest across the cohort
• Intel team involvement: Health and Life Sciences team
• Additional supporting mentor organization: yaxxoo
• Clinical input: Practicing clinicians and leading organizations in the medical field
Mentorship and Support
• Senior mentors from Festo, Novanta, Mitsubishi Electric US, Intel, and yaxxoo
• Access to practicing clinicians and leading medical organizations
• Organizational and technical support
• Biweekly mentor cadence
• Practical milestone focus: proof-of-concept builds, pilot design, regulatory planning, or systems integration
Track Record and Alumni Impact
• Active since 2021
• 35 startups mentored to date, spanning pre-seed through Series A
• Alumni headquartered from Boston, Toronto, and Paris to Barcelona, Sydney, and beyond
• Alumni outcomes include a public listing, multiple proof-of-concept deployments, and more than $180 million in disclosed funding raised
• Program track record: guiding healthcare robotics ventures from early prototypes to market-ready platforms
Testimonials
• Johannes Linzbach, Head of Research Hub Boston, Festo: "Having supported the MassRobotics Healthcare Catalyst Program for three years, I'm proud of the journey we at Festo have taken - from founding member to seeing standout startups like Tenomix thrive. What I love most is discovering the people behind the technology: their ambition, their ideas, and what drives them. At Festo, we're excited to support Cohort 6 with our experience and connections across the ecosystem as they turn those ideas into solutions that can scale."
• Bingda Li, CEO of Whelix: "The MassRobotics Healthcare Catalyst Program gave us exactly what a deep-tech startup needs: direct access to people who have experienced similar problems before. The technical support from Festo and Mitsubishi Electric US, combined with mentorship across technical development, business strategy, go-to-market, and product feedback, helped us make sharper decisions faster. We are grateful to the MassRobotics team and the mentors who invested their time in Whelix, and we encourage other robotics startups in healthcare and life science to apply."
Who Should Apply
• Eligible startups: robotics or automation for healthcare and biotech
• Eligible areas include: lab and pharma automation, diagnostics and imaging workflows, hospital logistics and OR automation, rehabilitation and assistive devices, surgical and interventional robotics, and enabling technologies such as sensing, precision motion, edge AI/on-device compute, and cybersecurity for medical devices
• Geographic scope: robotics startups from around the world
• Company stage: early-stage and more mature companies, including Seed through Series C, are encouraged to apply
What Participants Receive
• Tailored mentorship with senior experts from Festo, Mitsubishi Electric US, Novanta, Intel, and yaxxoo
• Clinical perspective through the Medical Advisory Board
• Structured onboarding, goal setting, and biweekly mentor working sessions
• Custom workshops based on cohort needs on regulatory strategy, cybersecurity and SBOMs, clinical workflow, pilot design, and more
• Visibility through MassRobotics channels and the Robotics Summit showcase in June
Selection Criteria
• Technical maturity
• Clinical relevance
• Feasibility of near-term milestones
• Program fit
• Mentor alignment
• Teams able to pursue a proof-of-concept during the four-month program are especially encouraged to apply
Key Dates
• Applications open: October 15, 2026
• Applications close: December 31, 2026
• Evaluation and interviews: January 1 – January 20, 2027
• Cohort announcement: January 29, 2027
• Program period: February – June 2027
How to Apply
• Complete the application here
• Questions can be directed to info@massrobotics.org
Media Contact
• Organization: MassRobotics
• Email: info@massrobotics.org
About MassRobotics
• Independent nonprofit and the world's largest independent robotics hub, headquartered in Boston
• Mission: Help create and scale the next generation of successful robotics and physical AI companies by providing entrepreneurs with workspace, technical equipment, resources, programming, and connections needed to develop, test, and commercialize their technologies
• Current resident startups: 100+ representing 35 industries
• Portfolio impact: 250 startups worked with to date, raising nearly $3 billion in venture funding
• Website: massrobotics.org
MassRobotics continues to position its Healthcare Robotics Startup Catalyst Program as a practical bridge between emerging robotics ventures and the clinical, technical, and commercial demands of healthcare and life sciences. With the addition of Intel to its steering committee and a global call for Seed through Series C applicants, Cohort 6 offers selected teams structured mentorship, clinical insight, and exposure through the Robotics Summit and Expo.