“Odonata looks forward to forging new relationships and connections in this unique program. As a veteran of the U.S. Army, I am pleased Bunker Labs and WeWork have created this opportunity to support veterans and recognize the potential for veterans to lead private businesses and leverage the leadership skills they learned during their military careers,” said Ann Holder, CEO of Odonata Health.
Veterans in Residence is a six-month startup incubator and leadership program that provides veteran and military family member entrepreneurs the community, business support and workspace to help launch and grow their businesses. Veterans in Residence is now in 25 cities across the U.S. Odonata has been selected as a participant in the third cohort of the program.
Through Veterans in Residence, Odonata can connect with both communities of mentors and prospective business partners for startups, including Bunker Labs’ network of more than 10,000 veteran entrepreneurs and business leaders. WeWork has a global community of more than 650,000 members and an alumni community of more than 500 veteran and military family member CEOs.
“The support, relationships and space to grow the business are invaluable at this stage in Odonata’s development as a startup company,” said Holder.
Bunker Labs is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Chicago, with chapters in more than 25 cities, built by military veteran entrepreneurs to empower other military veterans to start and grow businesses. Through local chapters organized in cities across the U.S., Bunker Labs provides educational programming, mentors, events and thriving local networks to help military veterans succeed and thrive as entrepreneurs and innovators. Visit bunkerlabs.org for more information.
WeWork provides members with space, community and services through physical and virtual offerings. WeWork has 739 locations across 140 cities and 37 countries, as well as more than 662,000 total memberships, including global enterprises. WeWork is committed to providing members around the world with a better day at work for less.
The U.S. has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the industrialized world. Each year in the U.S., 700 to 900 women die from complications in pregnancy or childbirth. These numbers overshadow the more pervasive problem of severe maternal morbidity. Primary drivers include disparities in race, education, income, rural demographics, access to healthcare and insurance, and other socio-economic factors, accelerated by greater prevalence of C-sections, obesity, and chronic health issues. Pregnancy related complications and premature births cost the U.S. approximately $26 billion annually.
Odonata Health is dedicated to improving the experience and outcomes of pregnant women via novel technology that accurately measures maternal and fetal vital statistics during pregnancy, labor and delivery. Odonata is developing a wearable, textile-based product to measure key vital statistics of women and their developing fetus. Odonata is committed to improving maternal and fetal health outcomes and working to ensure access to its technology in traditionally under-served communities. Odonata Health products are not yet cleared by the U.S. FDA.