Q: Can an entry's business model be reliant on revenue from insurance, Medicaid, etc. paying for access to the app?

Q: On commercial potential/scalability – can an entry's business model be reliant on revenue from insurance, Medicaid, etc. paying for access to the app? There may be assumptions that such organizations would pay, but partnership agreements may not be in place yet.

A: While this challenge does not require participants to articulate a business plan in order to submit, products that demonstrate the ability to pilot, scale, and easily reach businesses and consumers will score higher on “Commercial Potential/Market Size” category than those that cannot. Similarly, products that have clear market value and seem likely to appeal to players in the super-utilizer space will score higher in this category.

To date, most of the products in the digital health space use either a business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C) model. In a B2B model, a product is sold directly to a company, and that company then licenses the product to its employees and/or consumers. In a B2C model, a product is sold directly to the consumer. A B2C model may be difficult for this population, given that the consumers are by definition low-income. However, a B2B model that is aimed at hospitals, clinics, health plans, or even government agencies (all of whom could benefit financially from tools that help improve the quality of care provided to super-utilizers) could be a viable approach, and is currently the one most seen in products aimed at this population.