Submit Your Idea
Individuals and groups interested in pitching ideas should apply by submitting their idea using the form above. We welcome early-stage for-profit and non-profit ideas and ventures. The top seven (7) submissions will be named Psychiatry Innovation Lab Finalists. They will be invited to formally pitch their venture at the live event on May 21. In addition, ten (10) Semi-Finalists will be chosen to give rapid-fire pitches, and one will be voted by the audience to become a Finalist.
Receive Mentorship & Education
Upon the announcement, all Finalists receive formal mentorship and education by experts in psychiatry and entrepreneurship. Finalists work with mentors to improve their idea prior to the live event.
Pitch Your Venture
The Lab centers around a live event that is a highly collaborative and hands-on experience. It will take place on Sunday, May 21, 2017 from noon–7pm at the APA Annual Meeting at the San Diego Convention Center. It will begin with the seven Finalists giving formal pitches about their innovative idea for improving mental health care delivery and how psychiatrists are diagnosing, treating, or managing patients. In addition, ten Semi-Finalists will give rapid-fire pitches, and the audience will vote on one "wildcard" to become a Finalist.
Collaborate with Experts
An expert panel of judges will give feedback and offer insight into each idea.
During the event, Innovation Leaders will join the APA Meeting attendees to evaluate and improve upon the ideas of the Finalists. Professionals in business, technology, medicine, and government as well as patients and their supporters are encouraged to apply as Innovation Leaders and bring their diverse talent to this event.
At its core, the Lab is an interactive exercise in experiential learning. The audience (consisting of APA members and Innovation Leaders) will join the Finalist of their choice to create teams that work together and incorporate judges’ feedback to improve the initial pitch. These teams will receive training on best practices in innovation centered around evidence-based practices, measurement, collaboration, and sustainability. Judges will join the teams as mentors, helping the teams collaborate to design an effective and sustainable venture.
Win Prizes & Funding
The Finalist teams will give final pitches to the judges and audience. The Lab will culminate with networking opportunities and the awarding of over $10,000 in prizes. These prizes are generously sponsored by the following companies that are leading mental health innovation: InnovaTel, Lantern, Spring, and more.
After the event, we facilitate community building and networking. Past participants have found this time to be very valuable and have found partners, investors, clinical testing sites, and friends!
about the lab
The Psychiatry Innovation Lab is an incubator at the American Psychiatric Association that catalyzes the formation of innovative ventures to transform mental healthcare. We nurture early-stage ideas and ventures by investing in them with mentorship, education, funding, and collaboration opportunities with our community of mental health innovators.
The Lab centers around a live event at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, the largest psychiatric organization in the world. This event brings together top leaders in psychiatry with experts in business, technology, medicine, and government, who collaborate with the finalists. This year, over $10,000 in prizes will be awarded, thanks for our supporters including InnovaTel, Lantern, Spring, and more.
Apply by April 1st on psychiatry.org, the official APA website