The 8 startups will work alongside 20+ industry and investor partners to accelerate innovation and improve health outcomes
CareQuest Innovation Partners, a company focused on validating and scaling solutions to improve overall health through oral health, in partnership with MATTER, the premier health care incubator and innovation hub, today announced the eight emerging startups selected to participate in the fourth year of the SMILE Health program, marking the largest cohort to date.
These startups were selected from an impressive group of applicants from 15 countries and 42 US states. The cohort was selected based on alignment with the SMILE Health focus areas: advancing accessible, equitable, and/or integrated health; engaging people in their oral health; and connecting chronic care with oral health. Selected companies are Feno, Firstgrin, KiDDY CAPS, Social Cascade, Times Health, Toothapps, Willo, and Xploro.
With fluoride bans across multiple states raising concerns for providers and experts, preventive oral health care has never been more critical, particularly for children and low-income families. This urgency was reflected in this year's cohort, with many companies focusing on pediatric oral health care innovation and access.
While venture capital funding for oral health reached more than $400 million in 2024, it still represents only a small share of overall health care investment. This underfunding is especially concerning given that oral diseases affect 3.5 billion people globally each year, and annual dental care spending is expected to exceed $430 billion by 2030. CareQuest Innovation Partners' SMILE Health program aims to close this gap by connecting innovative startups with a growing network of partners and investors to accelerate solutions that improve access, equity, and medical-dental integration and reduce the societal and economic burdens of poor oral health.
"With federal policies for oral health care under threat, there's an urgent need to support innovation that expands access and equity," said Katie D'Amico, vice president of growth and innovation at CareQuest Innovation Partners. "Backing startups at the forefront of this work is one of the most effective ways to ensure communities get the care they need. This year's cohort brings forward solutions from kits, toothbrushes, and education engaging moms, kids, and people with special needs in their health to tools that close care gaps by meeting patients where they are and connecting medical and dental care. These innovations are advancing a more integrated, whole-person future of health for all."
The startups will take part in a four-month, semi-virtual accelerator to validate their solutions, where they will be matched with mission-aligned industry partners. The growing list of partners includes Apple Tree Dental, Cigna Healthcare, Colgate-Palmolive Company, Delta Dental of Massachusetts, Delta Dental of Washington, Dental Network of America, Glidewell, Heartland Dental, Henry Schein, PDS Health, and Sun Life Dental (including DentaQuest), as well as investor partners that include 7wire Ventures, Aphelion Capital, Dental Innovation Alliance, Gilde Healthcare Partners, Revere Partners, Seae Ventures, SpringRock Ventures, and Waterline Ventures.
Each startup will receive a stipend, access to multidisciplinary experts in health care, dedicated mentors, a curated curriculum, and key business insights. New this year, the startups will also have access to CareQuest's new Startup Data Hub, which has self-service capabilities to empower innovators to validate and scale their solutions faster. No equity is required from the startups to participate.
SMILE Health culminates with "Reveal Day" at MATTER headquarters (October 7-8, 2025) and at the global HLTH conference (October 19-22, 2025), featuring a series of curated, one-on-one conversations between cohort members and industry leaders.
Following the accelerator's completion, startups from the cohort will have access to resources from both MATTER and CareQuest Innovation Partners. They will also have the opportunity to apply for CareQuest Innovation Partners' ACCELERATE program, which provides incremental funding to further collaboration with partners on industry-advancing projects.
"One of the most important but often underrated areas of health care is oral health, with a massive opportunity to harness innovation to improve both oral health and overall health," said Steven Collens, CEO of MATTER. "We're proud to have launched the first oral health accelerator together with CareQuest Innovation Partners and look forward to working with this year's cohort to bring real innovation and change to the industry."
Learn more about the 2025 cohort:
Feno Culver City, California
Feno is a connected oral health platform that combines smart brushing technology with personalized insights, empowering people to understand, track, and improve their oral health as part of their overall wellness journey.
Firstgrin New York, New York
Firstgrin provides pediatric oral care kits and targeted, evidence-based education via a companion app for families to help prevent oral disease starting in pregnancy and infancy and establish healthy, lifelong oral hygiene habits.
KiDDY CAPS Wilsdorf, Germany
KiDDY CAPS is transforming pediatric dentistry via affordable, minimally invasive zirconia crowns for children, making high-quality caries treatment accessible for every child.
Social Cascade Raleigh, North Carolina
Social Cascadeenables providers to engage with patients between office visits with timely and relevant information designed to meet patients where they are, promote equitable access through education, and drive community health outcomes.
Times Health Knoxville, Tennessee
Times Healthis an AI-powered virtual health assistant that delivers 24/7 dental guidance, symptom support, and preventive care education, empowering people to take control of their oral health, anytime, anywhere.
Toothapps Wayzata, Minnesota
Toothapps advances health data access, interoperability, and real-time patient engagement across the medical and dental care continuum. Its keystone solution, Cair, helps patients access, understand, and act on their complete health history.
Willo New York, New York
Willoprovides automatic toothbrushes designed for children and anyone who struggles with brushing whether they need extra support or simply a more effective, hassle-free way to maintain daily oral hygiene.
Xploro Cleveland, Ohio
Xplorois a pediatric patient education platform that uses augmented reality, gamification, and other interactive content to empower kids to become active participants in their health journey, reducing anxiety and improving outcomes.
About CareQuest Innovation Partners
CareQuest Innovation Partners validates and scales transformative solutions to improve overall health through oral health. Together, with our ecosystem of leading industry partners, startups, and investors, we make health care more accessible, equitable, and integrated. CareQuest Innovation Partners is the for-profit subsidiary of CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, and they are joined by the shared mission to improve the oral health of all. To learn more, visit carequestinnovation.com and follow us on X/Twitter and LinkedIn.
About MATTER
MATTER, the premier health care incubator and innovation hub, includes more than 1,000 current and alumni startups from around the world, working together with dozens of hospitals and health systems, universities, and industry-leading companies to build the future of health care. Together, the MATTER community is accelerating innovation, advancing care, and improving lives. For more information, visit matter.health and follow @MATTERhealth.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250701672180/en/
Contacts:
Media Contact
Sara Ward
sward@carequest.org
