MassRobotics Opens Applications for Healthcare Robotics Catalyst Program, Cohort 5

AI in Healthcare

Insider Brief

MassRobotics opened applications (Sept. 30–Dec. 1, 2025) for Cohort 5 of its five-month, non-equity Healthcare Robotics Startup Catalyst Program running Jan–May 2026, concluding with company showcases at the Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston.
Cohort 5 expands the Medical Advisory Board with advisors from Mass General Brigham and others, and pairs startups with senior mentors from Festo, Novanta, Mitsubishi Electric Automation, MITRE, and yaxxoo to accelerate clinical readiness, technical validation, and go-to-market.
The global, stage-agnostic program targets healthcare and biotech robotics (e.g., lab/pharma automation, diagnostics, hospital logistics, rehab/assistive, surgical, and enabling tech), with selection based on technical maturity, clinical relevance, and ability to hit near-term milestones.

PRESS RELEASE – MassRobotics announced the call for applicants for Cohort 5 of its Healthcare Robotics Startup Catalyst Program, a five-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 today and close on December 1, 2025. The cohort will run January through May 2026, concluding with company showcases at the Robotics Summit and Expo in Boston.

MassRobotics is expanding its Medical Advisory Board for Cohort 5 with additional advisors from Mass General Brigham and others, adding depth in perioperative care, patient safety, and clinical workflow integration. The expanded board brings system-level innovation expertise and perioperative insight to help founders design viable pilots and clinical evidence plans.

The Catalyst Program connects selected startups with senior mentors from Festo, Novanta, Mitsubishi Electric Automation, MITRE, and yaxxoo, along with practicing clinicians and leading organizations in the medical field. Companies work toward practical milestones such as proof-of-concept builds, pilot design, regulatory planning, or systems integration, supported by organizational/technical support and biweekly mentor cadence.

“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. I’m excited to continue empowering startups to scale with Cohort 5 and shape the future of healthcare robotics.” Johannes Linzbach, Head of Research Hub Boston, Festo.

“The Catalyst Program has been a truly pivotal part of our journey. When you’re building a first-in-class AI-enabled robotic platform in healthcare, you need creative thinking, honest feedback, and a community that pushes you forward. MassRobotics delivered exactly that. From mentors who guided us on everything from refining technical components to exploring innovative pricing models like Robotics-as-a-Service, to a network of clinicians, engineers, and investors who became long-term collaborators, we gained the insights and support we needed to make the right decisions at the right time. Those decisions led us to successfully demo our pre-commercial robot at the Robotics Summit and Expo, where the response was incredible. Beyond the program, the Boston community around MassRobotics is something special. We’ve built lifelong connections that are already helping us in our current investment round. If you’re working on healthcare robotics, I can’t recommend this program enough: you have to apply.” Saumik Biswas, CEO of Tenomix (Cohort 4).

Who should apply

Startups building robotics or automation for healthcare and biotech, including but not limited to: lab and pharma automation, diagnostics and imaging workflows, hospital logistics, rehabilitation and assistive devices, surgical and interventional robotics, and enabling technologies such as sensing, precision motion, and cybersecurity for medical devices. The program is open to global teams. Both earlier teams and more mature companies, including those at Seed through Series C, are encouraged to apply.

What participants receive

Tailored mentorship with senior experts from Festo, Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Novanta, MITRE, 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 May

Selection criteria

Applicants are evaluated on technical maturity, clinical relevance, feasibility of near-term milestones, program fit, and mentor alignment. Teams able to pursue a proof-of-concept during the five-month program are especially encouraged to apply.

Key dates