Pilot competition taps drugless mental health solution for latest tech-infused cohort
August 6, 2025
Sarah Hill, Healium, speaks to a crowd gathered for Startland News' Innovation Exchange in September 2024; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News
Finalists for the 2025 NXTSTAGE Community Health & Vibrancy Pilot Competition were announced Wednesday, including Columbia, Missouri-based Healium, which offers tech-driven mental wellness products that quickly reduce anxiety or improves mood in as little as four minutes.
“We were attracted to NXTUS as it is trying to connect entrepreneurs with meaningful relationships,” said Sarah Hill, founder and CEO of Healium, a past Kansas City Startup to Watch embedded in ecosystems across Missouri. “We’ve attended some of its programs before and found them valuable.”
Healium and its fellow finalists were selected by NXTUS and leading community health and economic development organizations across Kansas, according to the Wichita-based program. These pilot partners will now work to design and select innovation projects they see as most promising for their communities.