Nucleate PNW x CDL Seattle: Women's Health Research Acceleration Challenge
Women’s Health Research Acceleration Challenge
Turn a research bottleneck into a working prototype
Dec 4–6, 2026 | Seattle, WA — venue to be announced
Application deadline: Nov 25, 2026
Join Nucleate PNW and Creative Destruction Lab, in partnership with Anthropic’s AI for Science program, for a three-day challenge to advance women’s health research through hands-on building, mentorship, and validation.
With expert mentorship and Claude API credits provided by Anthropic, teams will build and test a prototype, validate their ideas, and develop a pitch deck.
We’ll select/create 10–15 teams to participate. The challenge will culminate in short pitches, awards, and a celebration with Seattle’s life science and innovation community.
Who should apply?
We welcome students, academic researchers, clinicians, and early-stage startup teams. You do not need a product or idea to apply, just a passion for women's health research and an expertise or skillset you believe will make a difference.
Your project should have:
An existing (even if small or previously unapplied to women’s health) research foundation.
A target user or application in women’s health.
Accessible data, documents, or test materials that you have permission to use.
A realistic goal for what you can build and demonstrate in three days.
What to expect:
Friday, Dec 4: Define and build
Meet the organizers and mentors, learn Claude API fundamentals and best practices through an Anthropic seminar, and define your project.
Saturday, Dec 5: Develop and test
Build your MVP, work through bottlenecks with mentors, and begin testing to explore where your tool succeeds and where it fails.
Sunday, Dec 6: Validate and share
Complete your MVP tests, outline your next steps, and prepare a short pitch deck. Finish the weekend with a short pitch, followed by awards and networking.
Final pitch and celebration: Sunday, Dec 6, 5–8 p.m.
How to apply
RSVP to the Luma page by Nov 25, 2026, either alone or with a team.
Bring a meaningful problem, build something useful, and leave with a plan to move it forward.
Please email pnw@nucleate.org for questions and inquiries
About the Hosts:
Nucleate is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the next generation of biotech leaders. With chapters spanning 41 geographic regions and participation from over 280 academic institutions, Nucleate sparks new intellectual communities and embeds emerging talent within a global biotech community. Through open-access educational programming, Nucleate helps democratize biotech innovation — removing barriers and helping founders concentrate on building transformational technologies. Visit www.nucleate.org for more information, and visit https://nucleate.org/privacy-policy/ to read our privacy policy.
Creative Destruction Lab–Seattle (CDL-Seattle), based at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, helps founders turn scientific and technological breakthroughs into scalable companies. Its no-fee, no-equity program connects early-stage ventures with experienced entrepreneurs, investors, and scientists for practical mentorship and business guidance. With streams in Computational Health and Advanced Manufacturing, CDL-Seattle supports founders applying AI and other emerging technologies to challenges in healthcare and industry.