Blog

By Lisa Kim We’re excited to introduce our second cohort of Breakthrough innovators! This year, we selected four teams offering innovations that advance adolescent sexual and reproductive health—and reduce teen pregnancy—in creative and impactful ways. Our selection process included in-depth application reviews, input from youth advisors, and interviews with applicant […]

By Mayson Stowers and Lauren Zarick Innovations in adolescent health and well-being are happening all around us, but without strong communication of what makes them significant, even the best ideas may never reach the young people they’re designed for. That’s where branding comes in. At Breakthrough Accelerator, we see branding […]

By Amanda Harris, Wilna Julmiste Taylor, and Jai Williams The Up to Us team is using short films to change how we talk with young people, ages 17–25, about sexual health, especially with those affected by the justice system. You can see a trailer for their films and request access […]

By Jenn Rogers After 10 months of ideation, pivots, planning, and practice pitches, five Innovation Design Teams (IDTs) arrived at Breakthrough’s first-ever “Demo Day” on May 20, 2025, ready to present their bold ideas. Each team came with a vision for change and countless hours of work behind them, eager […]

By Christiana Jolda, LICSW and Yael Smiley, MD At Breakthrough, we support innovation teams that create new solutions to promote adolescent health and well-being. Beyond the Bump, one of five innovation teams in our inaugural 2024 cohort, focuses on improving care for pregnant and parenting teens ages 12–19 by training […]