AVaTAR MedTech
Building heart valves from patients' own tissue during surgery
More than 200 million people worldwide suffer from diseases affecting the aortic and pulmonary valves of the heart. AVaTAR MedTech has developed a medical device that surgeons can use during the operation to construct a new valve from the patient’s own tissue, thus avoiding other valve substitutes that require lifelong medication and do not accommodate growth.
 
Foresee MedTech
Remote heart monitoring to prevent hospital readmissions
Chronic heart failure affects over 6 million Americans, causing frequent hospitalizations, which significantly impact patients’ quality of life and drive healthcare costs, exceeding $30 billion/year. A major challenge in chronic heart failure management is the lack of daily, precise data on a patient’s cardiovascular status, often resulting in delayed interventions and preventable hospital admissions. Foresee addresses this gap with an intravascular sensing platform, which remotely measures four key cardiovascular parameters with a single implantable device. This enables doctors to make earlier, data-driven treatment adjustments, improving patient outcomes, reducing hospitalizations, and ultimately alleviating the financial burden on healthcare systems.

GCFast
Early gastric cancer detection through a simple breath test
GCFast is working on early detection of gastric cancer in Chile, where this disease is the leading cause of cancer death—mainly because 90% of the diagnoses are in late stages. Imagine if detecting it early was as simple as breathing. That's exactly what GCFast is aiming for. They are developing a non-invasive test using a colorimetric sensor that detects biomarkers in the breath to identify gastric cancer in early stages, giving patients a real chance at survival.

ImpeDrill
Smart drill technology that protects soft tissue during bone surgery
Millions of patients undergo osteosynthesis surgery for fractures, where plunging and damaging soft tissues such as nerves, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels can have serious consequences. ImpeDrill is an adaptable smart drill bit for orthopedic screw placement. It uses bioimpedance to differentiate soft tissue from bone tissue, providing surgeons with real-time information about the tissue in front of the tip. ImpeDrill alerts the user before the tip reaches soft tissue, minimizing plunging and damage, improving patient safety.

Monere / NiADA
Non-invasive anemia screening using AI analysis of smartphone imaging
Monere is addressing the global issue of anemia, a condition affecting over 2 billion people worldwide and recognized as the #1 malnutrition issue by the World Health Organization. The current standard for anemia screening relies on costly blood draw or an invasive finger pricking tests, risking infection and generating biohazardous waste. Monere aims to revolutionize anemia screening with a more accessible and non-invasive cellphone app to measure hemoglobin levels using AI to analyze a photograph of the inner lower eyelid, eliminating the need for blood samples.

SilkBee Burn Relief
Promoting burn healing with silk and honeybee nanovesicles
Did you know that 8.5M people every year are left with permanent scars from burn wounds? There is no product on the market preventing these scars. SilkBee Burn Relief offers a solution derived from nature. Their novel wound dressing uses the soothing properties of silk and the anti-bacterial and anti-contractile effects of honeybee nanovesicles to prevent scars from burns before they form.
 
TRANSFORMER
Combining biomaterials and cold plasma for enhanced cancer treatments
Current therapies for soft tissue sarcomas—including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy—represent the standard of care, yet still have limitations: relapse rates remain high, and patients can experience significant side effects from high doses of chemo‑ and radiotherapy. Our cavity‑fitting, cold‑plasma‑treated hydrogels are designed to complement these treatments by selectively killing any remaining cancer cells after tumor removal, enhancing local control, improving survival outcomes, and helping preserve patients’ quality of life.

UmboCorp
Fully implantable microphones for invisible cochlear implants
Existing cochlear implants rely on fragile and expensive external hardware including a battery, microphone, processor, and transmitter to function. This reliance creates barriers to adoption due to social stigma and limits usability in scenarios involving water, certain sports equipment, or excessive sweating, ultimately impacting users' quality of life and highlighting the need for a more seamless and versatile solution. UmboMic is a fully implantable, biocompatible microphone solution that can seamlessly integrate with existing systems to deliver an equivalent or superior audio performance. This innovation will finally enable invisible cochlear implant systems, eliminating the need for external hardware and significantly enhancing users’ lifestyle and experiences.