March 15, 2022
Last week we hosted our 2nd Annual Pitch Competition, focused on cutting-edge startups led by Black and Brown founders – offering a foundational start for early-stage startups creating innovative technologies. On Tuesday, March 8, we watched them take the stage for a virtual competition to showcase their innovations and tell their stories.
We were thoroughly impressed by all of our finalists this year. Those of you who put the time in, whether you won or not, have added progressive thought leadership to the conversation! The 2022 Top 10 companies address disparities in women’s health, mental health, surgery/recovery, and diabetes research and product innovation. During the 90-minute competition, the finalists presented their companies and products and answered questions from our seasoned industry judges.
The 1st place prize of $50,000 went to Lauren Elliot of Candlelit Therapy, who presented the company’s point-of-care digital therapeutic platform, which provides culturally competent support to new and expectant BIPOC parents at risk of postpartum depression or anxiety. Candlelit Therapy also received special prizes from California Life Sciences, Johnson & Johnson, and ResMed.
Congratulations to this year’s winners! A full list of winners and prizes from the MedTech Color 2nd Annual Pitch Competition can be found below.
Audience Choice Winner of $2,500:
Wendy Slone, bTECH
Congratulations to the special prize winners!
MedTech Innovator has offered a fast pass to the Top 10 finalists to pitch during the MedTech Innovator 2022 Road Tour, where they will be in competition for up to $500k in prizes.
Texas Medical Center Innovation has selected NeuGen DX to win the automatic entry spot in the 2022 Accelerator Bootcamp where they will have curated engagements with strategic business advisors and health system stakeholders with a focus on supporting preparedness for studies or implementations with health systems and research institutions in the Texas Medical Center and beyond.
California Life Sciences has selected Candlelit Therapy to be fast-tracked into the 2022 FAST Program, an intensive 12-week team review and coaching program.
Harvard Catalyst Post Education has selected NeuGenDX, SealCath LLC, and TAB Diagnostic to participate in TRANSforming Care with Emerging, Novel Devices (TRANSCEND) – a 5 week hybrid course that explores the current climate for the development of class II and class III medical devices.
Johnson & Johnson has selected Candlelit Therapy to participate in Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS virtual ecosystem, which provides leading healthcare start-ups with access to educational programming and networking, resources, amplification opportunities, and the chance to connect with therapeutic area experts and investors.
ResMed has selected Candlelit Therapy to join their Founder-In-Residence program. This special prize includes a dedicated executive sponsor, six months of mentorship from various experts throughout the company, and a $25,000 grant.
Missed the competition? Don’t worry, you can watch the recording here.
We cannot thank you enough for the invaluable support we have received in executing the 2nd Annual Pitch Competition! We can’t wait for next year!
Join us at our next event! Please join us this October 24-26th in Boston at The MedTech Conference, where we will host our 5th Annual MedTech Color Networking Breakfast.
About MedTech Color
MedTech Color is dedicated to increasing and promoting diversity and inclusion across the medtech ecosystem. Native American, Asian, Hispanic and Black professionals and students are encouraged to participate. Through community building, thought leadership, and driving clinical trial enrollment of patients from under-represented groups, MedTech Color is working to increase the number of people of color who enter the medtech community and add tangible value to the medtech network. MedTech Color operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, incorporated in California.