4 minute read
Sandra Saldana, Alva Health
10 women-led medtech startups
The Medical Design & Outsourcing editorial team drew on its resources to produce this list of women-led medtech startups. These are companies that are less than 10 years old and were founded by women and/or are led by women.
Alva Health wins MedTech Innovator startup prize
Led by CEO SANDRA SALDANA, this startup developed a wearable stroke monitor.
BY JIM HAMMERAND MANAGING EDITOR
MedTech Innovator awarded its $350,000 global startup competition grand prize to Alva Health, a wearable, real-time stroke monitor developer.
The New Haven, Connecticut–based startup won the medical device accelerator competition after a Sept. 29 vote by attendees of The MedTech Conference, organized by AdvaMed.
“Alva Health’s mission is to develop, commercialize and make accessible a fi rst-in-class medical device that accurately detects strokes using patient-worn wearables,” Alva Health co-founder and CEO Sandra Saldana said in a news release. “This award represents a recognition of the tremendous clinical unmet need for patients and an important milestone in Alva Health’s journey. We are grateful to the MedTech Innovator community for their support and for the opportunity to receive mentorship from top leaders in the medical device industry as we work toward fulfi lling our mission to deliver this much-needed technology to the millions of people who are at high risk for stroke.”
MedTech Innovator received more than 1,100 applications. Four other fi nalists — BioDevek, Caretaker Medical, Cooler Heads Care and Nutromics — each received a $25,000 prize. The MedTech Innovator accelerator program provides early-stage companies with industry mentorship, virtual networking and workshops, and pitch sessions with investors, manufacturers, providers and customers. “Each year, we are on a mission to fi nd the most promising startups from around the globe and connect them with the right stakeholders with the goal of reaching patients and improving lives,” MedTech Innovator Founding CEO Paul Grand said JIM HAMMERAND patients and an important milestone in in the news release. “I can say Alva Health’s journey. We are grateful to with full confi dence that not the MedTech Innovator community for only Alva Health, but all of this their support and for the opportunity to year’s fi nalist companies are receive mentorship from top leaders in on track to bring life-changing the medical device industry as we work health solutions into the toward fulfi lling our mission to deliver this hands of clinicians much-needed technology to the millions and their of people who are at high risk for stroke.” patients.”
in the news release. “I can say with full confi dence that not only Alva Health, but all of this year’s fi nalist companies are on track to bring life-changing health solutions into the hands of clinicians and their patients.”
Alva Health’s stroke monitor
Photo courtesy of Alva Health Alva Health cofounder and CEO Sandra Saldana
Photo courtesy of Alva Health
10 WOMEN-LED MEDTECH STARTUPS
ALVA HEALTH
SANDRA SALDANA, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO
Alva Health developed a wearable, real-ti me stroke monitor for older, high-risk pati ents.
New Haven, Connecti cut Founded: 2017
BIODEVEK
NATALIE ARTZI, FOUNDER
BioDevek is a medical device company that has developed internal, external and reversible adhesive materials that react with each ti ssue to provide adhesion while maintaining biocompati bility.
Allston, Massachusett s Founded: 2014
COREMAP
SARAH KALIL, CO-FOUNDER, CEO AND PRESIDENT
CoreMap is developing a catheter to visualize the drivers of atrial fi brillati on to overcome the problems of poor spati al resoluti on.
Burlington, Vermont Founded: 2016
ENVISION ENDOSCOPY
AZADEH KHANICHEH, CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT
Envision Endoscopy is developing a single-use, disposable image guided suturing system for use with fl exible endoscopes.
Lowell, Massachusett s Founded: 2018
LIVONYX
CARMELA MASCIO, CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT
LivOnyx is developing a rapid, fully automated hand saniti zati on system to reduce the spread of viruses, resistant bacteria, Clostridioides diffi cile spores and more.
Lowell, Massachusett s Founded: 2016
