Sonavi Labs and Clear Eye Test Win Healthtech Startup Pitch Competition
Sonavi Labs and Clear Eye Test were named the winners of the Early Stage Startup Pitch competition held on Oct. 18, during HLTH Boston 2021.
This year’s Early Stage HLTH Startup Pitch Competition – sponsored by Samsung Next, Johnson & Johnson, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) – featured eight companies. As in previous years, there were two winners – one chosen by a panel of investor judges and the other by crowd vote.
Sonavi Labs took top honors based on a review by a three-member panel of judges. Clear Eye Test was the popular choice, winning the crowd vote. Both winners will receive $25,000 in sponsorship credit for HLTH 2022, and were recognized at the HLTH Innovators’ Reception on October 18th. As the winner chosen by the panel of judges, Sonavi Labs will also get $10,000 of AWS credits.
Startups play a critical role in the future of healthcare. The Startup Pitch competition enabled industry disruptors to present their vision to investors, industry participants, media, and analysts. The early stage competition was open to companies less than 3-years-old, and that have raised less than $3 million.
Sonavi Labs develops medical devices and software rooted in AI and applied to auscultation — the act of listening to body sounds. Sonavi’s Feelix smart stethoscope is a digital version of one of the most ubiquitous devices used by doctors. The goal of the company’s patented technology is to transform the way in which respiratory diseases and infections are detected and managed. The company was launched in 2017. Ellington West, the company’s CEO and a co-founder, was named to Inc.’s 2021 Female Founders 100 list.
“The past 18 months have made my company’s mission to improve the lives of patients battling respiratory diseases even more urgent, increasing our drive to ensure that advanced respiratory diagnostics are accessible for patients in both clinical settings and in the home,” said West.
Clear Eye Test, launched in 2019 as Digiteyez Technologies, has developed patented algorithms to model eyes and simulate vision – enabling optometrists to personalize individual prescriptions. The company reports that its prescriptions deliver 100% visual acuity and match in-clinic measurements to within 0.25 diopters.
“We’re incredibly excited to win the crowd vote at HLTH 2021,” said Ian Moore, Chief Operating Officer at Clear Eye Test, who presented the company’s pitch. “Here at Clear, we believe that digital optometry is the only way to improve eye care services around the world, ensuring our eyes keep up with the digital health revolution.”
In addition to the winners, the six other healthtech finalists were GroupWell, PayGround Inc., Ritual, Sage Health, Segmed, and Strados Labs.
Judges for the pitch competition included myself; Stacy Feld, Regional Head, Johnson & Johnson Innovation; and Jared Saul, Global Head, Healthcare + Life Sciences at AWS.
Samsung Next has a strong healthtech portfolio that reflects the technologies, trends, and ideas that matter in today’s marketplace. Our portfolio companies are developing solutions that integrate wearables, sensors, and wellness data into clinical environments. The result is better patient experiences, improved outcomes, and lower costs.
This year’s finalists in the early stage pitch competition were particularly impressive. In fact, we made a surprise announcement following the HLTH Boston 2021 pitch competition that we have extended an investment offer to Ritual, one of the eight finalists. Ritual’s digital therapy platform is designed to help couples achieve healthier relationships. David Pruwer, the company’s CEO and co-founder, made a presentation during the startup pitch competition.
But we’re just getting started. The caliber of applicants and finalists for the pitch competition was excellent. We are exploring the possibility of investing in some of the other seven companies as part of our commitment to shaping the future of healthcare.
Jonathan Machado is a Senior Investment Director for Samsung Next. Samsung Next's investment strategy is limited to its own views and does not reflect the vision or strategy of any other Samsung business unit, including, but not limited to, Samsung Electronics.