At the recent MedTech Actuator Showcase, we joined ecosystem leaders to celebrate Asia Pacific’s next wave of early-stage MedTech, HealthTech and BioTech entrepreneurs – with four taking home prestigious awards.
About MedTech Actuator Entrepreneurs
Our changemakers are taking their innovations further and faster with MedTech Actuator programs. Eight teams took to the stage in Melbourne to pitch to the ecosystem and industry leaders, including the largest names in medical technology and the startup ecosystem.
Stepping into the spotlight were entrepreneurs from early-stage innovation programs including MedTech Actuator Origin Australia and Japan and MedTech Actuator’s flagship Accelerator program.
Award Winners
MinterEllison MedTech Actuator Origin 2022 Award: EN∀I
Dr Simone Mitchel, Partner at MinterEllison joined us to announce the MinterEllison MedTech Actuator Origin 2022 Award.
Congratulations to Amin Abbas from EN∀I on taking out this prestigious award after a highly competitive process and pitching at the finals. EN∀I was selected by the audience and judges as the winner out of four early-stage entrepreneurs who made it to the Origin finals.
EN∀I is improving endometriosis imaging by using ultrasound with inbuilt guidance and 3D reconstruction.
“We were really impressed with the pitches tonight and we decided to offer the winner another $10k in in-kind legal services. Congratulations, EN∀I”, – Dr Simone Mitchel, Partner, MinterEllison.
As the MinterEllison MedTech Actuator Origin 2022 Award winner, EN∀I receives an AUD$10K cash prize, over AUD$5K worth of in-kind support from MedTech Actuator, legal services from MinterEllison to the value of AUD$10K, as well as access to a fast-tracked entry into the MedTech Actuator Accelerator 2023.
Bupa MedTech Actuator Accelerator 2022 Award: Anura Medical
Gerald Marion, Chief Customer and Strategy Officer at Bupa Asia Pacific, joined us to present the Bupa MedTech Actuator Accelerator 2022 Award.
“Congratulations to the winner – innovations require a lot of perseverance and it is a long journey to market”, – Gerald Marion, Chief Customer and Strategy Officer, Bupa Asia Pacific.
The MedTech Actuator Accelerator supports founders in taking their innovation from Seed to Series A. Embedded in the MedTech Actuator ecosystem, startups radically advance their technology development, raise pre-seed capital, gain critical business and management skills and build a comprehensive commercialisation strategy.
Congratulations to every founder on their relentless execution towards market success over these past six months – and to Phoebe Lewis from Anura Medical who took home the Bupa MedTech Actuator Accelerator 2022 Award, winning an AUD$10K cash prize.
Anura Medical helps people breathe better through continuous, wearable lung monitoring. Founded by a team of engineers, doctors, and business consultants, Anura aims to create a new gold standard that will enable clinicians to treat breathing decline early and reduce health complications for people with lung disease.
MedTech Actuator People’s Choice 2022 Award: Vysum
Congratulations to MedTech Actuator Accelerator participant, Lorace Zhang from Vysum, for being selected for the MedTech Actuator People’s Choice 2022 Award.
MedTech Actuator Showcase guests from the innovation ecosystem – spanning investor groups and VCs, multinational corporations, hospitals, product development firms, universities, and research institutes – voted for their favourite pitch of the night, with Vysum taking home the prize.
This coveted vote of confidence went to Vysum for enabling easier eye drop delivery and glaucoma management. Vysum takes home an AUD$1K cash prize.
CROW Clinical Emerging Female Founder 2022 Award: April Van Der Kamp
In 2022, MedTech Actuator focused its efforts to help bridge the gaps for female and diverse founders to pursue entrepreneurship. In its first year event, Julie Von Grum, Director at CROW Clinical, joined to present the CROW Clinical Emerging Female Founder 2022 Award.
“Now is the time for women to step up, to have a voice and confidence to go out start new ventures and raise capital”, Julie Von Grum, Director, CROW Clinical.
The CROW Clinical Emerging Female Founder 2022 Award was presented to April Van Der Kamp, CEO, DFU Solutions, acknowledging the impact and progress she has made as a leading female founder and CEO in the space. This award comes with an AUD$10K cash prize to recognise her contribution and efforts as an extraordinary female founder in our community.
April started her journey with MedTech Actuator as a MedTech Actuator Menzies Scholar in 2021 before embarking on her journey in the MedTech Actuator Accelerator 2022 as the CEO of DFU Solutions, a BioTech startup developing safe, effective, convenient bacteriophage-based treatments for infected wound care.
Read more on April’s experience with the MedTech Actuator programs. Congratulations April, you inspire all the women in STEMM!
It Takes A Village to Raise a MedTech Startup
The MedTech Actuator Showcase and the specialised acceleration model underpinning all of our programs would not be possible without the support of the innovation ecosystem. Read more about the evening and sponsors in the event brochure.
Special guests
Thank you to our distinguished Showcase guests for your support of our MedTech superheroes and the ecosystem:
- Mr. Yasuyuki Murahashi – Director-General, JETRO Osaka
- Rebecca Davies AO – MedTech Actuator Board Member; Director, Heart Foundation
- Michelle Gallaher – MedTech Actuator Board member; CEO – Opyl
and others.
Showcase Sponsors
We would like to acknowledge our Gold and Bronze Sponsors for the MedTech Actuator Showcase – thank you to:
- MinterEllison
- Bupa
- CROW Clinical
- Hydrix
- Biodesign Australia
Partners
We would also like to thank our Foundation and Product Development partners for their constant and continued support of both the MedTech Actuator and the ecosystem.
Friends and supporters
A very special shoutout to all our ecosystem friends and supporters. Without you, we would not be able to surround founders with the support they need to bring innovations to the patients and clinicians who need it most.
MedTech Actuator Accelerator applications are now open for 2023!
Do you have a medical innovation that you’re ready to bring to market? MedTech Actuator’s Accelerator is here to help and expression of interest is open. Over 12 months, the program will equip your team with the skills, network and resources needed to successfully navigate the commercialisation pathway. Become a part of MedTech Actuator’s next Accelerator cohort!
MedTech Actuator Origin and Accelerator are supported by the REDI initiative, powered by MTPConnect, funded by the MRFF and LaunchVic.
MedTech Actuator Origin Japan 2022 is sponsored by JETRO and co-organized with JETRO, OCCI and OBDA.
