From Ideas to Impact: Meet Cohort 11 at the MedTech Actuator Accelerator AU Demo Day
Bailey Thomas
From stem cell nanomedicine, to portable therapeutic ultrasound devices for mothers, to blood tests for pancreatic cancer, the MedTech Actuator’s Accelerator Australia Cohort 11, supported by Innovation Victoria, brings some of the most innovative healthcare solutions we’ve seen yet. Meet the Australian startups who make up Cohort 11, culminating their six-month program journey at the upcoming MedTech Actuator Accelerator Australia Demo Day on 14 October.
Introducing the healthcare innovators in this year’s MedTech Actuator Accelerator Australia;
Aēir, developing a compact, all-in-one inhaler spacer for people with asthma and COPD, designed to be easier to carry and readily available when medication is needed most.
BioMedika Insights, creating biological nanomedicine, derived from stem cells called exosomes to address the root cause and treat refractory chronic skin inflammations for those patients who have no options left after all available treatments fail.
CareTrust, a personal health application that helps carers stay in control of their health data by removing repeated forms and controlling data access, creating one place to manage their healthcare journey.
Curalysis, a patient-designed neurological health and research platform, starting with epilepsy and MND.
Emva, building the world's first wrist-worn, jewellery-style continuous hormone monitor using multimodal biosensors and proprietary AI to deliver cycle-aware tracking and daily physiological guidance for women.
Hydromask, developing a purpose-built, hands-free ocular irrigation device for emergency clinicians, helping standardise eye irrigation, reduce clinician workload and improve patient comfort during urgent treatment.
MamaTech, developing a portable therapeutic ultrasound device to treat mothers with breastfeeding pain from inflammatory breast conditions (e.g mastitis). Through their simple, safe, and affordable design, improving access to effective treatment for any mum, anywhere.
Neuro Base, building Luce, a platform giving every patient an affinity score: an explainable measure of how well they match a treatment option. Luce uses explainable AI to compare an individual’s clinical profile with patterns observed in similar patients, helping clinicians understand heterogeneity and make more informed decisions.
Oncoparse, developing fast, actionable tumour intelligence for pancreatic cancer. One blood draw, three signals, repeatable at every step of care, giving oncologists the real-time picture they have never had in a disease that kills 90% of patients.
Predictive Intelligence, developing SCALPEL for surgeons, using artificial intelligence analytics of operative videos to drive enhanced surgical performance and improve patient outcomes.
PULS3, an AI health team on your iPhone: eight specialist coaches who read your wearable, your food and your labs, agree on one plan, and adapt it when life gets in the way.
SeizureSafe, a personalised seizure detection technology using data from everyday wearable devices to recognise an individual’s unique seizure patterns and alert them or their support network when a seizure is detected.
Synodic Medical, a wearable microneedle patch that enables continuous troponin monitoring for early detection of cardiac events in high-risk patients.
TermWise Medical, developing a smart, wearable device for preterm birth prevention.
ThyX, developing a tiny biodegradable implant designed to replace daily thyroid hormone tablets with three months of treatment. Inspired by life after thyroid cancer, they’re making thyroid treatment fit real life.
The program experience
The first program phase focused on strengthening teams’ commercialisation foundations, before shifting gears in phase two to narrow in on individual leadership, fundraising strategy and growth preparations. Along the way, teams worked closely with industry experts and mentors to tackle challenges specific to their startups.
Mapping out the road ahead has been a key milestone for all founders. For Curalysis founders, Rebecca-kay Francis and Joseph Skewes, that meant reassessing what they needed to achieve before raising capital. They came into the program believing their next focus would be raising money for regulatory approval, but soon realised they must first strengthen their research model, grow their dataset and better understand their customer journey. For PULS3 founder Adam Nutt, a similar shift in thinking came from one session in particular, “I came in expecting to spend this year raising. One session changed that: do not raise until the evidence is burning. Launch free and let strangers’ usage be the evidence, and talk to a hundred people before building the next thing. That reordered our year and cost nothing.”
Through MedTech Actuator’s network of mentors, partners and the wider healthcare ecosystem, teams have been able to seek expert advice, explore collaborative opportunities and gain a better understanding of the real-world context of healthcare innovation. As Nathan Wallis explains, “The introductions to people across so many different and critical areas of healthcare have been extremely valuable.” For Western Australian startup MamaTech, those connections are already helping shape the next stage of its development. The team is developing a proof-of-concept prototype with Flinders University’s Medical Device Partnering Program and local ultrasound specialist Probe Logic, while also working towards preclinical safety studies with the CSIRO.
Aneta Nash, Cofounder of Thyx, claims it is the broader community that has made a lasting impression on their progress: “Our mind [has been] blown. The connections have been unmatched. Meeting the mentors who offer advice and guidance; everyone wants to help and see us succeed. The community is incredibly supportive.”
Beyond the program
Teams are driving forward to accelerate momentum built across the six month journey, with some founders exploring clinical studies and product development, and others ready to lean into raising capital. “[Next] we have clinical studies lined up, and samples ready to get certified, and are focused on getting the product on the market both publicly and legally. We loved that the MedTech Actuator has brought together state of the art elements of the Australian ecosystem into the program”, says Martin Thompson, founder of Oncoparse.
Overall, teams are walking away with a clear vision, milestones to work towards, and a community they can lean on as they progress further along their healthcare innovation journey. “Everything about the program has been great; the enthusiasm from the [MedTech Actuator] team, and the opportunity to be surrounded by like-minded individuals all coming together working to make a difference in people’s lives through medtech”, explains Synodic Medical founder Nick McEniry.
Early next month, teams will come together to showcase their innovations, and where they are heading next. Joined by investors, partners, and the wider medtech community, Demo Day will bring together the health innovation ecosystem and highlight the ideas, innovation and ambition shaping the future of healthcare.
Interested in joining us in Melbourne for the MedTech Actuator Accelerator Australia Demo Day? RSVP here.
MedTech Actuator Accelerator Australia is supported by Innovation Victoria.