Boston MedTech startups finish MassMEDIC accelerator

Twelve medical device startups finished the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council’s medtech accelerator program this week, with four of them winning cash prizes as part of the program.

The MedTech IGNITE Program is a virtual accelerator offering an experiential training, mentorship, and networking curriculum, which was relaunched in 2019 with a grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center.

The first place winner was Encora Therapeutics, a Boston company led by four MIT engineers working on wearable solutions for people with hand tremors. The top placement included a $20,000 prize. Its co-founders are Daniel Carballo, Trang Luu, Kyle Pina, Allison Davanzo

Second place went to AOA Dx, also based in Boston, which is developing an early-stage ovarian-cancer liquid biopsy diagnostic test. AOA won a $7,500 prize.

Third place was a tie between Phiex Technologies, building self-sterilizing packaging and devices for healthcare, and OxiWear, an ear-wearable device that monitors oxygen levels and provides low oxygen alerts. Each company won $1,250.

“We made a concerted effort this year to expand the footprint, and the 2021 cohort had the largest representation of female founders at 59% while featuring a fantastic group of teams from around the globe,” said Rachel Robinson, vice president of MassMEDIC, in a statement. “Although the program was run virtually again this year, that did not deter the founders from developing strong bonds and inspiring each other—and making great strides to advance their ventures.”

The rest of the cohort included the following companies:

• Alva Health Inc.
• CRIAM Knowledge
• Dialysis X
• InnoTech Precision Medicine
• Isola Therapeutics
• Kalia Health
• Kleincise Inc.
• Ruby Nanomed

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