With $1 million on the line, three healthcare technology companies shared the top prize at this week's Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Catalyst Challenge in Chicago.
Hosted at Chicago healthtech hub MATTER, the IPF Catalyst Challenge is a healthcare competition hosted by Northbrook-based venture philanthropy firm Three Lakes Partners. The goal of the competition was to award funding to companies that showed promising solutions in the fight against IPF, a lung disease that kills about the same number of people each year as breast cancer.
Of the nine companies that pitched, three winners were announced and took home $333,333 each. The winners include:
Advanced Interactive Response Systems (AIRS): Produces high-quality, portable oxygen safety and monitoring products that improve IPF patient health and caregiver performance.
Owlstone Medical: A system used to capture breath samples and test for the presence of trace chemicals related to disease activity, for the early detection of IPF.
patientMpower: A mobile platform that enables IPF patients to track their disease using integrated monitors, allowing them to better manage their treatment through new insights and connections with peers and caregivers.
In addition, Chicago-based startup Level Ex, which creates video games for doctors to help them learn new techniques and practice with new medical devices, won the $50,000 Audience Choice Award.
“We created the IPF Catalyst Challenge on behalf of the countless patients around the world living with this largely ignored, heartbreaking disease. By collaborating with brilliant minds and innovative thinkers across the globe, we knew we could attack IPF from all sides and truly make progress,” Ken Bahk, Ph.D.and managing director of Three Lakes Partners, said in a statement.
