Past Winners

2011 Winners

Pontus Medical was the winner of the $10,000 prize for their innovative, low cost solution of wearable patches that predict exacerbation in heart failure patients, by non-invasively monitoring their fluid status and providing their doctor with actionable information, to prevent rehospitalizations.

Grand Prize winners Ravi Pamnani and Michael Schaller of Pontus Medical, with First Republic Bank representatives Michael Hensley and MFA CEO, Mary Furlong

Cadence Biomedical was the elevator pitch winner, awarding them $1,000 for their kinetic orthotic products that provide therapeutic rehabilition for people who otherwise would require wheelchairs for mobility, enabling them to walk independently and achieve an enhanced quality of life.

Elevator Pitch winner Brian Glaister of Cadence BioMedical, with First Republic Bank representatives Gigi Kubursi and MFA CEO, Mary Furlong

2010 Winners

Grand Prize Winners Andy Katz-Mayfield and Julia Rasooly of CatheNect Medical, with First Republic Bank representatives Gigi Kubursi and Mary Kasaris.

Congratulations to Grand Prize winner CatheNect Medical, who won $10,000 for their innovative sterile catheter connection mechanism. CatheNect Medical's mission is to improve the quality of life of dialysis patients by reducing infections related to peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter sterilization. They developed a PD catheter with an innovative, self-contained sterile connection mechanism that is not reliant on patient compliance. By reducing the incidence of peritonitis and by decreasing the time, complexity, and training involved in the current sterilization protocol, their solution will transform the dialysis paradigm, enabling a much broader group of patients to enjoy the substantially improved quality of life that PD can provide.

Summit producer Mary Furlong with Elevator Pitch Winners Fletcher Wilson and Pedram Afshar of Intimal Solutions.

We also congratulate Best Elevator Pitch Winner Intimal Solutions, who won $1,000 for their minimally invasive solution that restores valve competency in patients with venous stasis ulcers due to deep venous reflux.

2009 Winners

In 2009, the Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit awarded the $10,000 grand prize to Ruey Peh and Erika Palmer of HemRx Medical, whose innovative hemorrhoid treatment product represents a paradigm shift in hemorrhoid treatment. HemRx Medical's technology will allow all grades of hemorrhoids to be treated effectively, with minimal pain, in the clinic by surgeons and gastroenterologists. The occurrence of hemorrhoids peaks in adults between age 45 and 65, making HemRx’s product particularly valuable in the boomer marketplace.

Watch their winning presentation below (two clips):

The $1,000 prize for Best Elevator Pitch was awarded to Heather Stevens, CEO of Life at Home Longer. Life At Home Longer enables older adults to live in their homes as they age by providing families with complete solutions for senior-friendly technology, home modification, maintenance, and lifestyle conveniences. They provide a complete go-to-market channel for medical devices and other technologies targeting older adults, from marketing to delivery to installation.

Here is their winning pitch:

To watch more finalist presentations from the 2009 Business Plan Competition, visit our channel on YouTube.