Eyenaemia takes out the top prize in MTGT 2021

Summary: Eyenaemia won an additional $40,000 cash prize to accelerate their anaemia screening platform toward commercialisation after beating out four other top teams at the closed-door Investor Boardroom Pitch, the final stage of the 2021 round of MedTech’s Got Talent.

Melbourne, Australia – 20 AUGUST 2021:

After an intense training and mentorship regimen, Eyenaemia beat out four other finalist teams to take the top prize in the 2021 MedTech’s Got Talent (MTGT) challenge. The prize was no-strings-attached $40,000 to accelerate commercialisation of their simple, non-invasive and easily accessible screening tool for anaemia.

Eyenaemia analyses a photo taken by the user of their inner lining of the lower eyelid, together with a special colour reference, and predicts the user’s risk of anaemia. Eyenaemia is a product of STAT Innovations, a company co-founded by Dr. Jennifer Tang and Mr. Jarrel Seah, who have created their company to combine their passions for medicine and technology.  STAT Innovations is a for profit social venture which aims to create innovative technologies to provide novel solutions in healthcare. The Eyenaemia team received mentoring through MedTech’s Got Talent from a number of leading experts, including Toby McSweeney from Hydrix, Jordan Green from Melbourne Angels, Peter Borg from Leadership Management Australia, Elane Zelcer from BioConsult, Matt Godden from Australian Healthcare Solutions, Geoff Rogers from IntelliMedical and Laura Faulconer from STC.

“I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such an amazing team. Both Jennifer and Jarrel are two highly motivated and impressive entrepreneurs. Their passion and determination to make this world a better place by delivering new products to market is inspiring” said Toby McSweeney of Hydrix, who acted as their Product Development Mentor.

Each of the five finalist teams pitched to a panel of seasoned early-stage advanced technology investors. They were evaluated on the core criteria of innovation, market, pathway, sustainability and soft skills, with investor judges choosing the overall ‘most investable’ start-up.

The MedTech’s Got Talent competition aims to enable a cohort of investable start-ups as well as adding more experienced entrepreneurs to the local ecosystem. “The talent of the finalist entrepreneurs is self-evident, and each of the five projects pitched is investable – we expect to see exciting results across the board. You often hear that investors invest in teams, not ideas – Jennifer and Jarrel are driven, smart and on their way to successful serial entrepreneurship” said Dr Buzz Palmer, CEO of STC.

MedTech’s Got Talent 2021 is only possible thanks to generous support by the Victorian Government and sponsors: Johnson & Johnson Medical, Grey Innovation, Monash University, MiniFAB, Medtronic Australia, Second Nature, Leadership Management Australia, Frost & Sullivan, Pitcher Partners, IBM Bluemix, Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick, Hydrix, Design+Industry, Tricycle Development, Device Technologies, Global Data, CSIRO, Planet Innovation, Outerspace Design, Capstone Partners, Cogent, Cochlear, Tricycle Developments, York Butter Factory, Ernst & Young, Avino Media, The Social Science and BioMelbourne Network.

ABOUT STC:

STC promotes commercialisation and entrepreneurship around next-generation innovations with programs that grow new businesses. STC seeds and catalyses new industry opportunities, provides the infrastructure to accelerate commercialization and links SMEs with key stakeholders across industry, government and academia necessary to nurture cross-fertilisation of innovation. For more information on STC programs, please visit www.STCaustralia.org.