Innovation Challenges

Digital health innovation “challenges” are virtual competitions posed to a broad community of entrepreneurs, developers, designers, and clinical teams that submit novel digital solutions to complex healthcare problems. Submissions are evaluated by a panel of expert judges via a rigorous multi-stage system. Finalists are awarded non-dilutive funding, support, and potential partnership opportunities.

Since 2010, Catalyst has managed 90+ innovation challenges providing start-ups with over $9,000,000 in funding to scale and build their healthcare technologies.

THE PROCESS

Current Challenges

“Always On” Rapid Response Open Calls

With support made possible by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Catalyst @ Health 2.0 is proud to fund health care organizations with limited resources and urgent needs to identify and source digital health innovation during COVID-19.

Featured Past Challenges

The COVID-19 Symptom Data Challenge

As governments, researchers, universities, and international organizations began to mount an unprecedented worldwide response to COVID-19 in early 2020, the world lacked a standardized, global way to measure COVID-19 illness and track the pandemic that would help guide decision-making (e.g., implementation of social distancing measures). Facebook Data for Good, the Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy, Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies, the Delphi Group at Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Maryland Joint Program in Survey Methodology looked for novel analytic approaches that uses the CMU/UMD COVID-19 Symptom Survey data to enable earlier detection and improved situational awareness of the outbreak by public health authorities and the general public.

Total Award: $100,000
1st ($50,000): DeepOutbreak
2nd ($25,000): K&A
5 Semi-Finalists ($5,000) each

RWJF Emergency Response for the General Public Innovation Challenge

A large-scale health crisis such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, or natural disasters, can disrupt the lives of everyone in an affected community. The public faces numerous challenges during these events such as rapidly spreading misinformation, shortages of supplies like medications, and lack of access to resources and health care. Digital health tools have the capacity to support individuals during these critical periods.

Total Award: $50,000
1st (tie) ($17,500): binformed | covidata
1st (tie) ($17,500): CovidSMS
3rd ($5,000): FreshEBT by Propel
5 Semi-Finalists ($1,000) each

RWJF Emergency Response for the Health Care System Innovation Challenge

During a large-scale health crisis, the health care system (including but not limited to providers, government, and public health and community organizations) is faced with a sudden increase in patients who need help. Digital tools can assist the health care community as it adapts to quickly changing circumstances and needs by addressing multiple categories like capacity management, clinical integration, communication, and more.

Total Award: $50,000
1st ($25,000): Qventus
2nd ($15,000): PathCheck
3rd ($5,000): Tiatros, Inc.
5 Semi-Finalists ($1,000) each

RWJF SDoH Innovation Challenge

Social determinants of health are increasingly recognized as an integral factor in the health of members of a community. The social and economic landscape of a community govern peoples’ access to resources and affect overall well being. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation challenged innovators to develop a digital solution to help providers and/or patients connect to services related to SDoH.

Total Award: $100,000
1st ($40,000): Social Impact AI Lab
2nd ($25,000): Community Resource Network
3rd ($10,000): Open City Labs
5 Semi-Finalists ($5,000) each

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RWJF Home and Community Based Care Innovation Challenge

Digital solutions empower consumers and providers to actively engage in managing and improving health outside of traditional clinical systems. Cultural shifts and more innovation is required to give individuals, caregivers, and providers the tools they need to address healthy living within the home and community.

Total Award: $100,000
1st ($40,000): Ooney
2nd ($25,000): Wizeview
3rd ($10,000): Heal
5 Semi-Finalists ($5,000) each

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RWJF Opioid Challenge

The impact of opioid misuse is significant not only for patients, but also their families, friends, and the healthcare system. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation challenged innovators to develop tech-enabled tools to help support and connect those affected by opioid addiction.

Total Award: $100,000
1st ($50,000): Sober Grid
2nd ($15,000): ResQ
3rd ($10,000): Team Hashtag
5 Finalists ($5,000) each

RWJF AI and the Healthcare Consumer Challenge

Selecting a health insurance plan, finding a physician, and choosing a pharmacy are just a couple of the daunting and complex decisions that healthcare consumers face. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation challenged innovators to create AI enabled tools to support healthcare consumer decision making.

Total Award: $100,000
1st ($50,000): Buoy Health
2nd ($15,000): INF Robotics Inc.
3rd ($10,000): Patient Price
5 Finalists ($5,000) each

AARP Caregiver Challenge

Over 40 million caregivers in America dedicate their lives to improving the health of their loved ones while potentially neglecting their own. In effort to help caregivers, AARP issued the Caregiver challenge for solutions that support caregivers and relieve caregiver burden.

Total Award: $20,000
1st ($10,000): Tickit
2nd ($7,000): Salesforce Experience Design
3rd ($3,000): Team Aspen

Pfizer Advancing Care for Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer (mBC)

Over 316,000 patients are affected by mBC and seek help managing their disease and maintaining their quality of life. To enrich the lives of patients with mBC, Pfizer launched a 3-phase challenge for solutions that help patients manage care and connect with patient support groups. Over the span of 10 months, 168 solutions were submitted to compete for the grand prize of $100,000.

Total Award: $250,000
1st ($100,000): Energize mBC
2nd ($40,000): Savvy Coop Ltd.
3 Finalists ($20,000) each
5 Semi-finalists ($10,000) each

RWJF Choosing Care Challenge

Health insurance and the plethora of options for pharmacies, labs, and specialists often impede consumers from choosing the best follow-up care. In response, RWJF challenged innovators to simplify the process of choosing a care provider for follow-up services. Across 70 submissions, solutions aimed to enhance and utilize EHR, data integration, AI, etc. to improve patient education and empower patients to make better consumer decisions.

Total Award: $100,000
1st ($50,000): Stroll Health
2nd ($15,000): Moment
3rd ($10,000): Project Helix
5 Finalists ($5,000) each

AARP and DHHS Easiest Bill to Understand Challenge

Medical bills are often too complex and difficult to interpret for the average healthcare consumer. AARP and DHHS wished to simplify medical bills so that consumers could better understand their cost of care. Over the 5 month period, expert judges reviewed 80 applications to identify the “Easiest Bill to Understand” and “Most Transformative Approach."

Total Award: $10,000
Easiest Bill to Understand: Radnet
Most Transformative Approach: Sequence

De Beaumont Closing the Data Divide Challenge

Silos within healthcare poses as a threat to the entire healthcare system. Information and data are often inefficiently exchanged or not shared at all. The data divide among providers is most prevalent between primary care providers and public health institutions which serve as the first point of contact for care. De Beaumont and Practical Playbook aimed to address this data concern by calling for technology based tools to bridge the data gap between primary care and public health.

Total Award: $60,000
1st ($30,000): Phrase Health
2nd ($10,000): Healthstead
3rd ($5,000): Health Access

RWJF Plan Choice Challenge

Purchasing health insurance can be a daunting task as consumers need a good understanding of cost-sharing, in-network vs. out-of-network providers, and other insurance jargon to properly evaluate a plan.The RWJF Plan Choice Challenge offered an opportunity for developers and designers to use data provided by RWJF to create applications that can help consumers make a more informed decision when purchasing health insurance.

Total Award: $100,000
1st ($50,000): Consumers' Checkbook
2nd ($15,000): Stride Health
3rd ($10,000): Clear Health Analytics
5 Semi-finalists ($50,000) each

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Aetna Foundation Innovation for the Underserved Challenge

Underserved populations suffer from health disparities due to unequal access to care, health education, and other social determinants of health. The Aetna Foundation hoped to mitigate such health inequity by seeking innovation that addresses access to services, childhood obesity, and data exchange. Though the challenge had a short four-month application period, over 100 innovators proposed their ideas on how to help the underserved reach better health outcomes.

Total Award: $75,000
1st ($40,000): Grupo Parada
2nd ($15,000): Food Care
3rd ($5,000): Let’s Epicure
3 Finalists ($5,000)each

Shire ADHD Transitions Challenge

Nearly 5% of American children are affected by ADHD, which may continue through adolescence and adulthood. However, the symptoms of ADHD may manifest themselves differently as children grow into adulthood. These changes happen at a time when patient’s lives are growing more complex and as a result may present unique difficulties for patients with ADHD. As such, Shire challenged developers to create an app that aids individuals with ADHD during transition from adolescence into adulthood.

Total: $150,000
1st ($100,000):Traxion
2nd ($20,000): ADHDgo
3rd ($5,000): Actions Hero
5 Semi-finalists ($5,000) each

AllScripts Open App Challenge

Allscripts launched the Open App Challenge to leverage the collective power of emerging innovations to create powerful new solutions that help solve some of the toughest problems in healthcare. The Open App Challenge achieved great success with over 200 applications as developers vied for a $250,000 and a chance to become an extension of Allscripts Open Electronic Health Records software.

Total: $750,000
1st ($250,000): Healthfinch
2nd ($100,000): ePREOP
3rd ($100,000): Keona Health

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