Entrepreneurs to present their healthcare innovations in virtual event

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Sep 17 2020

WHEN: Competition on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 5 p.m.; winners to be announced on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 5 p.m.

WHERE: Both events will be held online; free registration and information is available at http://bit.ly/M2D2 Challenge Events.

WHAT: Entrepreneurs developing medical devices and technologies to improve health outcomes will pitch their innovations to a panel of expert judges for the chance to share in $200,000 in in-kind resources to advance their work.

The ninth annual M2D2 $200K Challenge will feature 15 finalists pitching new ideas for everything from a GPS-guided system to locate and excise tumors and a medication to regenerate damaged heart muscle to a technology for synthetic cartilage implants for damaged joints and more.

More than 250 entrepreneurs from around the world entered the competition last spring vying for the chance to present their innovations in Thursday night's finals.

Inventors, venture capitalists and global leaders in business, industry and government will participate in the event, held virtually for the first time. Jennifer Griffin, vice president of industry strategy and investments for the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, will be the program's keynote speaker.

The competition is presented by the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2), a business incubator operated in partnership by UMass Lowell and UMass Medical School that assists biotech and medical-device startups in bringing their inventions from concept to commercialization.

Since it was founded in 2007, M2D2 has worked with more than 100 client companies, which in turn have secured more than $50 million in external funding for their ventures.

Along with the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, event sponsors include Amgen, Argenta Advisors, Asahi Intecc USA Inc., Boston Scientific, Deshpande Foundation, Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre, Hologic, Johnson & Johnson, Mintz, Omni, RQMIS, Sarepta Therapeutics and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Research, Innovation, and Ventures (DRIVe).