VitruvianMD secures $10,000 as winner of Arab Health’s Innov8 competition

VitruvianMD has won this year’s Arab Health Innov8 competition and, with it, a cash prize of $10,000, following an intensive week-long judging process that saw a total of 24 different companies pitch over the opening three days of Arab Health.

VitruvianMD combine biomedical engineering and state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver affordable, high-accuracy diagnostic tools for medical laboratories.

At the core of VitruvianMD’s breakthrough technology is a versatile camera that seamlessly attaches to any microscope, empowered by sophisticated AI tools. This technology paves the way for laboratories to transition effortlessly into a digital pathology framework. In a world where diagnostician shortages remain an acute global challenge, particularly in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa with a concerning pathologist-to-population ratio, VitruvianMD’s solutions stand to set new standards.

In addition to the US$10,000 top prize, VitruvianMD will have access to an exclusive mentorship program with Startupbootcamp MENA as well as the opportunity to engage in a series of discussions with potential investors to gain valuable insights and potentially secure new collaborations and raise funds. They will also be given free exhibition space at Arab Health 2025.

The judging panel included a renowned number of investors, entrepreneurs and medical experts; among them were Triska Hamid, Editorial Director, Wamda; Hadi Saeed Alshakhori, Ecosystem Builder, of Saudi Arabia; Reenita Das, Top 100 women in Healthtech and Femtech, Partner, Senior Vice President, Frost & Sullivan; H.E. Faisal Belhoul, Vice Chairman, Dubai Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Founder and Chairman, Ithmar Capital Partners;Zeina Youseff, Operations Support Manager, Rainmaking; and, Dr Bader Khraibut, Senior Consultant, Strategy& Middle East, UAE

Finalists included Hera Health Solutions, a pharmaceutical device company specialising in the research, development, and commercialisation of long-acting treatments through proprietary bioerodible drug delivery implants; Maya AI, an AI digital robot that connects data and creates next-step actions for specific workflows; and Incura Med, who are developing a range of technologies that offer high-performance and enhanced efficacy products and low-cost manufacturing.

They were joined by Luminore Copper Touch, who hold the distinction of being the sole EPA-registered antimicrobial product that seamlessly adheres to virtually any surface; Nanopalm, the Saudi national start-up biotechnology company that creates next-generation nanomedicines for affordable and accelerated pharmaceutical R&D activities; Nephrodite, which has created a patient-inspired dialysis solution giving individuals greater health, increased mobility and the freedom to choose.

Rounding out the finalists were Caresyntax, which offers a digital surgery platform that uses proprietary software and artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse large volumes of real-world data in and around the operating room (OR) to deliver insights that can be used immediately by the care team and longer-term by a variety of critical stakeholders.

Elsewhere, on the final day of Arab Health 2024, the winners of the inaugural Cre8 competition were announced, with the team from the American University of Sharjah taking first prize for their Real-Time Wireless Monitoring System with Predictive Analysis of Healthcare Data. The team included Samrin Saleem, Rhea Srivastava, Ahmed Sharafath, and Nikita Miller.

The competition was designed to foster creativity and innovation among participating students in the UAE were also announced. Contestants were required to conceptualise and innovate a solution for an actual healthcare problem within the confines of an imaginary AED 100,000 budget.

The other finalists included Farah Adnan Ahmad Thugan, Lujain Adnan Ahmad Thugan, Asmaa Luai Abdulla Elbadawi, and Hala Anas Kahwajy from Ajman University for their classification of the stages of diabetic retinopathy; and Banan Dhafer Jumaah; Sedra Zulaikha, and Rawan Emad Refaie Ahmed, also from Ajman University, for their Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRDs) ML and AI screening App.

Judging the entries were Dr James Shapiro, Professor of Surgery, Medicine, and Surgical Oncology, University of Alberta; Carlos Iniguez, Director, GEN Accelerates; Sowmya Srinath, Director of Healthcare & Life Sciences, Frost & Sullivan; and Dr Louiza Chitour, Senior Advisor & Co-founder, Stealth Startup