DALLAS, Nov. 10, 2025 \u2014 Despite major advances in care, nearly half of U.S. adults live with some form of cardiovascular disease or stroke, according to\u00a0the American Heart Association\u00ae, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere. To close this gap, innovative health solutions must reach people where they live, work and play. At its Scientific Sessions 2025, the Association recognized two pioneering companies whose health technologies could help do just that.<\/p>\n
Houston-based PolyVascular was named the overall winner of the American Heart Association\u2019s annual Health Tech Competition, earning top honors in the business category. Brainomix of Oxford, England was awarded best in the science category. Both companies will be invited to join the Association\u2019s Center for Health Technology & Innovation<\/a> Innovators\u2019 Network, a consortium that connects entrepreneurs, providers, researchers and payers to share and advance innovation in cardiovascular and brain health.<\/p>\n The Health Tech Competition is a live forum for health care innovators to present digital solutions for treating or preventing cardiovascular diseases and stroke. Finalists addressed clinical problems such as heart failure, hypertension, congenital heart defects and other pressing issues in cardiovascular, brain and metabolic health.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Health Tech Competition is like our own version of Shark Tank, showcasing groundbreaking innovations that have the potential to transform care. What excites me most is seeing science come to life in ways that reach people where they live, work and play,\u201d said Star Jones, attorney, TV personality and American Heart Association national volunteer, who served as one of this year\u2019s judges. \u201cThese technologies aren\u2019t just promising\u2014they\u2019re poised to make a real impact.\u201d<\/p>\n Solutions were evaluated based on three key criteria:<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s finalists included:<\/p>\n
The winning company, PolyVascular, is advancing minimally invasive technology to help children with congenital heart disease avoid repeated open-heart surgeries so they can enjoy healthier, more carefree lives.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a tremendous honor for PolyVascular – we\u2019re especially proud to bring hope to families and children living with congenital heart defects. Our technology\u2014a minimally invasive valve that can be expanded over time to grow with the child\u2014has the potential to dramatically reduce the need for repeated open-heart surgeries,\u201d said Henri Justino, M.D., co-founder of PolyVascular. \u201cThe American Heart Association plays a pivotal role in advancing innovative care pathways, and we\u2019re excited that our solution aligns with its guidelines and mission. It\u2019s time these life-changing technologies reach the youngest patients, just as they already do for adults.\u201d<\/p>\n A panel of expert volunteer judges also selected Brainomix as the best science pitch, opening opportunities for the company to connect with scientific and business leaders after Scientific Sessions. Brainomix develops cutting-edge AI software that supports precision medicine, helping doctors make faster, more accurate treatment decisions for stroke and lung fibrosis.<\/p>\n Judges include:<\/p>\n
Finalist presentations took place November 8\u20139 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans during Scientific Sessions 2025 \u2014 the American Heart Association\u2019s premier global event for advancements in cardiovascular science and medicine.<\/p>\n To learn more about the Health Tech competition, visit: ahahealthtech.org\/aha-health-tech-competition-2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n Additional Resources:<\/p>\n ###<\/p>\n About the American Heart Association<\/p>\n The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities, the organization has been a leading source of health information for more than one hundred years. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, we fund groundbreaking research, advocate for the public\u2019s health, and provide critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. By driving breakthroughs and implementing proven solutions in science, policy, and care, we work tirelessly to advance health and transform lives every day. Connect with us on heart.org<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.<\/p>\n For Media Inquiries: 214-706-1173<\/p>\n Monica Sales: monica.sales@heart.org<\/a><\/p>\n For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)<\/p>\n heart.org<\/a> and stroke.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DALLAS, Nov. 10, 2025 \u2014 Despite major advances in care, nearly half of U.S. adults live with some…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132704,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[77421,4760,77439,77418,77425,3578,77438,77419,77426,77437,103,77416,77440,77430,77422,77442,22725,77423,77424,61,77431,60,77433,77441,77429,77420,77436,77432,77428,77417,11107,77415,77435,6940,77434,77427],"class_list":["post-132703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-ai-powered-stroke-diagnosis","tag-american-heart-association","tag-brain-health-innovation","tag-brainomix","tag-cardiometabolic-disease","tag-cardiovascular-disease","tag-cardiovascular-science","tag-congenital-heart-defects","tag-digital-health-solutions","tag-global-health-technology-competition","tag-health","tag-health-tech-competition","tag-health-tech-finalists","tag-health-tech-startup","tag-health-technology-innovation","tag-healthcare-entrepreneurship","tag-healthcare-innovation","tag-heart-failure-solutions","tag-hypertension-technology","tag-ie","tag-innovators-network","tag-ireland","tag-lung-fibrosis-treatment","tag-medical-device-innovation","tag-medical-technology-startup","tag-minimally-invasive-valve","tag-new-orleans-health-conference","tag-open-heart-surgery-alternative","tag-pediatric-heart-care","tag-polyvascular","tag-precision-medicine","tag-scientific-sessions-2025","tag-shark-tank-health-tech","tag-stroke","tag-voice-biomarker","tag-wearable-health-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132703"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132703\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\tValidity: How well is the working prototype or product functioning in the market with customers?
\n\tScientific Rigor: How well does validation research use evidence-based health research?
\n\tImpact: To what extent does the product improve patient outcomes through innovative technology?
<\/p>\n
\n\tPolyVascular (Houston): Developing minimally invasive solutions for children with congenital heart disease, aiming to reduce the need for repeated open-heart surgeries.
\n\tBrainomix (Oxford, England): Creating AI-powered software to improve stroke diagnosis and treatment decisions.
\n\tLumia (Boston): Delivering wearable solutions for people with orthostatic intolerance and chronic blood flow disorders.
\n\tNoah Labs (Berlin): Transforming voice into a digital biomarker to enable earlier intervention for cardiometabolic diseases.
\n\tCambrian Health (San Francisco): Building an AI-powered platform that ensures clinical best practices are seamlessly executed at the point of care.
<\/p>\n
\n\tEric D. Peterson, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center
\n\tLee Shapiro, J.D., volunteer chairman of the board of the American Heart Association and co-founder and managing partner of 7WireVentures
\n\tLisa Suennen, managing partner at American Heart Association Ventures
\n\tKen Nelson, partner at the Med Tech Innovators Advantage Fund
\n\tCraig Beam, president of Beam & Associates
\n\tTim Benner, chief strategy officer and chief marketing officer of Masimo
\n\tHenry Peck, chief business officer of LSI
\n\tStar Jones, lawyer\/TV personality,\u00a0Divorce Court, and American Heart Association national volunteer
\n\tLee H. Schwamm, M.D., FAHA, associate dean of digital strategy and transformation at Yale School of Medicine
\n\tJoseph C. Wu, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA, volunteer past president (2023-24) of the American Heart Association, professor and director at the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute and co-founder of Greenstone Biosciences
\n\tMichael V. McConnell, M.D., MSEE, clinical professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine
\n\tAsif Ali, M.D., clinical associate professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston and director at Cena Research Institute
\n\tJessica Golbus, M.D., M.S., FAHA, assistant professor at the University of Michigan
\n\tAshoo Tandon, M.D., M.S., FAHA, FAAP, FACC, pediatric cardiologist, director of cardiovascular innovation and associate staff at Cleveland Clinic Children\u2019s
\n\tDave Albert, M.D., founder of AliveCor
\n\tDaniel Cantillon, M.D., chief medical officer of Masimo
<\/p>\n