Houston, TX – In a significant achievement for medical innovation, PolyVascular, a Houston-based medical technology company, has been awarded the overall winner of the American Heart Association’s annual Health Tech Competition. The event, held at Scientific Sessions 2025, showcased groundbreaking digital solutions aimed at combating cardiovascular diseases and stroke. PolyVascular’s success highlights the growing impact of technology in addressing critical health challenges.
Key Takeaways
- PolyVascular, a Houston company, won the overall Health Tech Competition for its innovative solutions for children with congenital heart disease.
- The competition, part of the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025, focused on digital health technologies for cardiovascular and brain health.
- Brainomix, from Oxford, England, secured the top spot in the science category for its AI-powered stroke diagnosis software.
- Solutions were judged on validity, scientific rigor, and potential impact on patient outcomes.
PolyVascular’s Groundbreaking Solution
The Health Tech Competition serves as a platform for innovators to present their digital solutions for preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases and stroke. PolyVascular stood out with its development of minimally invasive technologies designed for children born with congenital heart disease. Their innovative approach aims to significantly reduce the need for repeated open-heart surgeries, allowing these young patients to lead healthier lives.
"This is a tremendous honor for PolyVascular – we’re especially proud to bring hope to families and children living with congenital heart defects," stated Henri Justino, M.D., co-founder of PolyVascular. "Our technology—a minimally invasive valve that can be expanded over time to grow with the child—has the potential to dramatically reduce the need for repeated open-heart surgeries."
Competition Highlights and Judging Criteria
Finalists presented their solutions on November 8-9 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. The technologies addressed a range of clinical issues, including heart failure, hypertension, and congenital heart defects. Judges evaluated each submission based on three core criteria: validity (market function and customer adoption), scientific rigor (evidence-based research), and impact (improvement in patient outcomes through technology).
Star Jones, an attorney, TV personality, and American Heart Association national volunteer who served as a judge, commented on the competition’s significance: "The 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."
Other Notable Finalists
While PolyVascular took the overall prize, other innovative companies also presented compelling solutions:
- Brainomix (Oxford, England): Recognized for its AI-powered software designed to enhance stroke diagnosis and treatment decisions.
- Lumia (Boston): Offering wearable solutions for individuals with orthostatic intolerance and chronic blood flow disorders.
- Noah Labs (Berlin): Developing a method to transform voice into a digital biomarker for earlier intervention in cardiometabolic diseases.
- Cambrian Health (San Francisco): Building an AI-powered platform to ensure clinical best practices are integrated at the point of care.
PolyVascular’s victory not only brings recognition to the company but also underscores the critical role of technological advancements in improving cardiovascular and brain health globally. The company will join the American Heart Association’s Center for Health Technology & Innovation Innovators’ Network, fostering further collaboration and advancement in the field.
Sources
Founder Dinis Guarda
IntelligentHQ Your New Business Network.
IntelligentHQ is a Business network and an expert source for finance, capital markets and intelligence for thousands of global business professionals, startups, and companies.
We exist at the point of intersection between technology, social media, finance and innovation.
IntelligentHQ leverages innovation and scale of social digital technology, analytics, news, and distribution to create an unparalleled, full digital medium and social business networks spectrum.
IntelligentHQ is working hard, to become a trusted, and indispensable source of business news and analytics, within financial services and its associated supply chains and ecosystems
Houston’s PolyVascular Clinches Top Prize at Global Health Tech Competition
Houston, TX – In a significant achievement for medical innovation, PolyVascular, a Houston-based medical technology company, has been awarded the overall winner of the American Heart Association’s annual Health Tech Competition. The event, held at Scientific Sessions 2025, showcased groundbreaking digital solutions aimed at combating cardiovascular diseases and stroke. PolyVascular’s success highlights the growing impact of technology in addressing critical health challenges.
Key Takeaways
PolyVascular’s Groundbreaking Solution
The Health Tech Competition serves as a platform for innovators to present their digital solutions for preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases and stroke. PolyVascular stood out with its development of minimally invasive technologies designed for children born with congenital heart disease. Their innovative approach aims to significantly reduce the need for repeated open-heart surgeries, allowing these young patients to lead healthier lives.
"This is a tremendous honor for PolyVascular – we’re especially proud to bring hope to families and children living with congenital heart defects," stated Henri Justino, M.D., co-founder of PolyVascular. "Our technology—a minimally invasive valve that can be expanded over time to grow with the child—has the potential to dramatically reduce the need for repeated open-heart surgeries."
Competition Highlights and Judging Criteria
Finalists presented their solutions on November 8-9 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. The technologies addressed a range of clinical issues, including heart failure, hypertension, and congenital heart defects. Judges evaluated each submission based on three core criteria: validity (market function and customer adoption), scientific rigor (evidence-based research), and impact (improvement in patient outcomes through technology).
Star Jones, an attorney, TV personality, and American Heart Association national volunteer who served as a judge, commented on the competition’s significance: "The 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."
Other Notable Finalists
While PolyVascular took the overall prize, other innovative companies also presented compelling solutions:
PolyVascular’s victory not only brings recognition to the company but also underscores the critical role of technological advancements in improving cardiovascular and brain health globally. The company will join the American Heart Association’s Center for Health Technology & Innovation Innovators’ Network, fostering further collaboration and advancement in the field.
Sources
2025, www.heart.org.
Founder Dinis Guarda
IntelligentHQ Your New Business Network.
IntelligentHQ is a Business network and an expert source for finance, capital markets and intelligence for thousands of global business professionals, startups, and companies.
We exist at the point of intersection between technology, social media, finance and innovation.
IntelligentHQ leverages innovation and scale of social digital technology, analytics, news, and distribution to create an unparalleled, full digital medium and social business networks spectrum.
IntelligentHQ is working hard, to become a trusted, and indispensable source of business news and analytics, within financial services and its associated supply chains and ecosystems
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