2021 SHBC | Sloan Healthcare Innovations Prize
Sloan Healthcare Innovations Prize 2021
The Sloan Healthcare Innovations Prize (SHIP) is a pitch competition open to student entrepreneurs innovating in the healthcare space. Previous winners include Calla Health Foundation (First Prize in 2020), Vistapath BioSystems (Second Prize in 2020), and Umbulizer (First Prize in 2019). The mission of SHIP is to support early-stage healthcare start-ups by providing feedback from experienced industry professionals, workshops to help launch your business, and a chance to compete for over $20,000 in prize money.
Congratulations to our 2021 Sloan Healthcare Innovations Prize Winners!
First Prize: Kano Therapeutics
Runner-up: Blue Ocean Therapeutics
Audience Choice: Hive Health
Why SHIP?
Cash prize for First Prize, Second Prize and Audience Choice teams. Cash prize in 2020*:
First Prize: $20,000
Second Prize: $4,000
Audience Choice: $1,000
Feedback & coaching:
Onsite Q&A with experienced judges from healthcare industry
Written feedback for all semifinalists
Dedicated VC office hours for all finalists
Networking & exposure:
Hundreds of audience members at final competition
Winning teams to present on the day of Sloan Healthcare BioInnovations Conference in front of 400 industry experts and students from pharma/biotech companies, payors, providers and other healthcare-related fields.
*Cash prize arrangements in 2021 will be announced soon.
If you’re an entrepreneur with an idea in the healthcare space, register now to compete in the 2021 Sloan Healthcare Innovations Prize!
Thank you for your interest! The application for the 2021 Sloan Healthcare and BioInnovations Conference Pitch Competition is now closed.
Contact
Questions? See below for FAQ or contact shbc_pitch@mit.edu
Application Evaluation Criteria*
Impact
Is this nice-to-have or need-to-have?
How big is the problem being solved?
Does the solution save lives? Does it save money?
Novelty
Is this a new idea or are there many companies building the same product?
Are IP rights clear?
Market
How big is the market opportunity?
Does the team have a clear go-to-market structure?
Is there a good product-market fit?
Feasibility
Does the team have the experience/expertise to execute?
Does the team have a clear roll-out and implementation plan?
Are there major/prohibitive technical and/or regulatory hurdles to overcome?
Are the capital needs understood, and/or are they prohibitively high?
Traction
Has the team shown product or customer development progress?
Are there customer acquisition costs to consider?
Is the business model scalable?
*Criteria is subject to slight change based on further discussion with judges
FAQ
Q: What stages of company can pitch?
A: We encourage only startups who have not yet received/raised Series A rounds (i.e., with no Series A funding) to join our pitch competition. However, you need to have a solid idea in the healthcare space in order to get into the semifinals.
Q: Do I have to be an MIT student to pitch?
A: Each start-up team must have at least one team member affiliated (current student or graduated after 2015) with a Boston area school, including MIT, Harvard, Boston University, and Tufts. It is not necessary for all team members to be current students.
Q: How big can my start-up team be?
A: Most teams have one or two members who pitch the idea, but we have had teams with up to five members pitch in past years. If this is an issue for your team, please get in touch with us directly at shbc_pitch@mit.edu
Q: How long should my pitch be?
A: You should plan a short version and a long version of your pitch. The short version should be less than 90 seconds, and the long version should be less than 5 min.
Q: Can I use visual aids for my pitch?
A: Your team may use PowerPoint slides to illustrate your idea. However, you are not required to use slides – this is up to your team.
Q: Do I need to pay to participate in the competition or to watch the finals?
A: There is no participation fee for teams or entry fee for the audience.
