Prana Thoracic Wins Medical Devices track in the Pitch Perfect Startup Contest
The annual MedCity INVEST conference this week offered a platform for healthcare startups investors to come together, network, and exchange ideas. The Pitch Perfect contest was the centerpiece of the event, highlighting how different companies are imagining healthcare innovation. The competition saw 23 healthcare startups across biopharma, medical devices, and health tech geared for consumers/employers as well as payers/providers pitch their business plans to teams of investor judges.
What it does: The medtech business is dedicated to developing solutions for early intervention in lung cancer. It seeks to revolutionize the early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer by making it easier and less invasive to deal with the rapidly growing number of early suspicious lung nodules.
What the judges said: “Amongst a super strong slate of medtech startups, Joanna’s [Nathan, the CEO] presentation superbly conveyed the significant disease burden and the corresponding clinical opportunity of addressing early lung cancer diagnosis and treatment,” Dr. Oliver Keown of Intuitive Ventures observed. “Furthermore, beyond the market opportunity, she highlighted a sophisticated plan to de-risk the regulatory, reimbursement and technical milestones that lay ahead for Prana Thoracic.”
“For a patient with a new cancer diagnosis, getting the result of a lung biopsy — beyond the risk of a complication during the procedure — can be quite an emotional experience,” Julien Pham, Third Culture Capital founder and managing partner added. “It is therefore imperative that the tissue obtained is adequate for an accurate diagnosis. Unfortunately, the current ‘less invasive’ biopsy techniques don’t always give reliable results, and delaying diagnosis, and repeating the procedure can be frustrating to patients, family, and providers. We believe that Prana Thoracic’s innovative design can enhance the experience of care and potentially improve outcomes.”
Original article: https://medcitynews.com/2023/05/healthcare-startups-invest-pitch-perfect-contest/
