Boston Children’s Hospital Is Hosting Two Competitions For Healthcare Innovators

Got an idea, invention, or research proposal that could change pediatric healthcare? Boston Children’s Hospital wants to hear about it.

The hospital’s annual Global Pediatric Innovation Summit + Awards, to be held on November 9 and 10 this year, will include two events that urge healthcare innovators to share their ideas with the public. Applications for each event will be accepted until September 30.

First up is the Innovation Tank, a Shark Tank-esque event in which up-and-coming healthcare companies compete for $30,000 in funding. Entrants will give their best pitches to a panel of venture capitalists and medical experts—including actual Shark Tank guest judge Troy Carter—and the judges will then choose how to divvy up the $30,000 in sponsored funds. Last year’s winners included CareAline, a cloth sleeve that helps prevent catheter infections; HubScrub, a device that sterilizes medical equipment; and children’s weight loss company Kurbo.

The second event, Ignite Talks, tasks individuals doing grassroots healthcare research or product development with presenting their ideas to an audience in only five minutes and 20 slides. Spectators will then vote for the winner—who will receive prizes including an Apple Watch and a one-on-one mentoring session with a venture capitalist—through a mobile app.

In a statement, John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s, said the competitions will help not only startups, but the pediatric community:

“We want to recognize, encourage and support innovators at various stages of the innovation cycle – whether they have a product that is market-ready, or are at earlier stages of development,” said John Brownstein, PhD, chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s. “The process of innovating and bringing something from idea to fruition in pediatrics can be particularly challenging to navigate, and we are delighted to offer the two opportunities this year for innovators to present their concepts and solutions with the intention of propelling their ideas forward.”