2023 Finalists and Mentors
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2023 Finalists
Nicolas Anzellini, MBA — CEO — Cardiost
Implantable medical device for cardiovascular solutions including heart failure
Janetta Brown, PhD — Founder and CEO —The HBCU Experience - Alzheimer's Research Consortium, LLC
Tailored mobile app — Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver Resource (ALCARE) — to provide evidence-based information and solutions for African Americans with Alzheimer's disease
Kira Burns, MBA — Co-Founder and CEO — Gravitrex, LLC
Mechanically powered assisted walking device for accessible walking rehabilitation
Pamela Cacchione, PhD, CRNP, BC — Professor — AgingSense
Wearable technology to monitor for worsening of heart failure symptoms and for responses to treatment
Penny Campbell, MBA — Founder and CEO — Seniors in Transition, LLC (S.I.T.)
Mobile app that bridges the communication gap between nurses and family members of patients in long-term care facilities
Erika Dillard, MD, PhD — Founder and CEO — PopCheck Technologies, Inc.
Medical/digital device providing remote patient monitoring to predict surgical complications and improve postoperative care
Karrie Dudek, PhD — CEO — Eupalinos, Inc.
Injectable hydrogel that promotes the growth of new blood vessels for restoring blood flow to tissues that have experienced restricted blood supply
Meera Garcia, MD — CEO — Lantern Laboratory, Inc.
Novel precision medicine device/platform that uses EEG biomarkers to guide real-time dosing of pain relievers during surgery and intensive care
David S. Hermina Martinez, MS — Chief Technology Officer — Zomio, Inc.
Smart monitoring systems for time-critical needs across automotive, health care, security, and beyond
Grace Lin, MD, MBA, FACC, FASE — Co-Founder and CEO — HeartScreen Health
Digital health app for smartphones that permits remote diagnosis of valvular heart disease
Gina Negri, MS, RN — Director — Virtual Medical Technology, LLC
Artificial intelligence technology to support aging in place
Victoria Nneji, PhD — Founder — AKALAKA co.
Community for sibling care partners to help navigate lifelong journeys with disability and care
Kathleen Novak, BA — Researcher — Potentiate Therapeutics
First-in-class, small molecule therapeutic to treat neuroinflammatory diseases
Katrina Polk, PhD — CEO and Principal Investigator — Dynamic Solutions for the Aging, LLC
Mobile/web-based clinical decision support tool with cultural and psychosocial information about African Americans for use in referral screening for clinical trials on Alzheimer’s disease
Kendra Ray, PhD, MBA, MPH — Founder — Autotune Me, LLC
Music-based mobile app that offers therapeutic properties for symptoms of dementia
Korin Reid, PhD — CEO — Ellison Laboratories
Platform to identify health disparities and predict chronic disease in older adults using artificial intelligence
Tina Sadarangani, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, GNP-BC — Assistant Professor — CareMobi
Mobile app to facilitate communication among family members, loved ones, and health care providers of adults in care facilities
Marcia Shade, PhD — Assistant Professor — Voice-It, Inc.
Interactive conversational artificial intelligence that uses machine learning to assist with symptom management
Fiza Singh, MD — Co-Founder & Member — BioSignal Solutions, LLC
Downloadable software that works with an EEG headband to exercise brain circuits that support memory
Ran Yang, PhD — Teaching Professor — Ran AI Innovation Lab (RAIL, Inc.)
Hardware and software, enhanced by artificial intelligence, for real-time medical imaging analysis focused on elevating patient care and safety
2023 Mentors
NIA Start-Up Challenge mentors are an expert group of scientists, investors, and entrepreneurs who volunteer their time and expertise to coach our finalist teams. Mentor input is pivotal in improving pitches and moving the Challenge companies forward.
Jacqueline Baker — Founder and Principal Consultant — Scarlet Communications
Ravi Bala — Chief Growth Officer — 8thSquare
Christine Bunt — Angel Investor and Member — Launchpad Venture Group
Malaz Boustani — Richard M Fairbanks Professor of Aging and Founding Director, Center for Health Innovation and Implementation Science — Indiana University School of Medicine
Darryl Carter — Founder and Chief Scientific Officer — Otter Immuno-oncology, LLC
Elaine Chung — Vice President, Marketing — Story Health
Margaret Danliovich — Senior Director — CJE SeniorLife
Idong Essiet-Gibson — Principal — Wearable Tech Ventures/The Idyeas Group
Michael Francis — CEO and Associate Professor of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine — Asante Bio LLC & University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine
Seo Lee —Director — SV Bio Ventures
Zainab Osakwe — Assistant Professor — Adelphi University
Kiran Pandey — CEO — Emtherapro
Christina Pellicane — Assistant Director of Innovation — Princeton University
Himalaya Rao — Managing Director — The BFM Fund
Michelle Rider — Sr. Healthcare Marketing Executive — Amazon
Sharon Rodriguez — Partner — 1843 Capital
Chelsea Salters — WTV Partner — Wearable Tech Ventures (WTV)
Sarah Small — Associate Director, Patient Centricity — Moderna
2023 Advisors
Brian Chen — Chief Science Officer — FOXO Technologies Inc.
Janet DeFrino — Partner — 1843 Capital
Marcia Fournier — Program Manager — NIH
Mark Francis — Chief Product Officer — Electronic Caregiver, Inc.
Oliver Graudejus — Founder — BMSEED
Lakisha Greenwade — CEO — Wearable Tech Ventures
Mary Harris — President — BioTechnical Communications, Inc.
Patricia C. Heyn, PhD, FGSA — Director — Center for Optimal Aging
Jun Jeon — Investor — Khosla Ventures
Bill Kohlbrenner — Vice President of Drug Development — BioLoomics
Adriana Krasniansky — Head of Research — Rock Health
Neal Lemon — Director - Cooper Innovation Center — Cooper University Health
Eric Levitan — CEO — ViVo
Nerissa Marbury — Founder and CEO — One Epiphany, LLC
Bijo Mathew — Director — The University of Texas at San Antonio; Technology Commercialization Center
James Mayer — Senior Manager, Investments & Venture Services — Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation
Nakia Melecio — Senior Research Faculty — Georgia Institute of Technology
Hongdao Meng — Professor — University of South Florida
Charles Mobbs — Professor/Founder-CEO — Mt. Sinai School of Medicine/Gilga-Med, Inc.
Lebone Moses — CEO — Chisara Ventures Inc.
Mohammed Quadri — Vice President, Strategy for Academics, Research and Innovation — Hackensack Meridian Health
Sheri Rose — CEO — Thrive Center Inc.
Reka Shinkle — Vice President, Global Strategic Marketing & Product Management, ID
Katherine Steinberg — President/Co-founder — Determined Health
Santosh Vetticaden — Board Member — NuFund Venture Group
Stephen Von Rump — CEO — Aegis Digital Health
Laura Yecies — CEO — Bone Health Technologies