A stretchy electrode array for investigating gastric disorders and surgical-viewing devices are among the innovative technologies recently showcased virtually at the first-ever Medtronic APAC Innovation Conference.

Those products — and more — are the work of five startups that won the Medtronic Asia Pacific (APAC) Innovation Challenge.

The companies were crowned winners at the recent conference held by Medtronic in Singapore. More than 200 healthcare industry and government leaders attended, along with the startups that participated in the challenge.

The five winners secured a potential collaboration with Medtronic valued at up to $200,000.

Picked from more than 300 applicants, the winning startups are:

• Alimetry: This New Zealand-based company aims to investigate gastric disorders using non-invasive technology, including a stretchable electrode array that’s placed atop a person’s stomach. After a patient eats a meal, the technology collects data that’s then analyzed by advanced algorithms.
• iMedrix: This startup, headquartered in Singapore, developed KardioScreen, a mobile, cloud-connected, cardiovascular monitoring device. The ruggedized product aims to serve patients in hard-to-reach regions.
• MediThinQ: South Korea-based MediThinQ creates surgical-viewing products that physicians can use during a variety of procedures, including robotic surgery and endoscopy.
• Nousq Pte Ltd.: Headquartered in Singapore, this company is developing CliXX, a robotic, automated, and sensor-controlled applicator for ear tube surgery.
• The Clinician: This New Zealand-based company developed a digital health platform that manages patient-generated health data. The technology gives care teams and patients real time, actionable information that aims to improve health outcomes while reducing inefficiencies.

The startup challenge is part of Medtronic APAC’s $50 million Open Innovation Platform. With support from the Economic Development Board of Singapore, the platform helps Medtronic find and invest in life-transforming healthcare technology innovations from inside and outside the company.

The recent conference, hosted in Singapore under the theme Accelerating Healthcare Technology Innovation, is also tied to the effort — and dedicated to the health-tech startup scene in APAC.

At the event, Medtronic unveiled research finding health-tech leaders believe the pandemic has helped drive health care innovation. Based on a survey of over 150 executives and expert interviews, the research identified opportunities and challenges — such as recruitment — facing health-tech innovators in APAC. Download the full whitepaper here.

“No one company can solve the complex challenges of healthcare alone,” said Chris Lee, President of Medtronic, APAC. “As a global leader in healthcare technology, we at Medtronic APAC took accountability to lead the conversation and encourage more meaningful collaborations across the innovation ecosystem. That’s why we launched the open innovation platform and hosted the conference.”

“It’s great to see how all stakeholders came forward to share their perspectives and are committed to working together for better healthcare,” he continued. “We also appreciate all the idea submissions and congratulate the final winners. More importantly, I hope that our joint efforts will lead to many new and improved solutions to meet the region’s unique healthcare needs.”

Discover more about the Open Innovation Platform and view a virtual showcase of the startups that won the APAC Innovation Challenge.