Austin, Texas (PRWEB) October 17, 2014
Decisive Health’s Treatment Explorer won the LIVESTRONG Foundation’s inaugural Big C competition’s $25,000 grand prize at a finale event Friday night in front of a crowd of 500 supporters and innovators gathered at Austin Music Hall.
Headquartered in San Francisco, the patient-centric tool matches cancer patients’ and survivors’ lifestyles with the best possible treatments to maintain their daily lives. Founders Jonathan Shih and Nathanael Rosidi have piloted Decisive Health in New York City and San Francisco, with hopes of soon spreading nationwide. Decisive Health also won the People’s Choice Award at Austin’s famed Music Hall when Shih wowed the crowd with a 90-second pitch of his team’s business plan.
“This is a major honor. Among the 752 contestants, we saw so many solutions that we would have loved to see available to cancer patients and survivors in all their experiences,” said Shih. “We’re just so excited to receive this award.”
Overall, 60 ventures will receive a total of $140,000 in seed funding based on the utility, ingenuity and benefits to cancer patients and survivors of each of the innovations.
“We are thrilled to support Decisive Health’s Treatment Explorer, which ensures that patients and survivors are at the forefront of their own care and treated accordingly,” said LIVESTRONG Foundation President and CEO Doug Ulman. “The other four finalists were outstanding and we have no doubt that all five will excel in the future and hopefully change the way the world lives with cancer.”
Austin’s TeVido BioDevices was the runner-up by developing technology to improve the quality of life for breast cancer survivors using innovative 3D bio-printing, with a woman's own cells, to improve upon breast reconstruction results. The company has started reconstruction with the nipple and later plan to address lumpectomies and other fat grafting needs. TeVido BioDevices will receive $15,000 for finishing second.
Earning $7,500 for third place, New York City’s AdhereTech created smart pill bottles that send patient dosage behavior to be analyzed in real-time, allowing patients to receive dosage reminders via text message. The pill bottle itself also lights up and chimes to remind patients about their medication. Additionally, Restwise and unCancer India will receive $2,500 for being selected as top five projects. Piloted at the LIVESTRONG at the YMCA in Boise, Idaho, Restwise is a fatigue management app, while unCancer India seeks to provide navigation, resources and tools to people affected by cancer in India.
Over the course of the competition, 500 community members became involved in the Big C competition by judging and mentoring the 752 original entries submitted from more than 30 countries. All of the final five projects demonstrated a flair for creative solutions, along with business acumen to find solutions to the most common problems that people affected by cancer face on a daily basis. The projects were judged by a panel of seven experts from both the entrepreneurial and cancer communities who reviewed the entries on Friday and made their final determination at the event.
The finalists, as well as the other 747 projects, entered the competition in one of five tracks that represent the biggest challenges that people affected by cancer face following a diagnosis, according to the LIVESTRONG Foundation’s research: rebuilding financial health, regaining emotional wellbeing, caring for caregivers, improving access to quality care and filling the knowledge gap. Each of the one hundred sixty-eight semifinalists were then paired with a cancer survivor mentor, while the 20 that moved on to the Martha and Kozo Shimano Entrepreneur Accelerator phase were teamed up with business mentors to turn their ideas into action. The finale event included comments and presentations by all five finalists, a keynote address by president of Quirky Doreen Lorenzo and was followed by a musical performance.
About the LIVESTRONG Foundation
The LIVESTRONG Foundation fights to improve the lives of people affected by cancer now. Created in 1997, the Foundation is known for providing free cancer support services and advocating for policies that improve access to care and quality of life. Known for its powerful brand – LIVESTRONG – the Foundation has become a symbol of hope and inspiration around the world. Since its inception, the Foundation has served 2.8 million people affected by the disease and raised more than $580 million to support cancer survivors. One of America's top non-profit organizations, the Foundation has been recognized by industry leaders including Charity Navigator, the National Health Council and the Better Business Bureau for its excellent governance, high standards and transparency. For more information, visit LIVESTRONG.org.
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