2023 Winners, Finalists, and Mentors

Learn more about the 2023 NIA Start-Up Challenge winners, finalists, mentors, and advisors.

2023 Winners and Pitch Videos

Meet the 2023 Challenge prize winners! Each individual or team received a $60,000 cash award. Congratulations to:

Pamela Cacchione, M.B.A., Founder and CEO

Nicolas Anzellini, M.B.A., Co-Founder and CEO; Fernando Anzellini, M.D., Chief Medical Officer

Kira Burns, M.B.A., Co-Founder and CEO; Richard Burns, M.D., Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer

Meera Garcia, M.D., Co-Founder and CEO; Paul Garcia, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Founder

Erika Dillard, M.D., Ph.D., Founder and CEO; Tamara Baynham, M.S., Ph.D., Vice President of Engineering

Marcia Shade, Ph.D., Founder and CEO; Mrinal Rawool, M.S., Natural Language Processing Researcher; Stephen Scott, D.Sc., Machine Learning Expert

Learn more about all the 2023 Challenge finalists and mentors below or explore past NIA Challenge cohorts .

2023 Finalists

The 20 NIA Start-Up Challenge Stage 1 finalists represent a diverse group of researchers and entrepreneurs who have innovative ideas for science-driven technologies and products that have the potential to advance the fields of aging and age-related diseases. They are engaged in a wide range of research and development to create everything from digital health solutions to devices to therapeutics for aging Americans.

In addition to the six 2023 Stage 2 Challenge winners, finalists included the following:

Janetta Brown, Ph.D.— 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

Penny Campbell, M.B.A. — 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

Karrie Dudek, Ph.D. — Co-Founder and 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

David S. Hermina Martinez, M.S. — Chief Technology Officer — Zomio, Inc.

Smart monitoring systems for time-critical needs across automotive, health care, security, and beyond

Grace Lin, M.D., M.B.A., FACC, FASE — Co-Founder and CEO — HeartScreen Health

Digital health app for smartphones that permits remote diagnosis of valvular heart disease

Gina Negri, M.S., RN — Founder and CEO — Virtual Medical Technology, LLC

Artificial intelligence technology to support aging in place

Victoria Chibuogo Nneji, Ph.D. — Founder — AKALAKA

Community for sibling care partners to help navigate lifelong journeys with disability and care

Kathleen Novak, BA — Co-Founder — Translocate Therapeutics

First-in-class, small molecule therapeutic to treat neuroinflammatory diseases

Katrina Polk, M.P.A., Ph.D. — CEO and Founder — 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, Ph.D., M.B.A., M.P.H. — Founder — Autotune Me, LLC

Music-based mobile app that offers therapeutic properties for symptoms of dementia

Korin Reid, Ph.D.— CEO — Ellison Laboratories

Platform to identify health disparities and predict chronic disease in older adults using artificial intelligence

Tina Sadarangani, Ph.D., RN, ANP-BC, GNP-BC — Founder — CareMobi

Mobile app to facilitate communication among family members, loved ones, and health care providers of adults in care facilities

Fiza Singh, MD — Co-Founder, Principal Investigator, and Associate Professor — BioSignal Solutions, LLC

Downloadable software that works with an EEG headband to exercise brain circuits that support memory

Ran Yang, Ph.D .— Founder and CEO — MedChai, LLC.

MedChai is the essential tool for documenting intubation videos, serving both professionals and scribes with swift accuracy and streamlined sharing.

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 — Sr. Director, Strategic Marketing & Portfolio Growth — Eko 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, Ph.D., 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 — University of Texas at San Antonio / Institute for Economic Development

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

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