New contest will focus on mobile health and data and wearable technologies

ministartup-242Wilmington, DE, 10th February 2016– The Pistoia Alliance has launched a new startup competition, the Pistoia Alliance Mini Startup Challenge, which will look to encourage innovative start up companies in the life sciences field with technologies in mobile health and data, wearable technologies and the internet of things. Entries that address current global healthcare challenges are particularly encouraged.

The winner of the competition will receive a prize of €10,000 and three months mentorship from a senior member of the Pistoia Alliance, while the finalists will each receive a prize of €1,000. In addition there will be an audience vote on the night of the awards where the winner will receive €5,000.

The competition will be looking for winners that support the Pistoia Alliance’s aims of supporting pre-competitive collaboration and lowering barriers to innovation. These include assisting or advancing life science research and development processes and capabilities, providing solutions to enhance and improve clinical research, delivering solutions to automate or augment laboratory research efforts and processes, and enable scientific discovery or provide patient benefit.

Entry is via the Pistoia Alliance website, and entrants will be required to submit an overview of the business, alongside a business plan. The competition will close on March 16th, and finalists will be notified on April 1st. The winners will be announced at the Pistoia Alliance European Conference on April 19th.

Richard Holland, Executive Director Operations at the Pistoia Alliance, said: “Improving the use of data and the development of wearable technologies are significant challenges to the life sciences industry, and we need to ensure we use the full range of resources at our disposal. This challenge aims to support smaller companies and start ups, many of whom are developing innovative new technology and ideas that could have a significant impact on future life science R&D. We hope this challenge will provide a boost for innovative companies in these increasingly crucial fields.”

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