Finalists for Prize at 2026 Medtech MVP Conference Announced
Minneapolis, MN, May 19, 2026, — Avio Medtech Consulting, in partnership with the Destination Medical Center Fredrikson, F&N Med and Mobius Medical, announces that three finalists have been selected for the 2026 Avio Medtech MVP Pitch Contest. The contest, which will award $19,000 in non-dilutive funding, will take place live at the Medtech MVP Conference in Minneapolis, MN on June 1-2, 2026.
“Startups are broke; they don’t need advice, they need cash,” said Frank Jaskulke, VP of Sales and Business Development at Avio Medtech Consulting. “We are proud to have rallied together with our ecosystem partners, Destination Medical Center, Fredrikson, F&N Med, and Mobius Medical to raise the nearly $20,000 cash prize for the 2026 Medtech MVP Conference Pitch Contest to support an innovative medtech startup.”
The Medtech MVP Conference, an annual gathering of startups, investors and strategics. focuses on timely issues and opportunities across the medtech industry. To learn more about the conference or register, visit: https://medtechmvp.com.
Meet the finalists
The three finalists, selected from a competitive applicant pool, are:
Bairitone Health is developing Somnar, a non-invasive wearable platform for obstructive sleep apnea assessment that uses passive sonar technology and a facial patch to characterize airway obstruction during natural sleep. The company recently received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for the platform.
LIQID Medical is developing novel ocular implants for glaucoma treatment, including its OptiShunt device, designed to improve fluid drainage in the eye and address a leading cause of irreversible vision loss worldwide.
Entirety Biomedical is developing absorbable magnesium implant systems for orthopedic fixation using its proprietary Curasorb alloy technology. The company recently announced seed financing to advance the platform toward first-in-human clinical trials.
Contest details
Each finalist will deliver a live pitch to a panel of judges before an audience of investors and strategic industry leaders. The winner will receive $19,000 in non-dilutive funding along with exposure to leading medtech stakeholders.
About the sponsors
- Avio Medtech Consulting: Built by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, we help medtech startups navigate complexity, reduce risk and bring life-changing technologies to patients faster, without bloating headcount or burning precious capital, through RA, QA, R&D and commercialization services.
- Destination Medical Center: Minnesota’s largest economic development initiative, based in Rochester and designed to help life sciences companies access resources and grow in the U.S. market.
- Fredrikson: A law firm with deep healthcare and life sciences experience that advises medtech startups and strategic companies on financing, intellectual property, transactions and growth matters.
- F&N Med: The specialized medtech and healthcare brand practice of Friends & Neighbors, F&N Med helps growth-minded companies use belief-driven branding to align teams, simplify complexity, build trust faster, and strengthen enterprise value in highly regulated markets.
- Mobius Medical: A global contract research organization specializing in clinical trial management for medical devices, with operations in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.
Media Contacts:
For Avio, Nichole Owens, [email protected]
For Cambridge Healthtech Institute, Bethany Gray, [email protected]
