Apr-2025
Unpacking the Start-up Experience at the Synapse Life Science Pitch Competition
A Recap of the March Monthly Hamilton Health Check-up
You’re standing on a stage, facing the audience, and you have to pitch your innovation, and convince the judges you have a viable business. Sounds intimidating but it’s all part of the experience when you are a finalist at Innovation Factory’s Synapse Life Science Pitch Competition.
At the recent Hamilton Health Check-up, attendees had the unique opportunity to hear from the top 3 winners of the Synapse Life Science Pitch Competition.
Back for the 12th year, this competition attracted over 200 attendees, including investors, industry experts, and other stakeholders, all eager to discover and support the next big innovation in life sciences.
After months of vigorous training and feedback, the finalists were then brought together to pitch and present their solutions to an audience of experts and a group of qualified judges.
Every month, the Synapse Life Science Consortium hosts the Hamilton Health Innovation Check-up, a platform that brings together key players from Hamilton’s vibrant life science community to share updates, explore collaboration opportunities, and discuss strategic developments in health innovation.
Here are the Top 3 winners of the 2025 Synapse Life Science Pitch Competition:
During the Hamilton Health Check-up, we sat down for a candid chat with the top three finalists of the competition, who provided insights into their entrepreneurial journey and the tangible impacts of their participation in the pitch competition.
Power of Play, the first-place winner, developed a tool for pediatric rehabilitation that uses a play-based approach to measure and encourage grip strength in children with motor difficulties. Co-founder Rooaa Shanshal expressed how the competition facilitated significant advancements in their project, “The entire competition, even the build-up leading to it has been an amazing experience. The training sessions really helped us refine, not just our deliverables, but our overall commercialization plan.”
Cellect Laboratories, which secured second place, innovated a less invasive device for collecting gynecological samples, aiming to make the procedure less daunting for women. Looking back at her experience, Founder Ibukun Elebute emphasized, “As a medical device company, the regulatory insights we gained from the competition were invaluable. It is one of the big hurdles we have to cross.”
Medloaner, Inc., the third place winner, focuses on enhancing the safety and efficiency of medical device supply chains through AI. Co-founder and COO, Alex Paton discussed the importance of the competition in their growth. “It’s been a wild ride, lots going on…we’re almost at the point of finalizing the development of our MVP. And the competition also facilitated essential industry connections that are aiding in our upcoming seed funding round.”
Why Join the Synapse Pitch Competition?
The Synapse Life Science Pitch Competition is more than just an event; it’s a crucial stepping-stone for healthcare innovations aiming to transition from concept to market. Participants not only compete for cash and in-kind prizes but also gain industry exposure and access to a network of potential investors and partners.
As Innovation Factory gears up for the next Synapse Competition, they invite all life science innovators to consider applying. Whether at the ideation stage or ready to scale, the Synapse Competition offers the resources and community needed to support your growth and success.
Stay tuned and sign-up for more details on the upcoming Synapse Life Science Pitch Competition call for applications.
Interested in attending the next Hamilton Health Check-up? Register for the session and sign-up for our newsletter to receive notifications for the next meeting.