American Heart Association Names Five Finalists for 2026 Health Tech Competition to Accelerate Heart and Brain Health Innovations

The American Heart Association has selected five finalists for its 2026 Health Tech Competition, a global initiative designed to accelerate innovations that improve cardiovascular and brain health care. The competition, hosted by the American Heart Association Center for Technology & Innovation, received a record number of submissions from health technology companies worldwide. Following a rigorous multi-stage review by volunteer experts across healthcare, science, and industry, the finalists were chosen for their potential to transform how cardiovascular and brain health conditions are prevented, diagnosed, and treated.

The five finalists will present their solutions in the Health Innovation Pavilion during Scientific Sessions 2026, the Heart Association’s flagship global event for the latest research and clinical advancements in cardiovascular science. Scientific Sessions will take place Nov. 6-9 at McCormick Place in Chicago, with competition pitches scheduled Nov. 7-8 and the winners announced Nov. 8. This competition matters because it addresses a critical gap: too many promising health technologies never reach the patients who need them most. By providing a platform for emerging companies with clinically informed and validated technologies, the American Heart Association aims to bridge the divide between innovation and adoption.

The 2026 finalists are HEARTio, MEGI, MedRhythms, Seerlinq, and Vascudyne. HEARTio, based in Pittsburgh, Pa., is developing investigational AI software that analyzes a standard ECG to estimate obstructive coronary artery disease—the leading cause of heart attacks—without dyes, radiation, incisions, or catheters. MEGI, from Chicago, Ill., offers an AI-powered digital health platform focused on women's heart health, maternal care, and hypertension management. MedRhythms, located in Portland, Maine, is a digital health and neurotherapeutics company that combines sensors, software, and music to help people improve their walking and mobility after a neurological injury or disease. Seerlinq, headquartered in Bratislava, Slovakia, estimates cardiac filling pressure non-invasively from a short fingertip PPG measurement at home, catching deterioration in heart failure patients weeks before hospitalization and giving clinicians time to adjust therapy. Vascudyne, from St. Paul, Minn., bioengineers blood vessels that regenerate into the patient's own tissue, offering coronary bypass patients a graft without leg-vein harvest and children with congenital defects an implant that grows with them.

These innovations could significantly impact Texas and the broader healthcare industry. For instance, MEGI’s focus on women’s heart health and hypertension management aligns with ongoing efforts to address disparities in cardiovascular care. Seerlinq’s home-based monitoring solution could reduce hospital readmissions, a major cost driver for Texas healthcare systems. Vascudyne’s bioengineered vessels could improve outcomes for pediatric and adult cardiac patients in the state. The competition’s emphasis on clinical evidence, scientific innovation, and market need ensures that finalists are evaluated on their ability to deliver real-world impact.

“Too many promising health technologies never reach the people who could benefit from them most,” said Lee A. Shapiro, J.D., volunteer chair of the American Heart Association and managing partner and co-founder at 7wireVentures. “The American Heart Association’s Health Tech Competition highlights solutions that are grounded in science, informed by real-world needs and designed to improve care for people at risk for or living with cardiovascular and brain health conditions.” A panel of expert volunteer judges will review the finalists’ business and science presentations. The judges include Asif Ali, MD, clinical associate professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, and Eric D. Peterson, MD, MPH, FAHA, vice provost and senior associate dean for clinical research at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, underscoring Texas’s role in advancing cardiovascular innovation.

For more information about the competition, finalists, and event details, visit ahahealthtech.org/aha-health-tech-competition-2026. Additional resources include the American Heart Association news release Global health tech competition aims to accelerate innovation improving cardiovascular and brain health, the release on the 2025 winner Houston-based medical technology company wins overall global health tech competition at Scientific Sessions 2025, and the announcement of finalists Finalists named in global health technology competition to advance heart and brain health. General information about the American Heart Association is available at heart.org and stroke.org. The original release can be viewed on www.newmediawire.com.