AdvaMed Spotlights Small Company Innovation Award Winners at The MedTech Conference 2026

BOSTON—AdvaMed, the Medtech Association, brought together innovators and industry leaders at The MedTech Conference 2026, held October 18-21 in Boston. The conference recognized companies developing technologies to address a diverse array of patient needs through awards offered in several competitions and programs.

“A tremendous amount of medtech innovation comes from small companies and startups. These companies are tackling difficult clinical problems with technologies that could change patients’ lives,” said JC Scott, chief strategy officer and executive director of AdvaMed Accel, the division for small companies and startups that make up over 70 percent of AdvaMed’s membership. “The emerging growth companies recognized at this year’s conference demonstrate the ingenuity and entrepreneurship that drives our industry. We congratulate them and remain focused on helping them and more innovators secure the expertise, investment, and partnerships they need to move their ideas forward to impact patients.”

PolyVascular was selected for the 2026 AdvaMed Accel Virginia Shimer Rybski Memorial Award, which includes a $15,000 cash prize and is supported by Medmarc. Established in 2013, the award honors an early-stage company demonstrating entrepreneurial spirit, patient impact, and business execution. PolyVascular is developing a minimally invasive, transcatheter pulmonary valve and delivery system for young children born with congenital heart disease, aiming to reduce the need for repeat open-heart surgeries as children grow.

Omedus won the $7,500 grand prize in the Pitch & Pour Start-Up Pitch Competition, which featured 12 early-stage companies developing technologies with military health applications. The competition was sponsored by the Maryland Department of Commerce, Medmarc, and the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC). The $7,500 cash prize was provided courtesy of Medmarc and MTEC. The company’s TRIAGE360  system is designed to use wearable sensors to help emergency responders monitor patients and determine who needs attention first.

The People’s Choice Award went to GenAssist and CranioSense. GenAssist is developing biomaterials to help regrow skeletal muscle after severe injury. CranioSense is developing a device to assess elevated pressure inside the skull without an invasive procedure.

MedTech Innovator, the world’s largest and most impactful accelerator for medical technology startups, announced its award winners at the conference. Feminai received the $350,000 non-dilutive Grand Prize in the Early-Stage Competition, selected in real time by a live audience of industry leaders following pitches from the five finalists. The other finalists, Galenband, Urologic Health, and Vivifi Medical, each received $25,000. GenesisTissue and Imagine Devices won the Best Video Award and $5,000 each after competing against 14 other finalists.

At the 13th Annual Symposium on Pediatric Device Innovation, part of The MedTech Conference, 10 finalists presented in the Make Your Medical Device Pitch for Kids! competition. Please see details on the competition award winners here.

AdvaMed Accel supports small and emerging medical technology companies through advocacy and connections with investors, strategic partners, and industry expertise. AdvaMed, the world’s largest medical technology association, represents innovators advancing technologies to improve patient lives, enhance health care outcomes, and drive economic growth.

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