Two health technology companies received top honors at the American Heart Association's Health Tech Competition during Scientific Sessions 2026, an event that underscores the growing effort to accelerate the translation of promising innovations into real-world care for cardiovascular and brain health. MedRhythms, based in Portland, Maine, won Best Business, Audience Choice and Best Overall for its digital health and neurotherapeutics solution that combines sensors, software and music to help people improve walking and mobility after stroke or other neurological injury or disease. Vascudyne, based in St. Paul, Minn., received the Best Science award for its bioengineered blood vessel technology, which is being developed to provide alternatives to harvesting a patient's leg vein for coronary bypass surgery and to create grafts for children with congenital heart defects that have the potential to grow with them.
The competition, hosted by the American Heart Association Center for Health Technology & Innovation, received a record number of submissions from health technology companies around the world this year. Following a rigorous multi-stage review by American Heart Association volunteer experts across healthcare, science and industry, five finalists were selected for their potential to improve how cardiovascular and brain health conditions are prevented, diagnosed and treated. The recognition matters because early-stage health technologies often struggle to move from innovation to real-world care, limiting their potential to improve cardiovascular and brain health.
MedRhythms is addressing walking problems after stroke with an at-home, prescription therapy that uses precisely timed music cues to help retrain walking. Foot-worn sensors track the patient's walking, while software adjusts the music's rhythm to the person's movement. The personalized cues are designed to guide steps and support walking practice, with the goal of improving walking speed and quality. "Millions of people are living with walking difficulties after stroke, yet many have limited access to effective rehabilitation once they leave the clinic. Our solution brings a personalized, music-based therapy into the home, using foot sensors and tailored rhythmic cues to improve walking and ambulation," said Brian Harris, founder and chief executive officer of MedRhythms. "This recognition helps raise awareness of the need stroke patients face and supports broader access for patients who could benefit from these therapies."
Vascudyne's grafts are intended to reduce the need to harvest a vein from a patient's leg for bypass surgery, and for children with congenital heart defects, provide a conduit designed to grow with them. The company uses human donor cells to grow tissue, before removing the cells and leaving behind a collagen framework. Following implantation, the technology is designed to allow the patient's own cells to populate the framework. "Heart surgeons have always had to choose between living tissue harvested from the patient and off-the-shelf materials that can't heal or grow," said Zeeshan Syedain, PhD, chief executive officer and co-inventor of Vascudyne. "Our bioengineered vessel is both, ready on the shelf and designed to become the patient's own living tissue. For adults, that could mean bypass surgery without harvesting a leg vein; for children with congenital heart defects, an implant that grows with them. Winning the Best Science award is a meaningful recognition of the science behind it as we advance our clinical trials."
The other finalists were HEARTio, Pittsburgh, Pa., which is developing investigational AI software that analyzes a standard ECG to estimate obstructive coronary artery disease without dyes, radiation, incisions or catheters; MEGI, Chicago, Ill., an AI-powered digital health platform focused on women's heart health, maternal care and hypertension management; and Seerlinq, Bratislava, Slovakia, which 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. "The Health Tech Competition gives us a close look at technologies designed around real challenges facing patients and clinicians," said Lee Shapiro, JD, chairman of the board of the American Heart Association and managing partner of 7wire Ventures. "This year's winners demonstrated the attributes essential to advancing health technology: strong scientific evidence, meaningful business potential and innovative ways to address the challenges of those in need."
A panel of American Heart Association volunteer judges reviewed the finalists' business and science live presentations in the Health Innovation Pavilion during the two-day competition. Finalist presentations took place Nov. 7-8 at McCormick Place in Chicago during Scientific Sessions 2026, the American Heart Association's flagship global event for the latest research and clinical advancements in cardiovascular science. For more information, the association points to the ahahealthtech.org/aha-health-tech-competition-2026 page, and additional context is available in the release on Health tech competition finalists advance solutions for heart and brain health and the announcement that a Houston-based medical technology company wins overall global health tech competition at Scientific Sessions 2025.
Selection as a finalist or winner does not constitute an endorsement, certification or validation of a company, product, clinical claim or commercial offering by the American Heart Association. The competition's outcomes are likely to draw further attention from investors and clinicians to technologies that address unmet needs in stroke rehabilitation, cardiac surgery and heart failure management, while reinforcing the association's role in convening innovators and experts. The original release is available via www.newmediawire.com.
