Astellas Rx+® Healthcare Innovation Challenge

Improve the quality of life of people with sensory disabilities and individuals with restricted access to healthcare!


 Astellas Rx+® Healthcare Innovation Challenge | FINAL EVENT


After an intense challenge that lasted over half a year and saw over 220 Startups apply, the Final Event of the Astellas Rx+® Healthcare Innovation Challenge took place on January 21, 2021.

8 Finalist Startups in total, 4 per category, gave it their all during their 5min pitch, which was followed by a 5min Q&A from the judges.

The winning Startups will win PoCs and start collaborating with Astellas to implement their projects.

We would like to again thank all the parties involved in making this challenge a success!


Congratulations to the winners and all the finalists!


Empowering sensory-disabled people
through technology

Improving access to healthcare
through technology

Prize: Prize:
Proof of Concept Proof of Concept

Augmented Bionics

Articulate Labs

Augmented Bionics is developing a first in world non-surgical bionic ear for people with severe hearing loss, bridging the gap between hearing aids and cochlear implants. Articulate Labs builds wearable medical devices that amplify muscle growth throughout everyday activity to help others conquer functional limitations and to restore physical capability.


Empowering sensory-disabled people through technology

AAVAA - Hear what you want. Hear what matters.

Caterna Vision


AAVAA is making a smart hearing device that returns full control of the auditory environment to the user by seamlessly interpreting brain and bio-signals to understand and enhance sounds of interest. Caterna has developed the first online therapy (digital therapeutics) for treating amblyopia (“lazy eye”) for children in combination with occlusion. 3.000 patients were treated successfully so far. Stamurai is a speech therapy app for stuttering. Traditional speech therapy is expensive ($5,000) , prone to relapse (80% relapse) and inaccessible. Stamurai solves this through an automated solution.

Improving access to healthcare through technology

Kaaro Health

metaMe Health, Inc. - Regulora™

Monarch eTNS System - NeuroSigma

Kaaro Health designs, manufactures and installs solar-powered container health clinics in underserved rural and hard-to-reach villages in Uganda to give them access to life-saving primary health care. Regulora™ is a prescription digital therapeutic that expands access to treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which causes debilitating abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation in 10% of adults. The Monarch eTNS System is the first-ever non-drug therapy to receive FDA clearance for treating pediatric ADHD. The Monarch offers the efficacy of ADHD medications without the side effects.