Innovation Challenge: Pioneering Solutions in Pain Management
We believe innovation and technology are key to advancing healthcare, improving outcomes, and driving pain medicine forward.
Join us in finding novel and creative ways to advance our mission by taking part in our Innovation Challenge, designed specifically for innovators, healthcare entrepreneurs, startups, researchers and teams with solutions to improve the lives of people living with pain across all specialties and fields of medicine.
About the Innovation Challenge
The Innovation Challenge is an open invitation to innovators worldwide, from pre-seed to Series A companies, to present their groundbreaking solutions across various fields, including pain management, nutrition, sleep medicine, and more.
Every year, the “Shark Tank” style pitch competition pits established startups, aspiring healthcare entrepreneurs, and researchers against one another with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of people living with pain.
Presented by the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM), combined with the resources and support of the world’s most prestigious healthcare innovation group, MIT Hacking Medicine, the Innovation Challenge is one of the most exciting annual events in the pain medicine space.
Finalists will pitch their solution before an of audience of patients, providers, and industry leaders, offering prizes, mentorship, and exposure to propel innovations forward.
Our Founding Sponsors include Abbott and Saluda Medical – two incredibly innovative companies on the cutting edge of neuromodulation in pain medicine and digital health.
Our Mission
We want to create an innovation ecosystem capable of catalyzing lasting change in pain management and making a tangible difference in the lives of those affected by pain.
Join us in this journey of discovery and innovation, where your ideas can lead to transformative solutions in pain medicine.
Who Should Pitch?
If your solution can change the lives of those living with pain, we want to hear from you.
The event is not limited to AAPM members and is open to all innovators worldwide attempting to help patients and providers address pain-related issues. We want to encourage anyone with an idea or an established startup to submit their ideas and pitches, including students, residents, fellows, clinical and research faculty, engineers, designers, developers, business leaders, and patients.
When is the Next Innovation Challenge?
Stay tuned for information on the next Innovation Challenge, including submission deadlines, requirements and
Judging Criteria
The focus of your idea/team/start-up must be based on addressing challenges in pain medicine, acute, chronic, or otherwise–the topic is broad and we would like to see a broad array of approaches and solutions from various backgrounds.
- Potential for Impact (25%)
- Each submission will be rated on the strength of its potential to improve the health of individuals and/or communities specific to pain medicine diagnosis defined above.
- Applications will be rated on their ability to address a specific need and potential for further development.
- Design and Usability (25%)
- Each submission will be rated on how well it meets the specific needs of its intended user.
- User-friendliness and human-centered design.
- Priority may be given to submissions that are easily accessible to a range of patients and on a variety of platforms.
- Solution Feasibility (25%)
- Solution will be rated on the presented market analysis and proposed plan for development, growth, scale, and sustainability.
- Creativity and Innovation (25%)
- Each submission will be rated for the degree of creativity and innovation compared with existing solutions.
