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roche for a better future - alzheimer's innovation challenge

Alzheimer’s Innovation Challenge

Roche & Start-Up Nation Central share the vision of enhanced digital health support for Alzheimer’s disease patients and their caregivers. We strive to identify innovative solutions that will make a difference in patients’ lives, enabling prevention, early detection, intervention & monitoring. This is why we founded the “Roche for a better future: Alzheimer’s Innovation Challenge”

Please note: Applications are now closed.

roche
start-up nation central

Challenge summary

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solutions
Relevant solutions have applied to the Roche Alzheimer’s Innovation Challenge, ranging from early detection, brain health, monitoring, disease management and support for caregivers.
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global showcase

startups made it to the global showcase event

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Winner

The Winner

Winner

neurosteer
Neurosteer’s non-invasive brain-monitoring solution for early detection of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and other neurological disorders consists of an inexpensive medical-grade wearable device and cloud-based system, provides objective biomarkers and remote real-time assessment of brain activity, and is suitable for mass deployment.

The Finalists

SENSI.AI
Sensi is an AI-based solution for home care agencies and elder care communities. Sensi provides audio analytics-based insight that helps not only eliminate blind-spots, but also predict and prevent unwanted events from occurring. Sensi’s mission is to enable older adults to age with the respect, confidence and dignity that they deserve.
SHOMER ROSH
Shomerosh is a digital data-based tool for early prediction and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. It combines a novel cognitive assessment with personalized preventive recommendations, and enables a long follow-up with a simple, user-friendly and self-administered app.
ELMINDA
Brain Network Analysis (BNA) objectively measures a patient’s brain activity in a non-invasive way by using a medical-grade EEG. Our cloud-based AI Algorithm automatically identifies the unique brain patterns of the patient and compares them to an age-matched normative group.
Montfort Brain Monitor (Mon4t) app turns daily life smartphones into medical device, enabling continuous and objective neurological assessment from the comfort of patient’s home. Finally, neurologists can use data to support their clinical decisions, optimize treatment and get alerts for anomalies & deterioration. Mon4t’s digital markers also accelerate drug development and clinical research.

The Prize

100K NIS grant from Roche Israel

System Check by ROX

2 mentorship hours with an Israeli AD medical expert

2 mentorship hours with venture capital business expert

About Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, a term used to describe different brain disorders that affect memory, thinking, behavior and emotion. There are currently estimated to be over 55 million people worldwide living with dementia with significant social and economic consequences.

There is a growing recognition that the process of Alzheimer’s disease begins many years prior to clinically obvious symptoms. Thus the ultimate goal of identifying individuals in the preclinical stages of Alzheimer disease with less invasive, faster and more effective methods, is to facilitate early intervention to delay the clinical syndrome, promote early and optimal management, optimize physical health, cognition, activity and wellbeing.

The Challenge

Innovative technology solutions supporting AD patients

An advantage will be given to solutions that are intended for the early detection of Alzheimer's disease in clinical practice or screening for possible early disease onset
*Early detection is defined as detection in preclinical MCI and Mild AD disease stages

Additional areas of interest:

Prevention & supporting brain health

Dementia Risk Assessment, Tracking & Monitoring

Disease Awareness & Education on Ageing Healthy Lifestyle Promotion

Support for caregivers

The Solutions We Are Looking For

Digital health solution

Ideal functionality:

*You may apply even if your solution does not meet all these functions

Use

Should be self-administered by individuals ideally in the remote environment (e.g. at home). Ready to market solution – an advantage

Test

The solution should be non-invasive

Analytics

The solution ideally provides advanced analytics calculating a risk score for diagnosis/monitoring

Device

Is ideally based on a daily life device (e.g. smartphone), and does not require proprietary hardware

Connectivity

Advantage: the solution interfaces with and can be connected to medical information systems via FHIR standards.

or

Innovative biomarker for AD

Biologic

Digital

Timeline of the Challenge

24/4/22

Applications open

11/5/22

Informational webinar with Roche

Watch recording

31/5/22
Applications close
30/6/22
Finalists announced

Advisory Committee

Partners

Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics and the world’s largest biotech company, focused on advancing science to improve people’s lives. The combined strengths of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, as well as growing capabilities in the area of data-driven medical insights help Roche deliver truly personalized healthcare. 

In Roche, innovation has always been about identifying and seizing opportunities. Despite the great medical progress, there is still a huge need and a growing demand for specific diagnostics and better tolerated therapies. Going forward, Roche intends to again increase its investment in research and development.

For more information, please visit
www.roche.com

Start-Up Nation Central is the address for corporations, governments and investors to connect with the Israeli tech ecosystem. We catalyze growth opportunities by bringing Israeli tech innovation to global business and societal challenges. Established in 2013 and headquartered in Tel-Aviv, Israel, Start-Up Nation Central is a not-for-profit organization funded by philanthropy. 

 

For more information, please visit 
www.startupnationcentral.org

RoX Health is a Startup Studio rooted in Roche, based in Berlin, Germany. We turn ideas into healthcare businesses and encourage greater initiative in the healthcare industry. Currently, we focus on certain topics in oncology, neurology and women’s health

For more information, please visit 
https://roxhealth.com

FAQ

Roche & Start-Up Nation Central share the vision of enhanced digital health support for Alzheimer’s Disease patients and their caregivers. The challenge strives to identify innovative solutions that will make a difference in patients’ lives, enabling prevention, early detection, intervention & monitoring. An advantage will be given to digital health solutions that support early detection of Alzheimer’s Disease.

This challenge is not equity nor investment focused.

The Challenge is open to privately held companies formed and registered under the laws of Israel with a company ID (חפ), or technology transfer offices/entities of non-profit and/or governmental entities (such as universities, hospitals and sick funds) (“TTO/s”), which develop a project/solution that may answer the competition challenge, and who have applied for patent protection underlying the technology subject of such project/solution.
We welcome solutions with a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5 and above.

English will be the official language.

The challenge will have both online and physical/hybrid presence, which will be communicated in advance (depending on COVID-19 situation and MoH guidelines).

For the meeting with the Advisory Committee & the  Pitch, one person will be required to pitch the startup and solution. It is important to have a team member that can address all questions from the advisory committee members.

For the Mentoring meetings, we advise at least two team members of your startup, one business-oriented and another more tech-oriented to be able to cover all types of conversations in the 1-on-1 sessions.

If your startup is pre-selected after the online applications, you’ll be invited to:

  • A Pre-pitch meeting with Roche Israel executives – July 4, 14:00-18:00
  • A complimentary pitch training and camera workshop preparation sessions prior to the final event
  • A meeting with the advisory committee, Roche Israel & Start-Up Nation Central that will take place at Start-Up Nation Central HQ, 28 Lilienblum, Tel-Aviv (11/7/22, 16:30-19:00 IDT). In person attendance is a must.
  • A Pitch before a local & global audience, as part of a hybrid final event that will take place at Start-Up Nation Central HQ, 28 Lilienblum, Tel-Aviv (14/7/22, 17:30-19:00 IDT). In person attendance is a must.

If your startup is the winner, you will receive a 100K NIS grant from Roche Israel and you’ll be invited to:

  • 2 mentorship hours with a local medical expert on AD (September 2022)
  • 2 mentorship hours with venture capital business expert (September 2022)
  • System Check by ROX initiation meeting (September 2022)    
  • Meeting with Rox – post System Check submission (November 2022)   

The selection process will be managed by an Advisory Committee with representatives from local AD medical experts, Roche AD global team, ROX and Almeda Ventures. The committee will be focusing on your product (ready to market – an advantage), team, market, business model and unique value proposition.

Yes, definitely. You can apply with as many projects you believe would fit and benefit with the challenge. Each startup will require its own application.

Contact Us

If you have any questions please contact us:

Roche Pharmaceuticals (Israel) Ltd. All rights reserved © 2022

The intention of a System Check is to assess in detail how ready a company is to bring a digital health solution to the German healthcare market & EU. During the System Check, our experts from various backgrounds such as IT, regulatory, finance, commercialization, medicine, market access and product look at the information provided by the startup company. Based on the available information we compile a detailed assessment that is shared in a 1-1 session with the startup.

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