MATTER and VSP Vision announce inaugural cohort for VSP Vision Innovation Challenge
July 15, 2024, CHICAGO, IL, and RANCHO CORDOVA, CA — MATTER, the premier healthcare incubator and innovation hub, and VSP Vision™, the leader in delivering access to health-focused vision care, today announced the inaugural cohort of startups selected to participate in the VSP Vision Innovation Challenge, a global competition that seeks to explore solutions to enhance the patient experience in eye care.
Through a global call, VSP Vision and MATTER invited innovators to submit their solutions addressing one or more tracks for enhancing patients’ eye care experiences: Empowering Patients, Scaling Access or Elevating Care. The startups were evaluated based on the following criteria: alignment and focus, novelty and originality, business model, company traction and team readiness.
“At VSP, our purpose is to empower human potential through sight,” Will Flanagan, head of programs and partnerships at VSP Global Innovation Center, said during a recent MATTER Health Podcast conversation. “We know that we can’t do that entirely in-house. At the Global Innovation Center, we have an ‘outside-in model,’ where we go out into the health ecosystem to identify innovative technologies and solutions that are scaling access to care or strengthening our provider network or helping to build better patient experiences and outcomes. That’s one of the reasons why we launched the VSP Vision Innovation Challenge.”
The five finalists will receive expert mentorship and exclusive resources to refine their value propositions, and will pitch their solutions at a final showcase on August 15, 2024, for a chance to win up to $10,000. Register to attend the final showcase here.
Learn more about the startup cohort
Lens2Recycle — Burlington, California:
Lens2Recycle is a smart, eco-friendly recycling appliance designed to meet the sustainability needs of contact lens wearers. Lens2Recycle eliminates the environmental impact of forever-plastics from soft contact lenses and blister pack packaging.
Machine MD — Bern, Switzerland:
MachineMD is an innovative medical device company that uses the eyes as a window to the brain, working at the intersection of neuroscience, ophthalmology and optometry. The company’s flagship product is neos™ - the world’s first neurophthalmoscope, which performs an automated examination of ocular motility, binocular vision, pupillary function and visual fields. Their team believes that systematic, objective, quantitative eye exams will increase provider efficiency, reduce clinical error and improve people’s quality of life.
Ophthalytics — Marietta, Georgia:
In 2020, driven by the frustration of his parents’ struggle to get an eye exam in Atlanta due to a shortage of retina specialists, Ophthalytics’ founder, an experienced AI engineer, teamed up with his physician wife to develop a groundbreaking AI model for autonomous Diabetic Retinopathy detection. With a strong team of AI experts and eye specialists, Ophthalytics was launched, successfully completing over 100,000 exams. Ophthalytics has garnered major support from AWS and Nvidia and is now partnering with US hospitals to revolutionize eye care. Ophthalytics is raising funds to expand their AI-powered disease detection to multiple other conditions detectable via fundus images, including cardiovascular disease.
RevitalVision — Modi’in-Maccabim-Re’ut, Israel:
RevitalVision is a SaaS-based, digital health startup offering a unique solution to millions of people whose needs are unmet by existing vision treatments. Their non-invasive technology enhances eyesight neurologically. RevitalVision offers eye care specialists a simple, easy-to-use tool to improve patients’ vision beyond current eye treatments, by targeting the brain’s visual cortex. RevitalVision is the only FDA-cleared product with efficacy claims to improve vision in adults with amblyopia (ages nine and over). RevitalVision utilizes brain science and proprietary algorithm-based technology, is clinically validated in multiple eye diseases and vision impairments, and has been approved for two new CPT codes by the AMA for the treatment of amblyopia.
Vision Science Labs — Los Angeles, California:
Vision Science Labs (VSL) is revolutionizing eye care with its AI-guided online platform. Their innovative vision testing and therapy methods allow patients to receive high-quality eye care at home, requiring minimal to no hardware. By making eye care more convenient and accessible, VSL is improving patient outcomes and transforming the industry.
About MATTER
At MATTER, we believe collaboration is the best way to improve healthcare. The MATTER collaborative includes more than 1,000 current and alumni startups from around the world, working together with dozens of hospitals and health systems, universities and industry-leading companies to build the future of healthcare. Together we are accelerating innovation, advancing care and improving lives. For more information, visit matter.health and follow @MATTERhealth.
About VSP Vision™
At VSP Vision™, our purpose is to empower human potential through sight. As the first national not-for-profit vision benefits company, this is what drives everything we do. For nearly 70 years, VSP has been the leader in health-focused vision care. Every day, the people that power our complementary businesses—VSP® Vision Care, Marchon Eyewear, Inc., Visionworks®, Eyefinity®, Eyeconic, VSP® Optics and VSP® Ventures—work together to create a world where everyone can bring their best vision to life. That means providing affordable access to eye care and eyewear for more than 85 million members through a network of more than 41,000 doctors. It also means expanding access to vision care to those disadvantaged by income, distance, or disaster through VSP Vision™ Eyes of Hope®. To date, more than 3.8 million people in need have received access to no-cost eye care and eyewear through one of our Eyes of Hope programs. Learn more about how we’re reinvesting in greater vision, health, and opportunities for all at vspvision.com.