Eight startups have been selected to participate in the American Heart Association's Heart and Brain Health Accelerator, a specialty track within the 2026 MedTech Innovator Accelerator. The program aims to advance novel medical or digital health technologies aligned with the Association's mission to improve cardiovascular and brain health. The companies were chosen from a highly competitive global pool as part of MedTech Innovator's overall 2026 cohort, representing some of the most promising early- and mid-stage medical technology startups.
Through this collaboration with MedTech Innovator, American Heart Association Ventures and the Association's Studio Red continue to identify and support innovation that aims to improve patient outcomes, expand access to care, and address critical gaps in cardiovascular and neurological health. American Heart Association Ventures is the mission-driven venture capital program of the American Heart Association.
"Novel approaches to tackling today's most pressing challenges are what will drive us forward in addressing the age-old challenges of improving heart and brain health," said Lisa Suennen, managing partner of American Heart Association Ventures. "Through the Heart and Brain Health Accelerator, we are connecting high-potential companies with the expertise, resources, and networks needed to bring more trustworthy, rapid, and impactful product and service advancements to patients and the clinicians who care for them."
The 2026 cohort includes eight companies: Cerevia Neurosciences (North Bethesda, Maryland), developing a non-invasive neuromodulation platform for dementia; Chambertech (Richmond, United Kingdom), creating a minimally invasive ablation system for atrial fibrillation; Envera Medical (Irvine, California), focusing on a neurovascular balloon catheter for intracranial procedures; Eupnoos (London, United Kingdom), with acoustic breath biomarkers for heart failure detection; Flux Robotics (Enschede, Netherlands), developing magnetically guided robotic systems; Lucentia (New York, New York), using AI to turn routine CT scans into virtual coronary CT angiography; OMINI (Suresnes, France), creating a portable point-of-care platform for monitoring chronic diseases; and Prima Medical (Cleveland, Ohio), offering real-time AI guidance for pulsed field ablation.
The cohort was selected by an American Heart Association advisory committee of clinical, investment, and industry experts, who evaluated applicants based on innovation, clinical impact, and potential to improve patient care. As members of the accelerator, companies will receive specialized mentorship, coaching, and capacity building from American Heart Association Ventures, customized to their focus on cardiovascular and/or brain conditions.
The selected companies also become official members of the MedTech Innovator program for this year, which includes access to networking opportunities, funding, and increased visibility within the medical technology industry. They qualify to participate in the MedTech Innovator Competition Finals, held at the MedTech Conference on October 18-21, 2026, in Boston. Participants are also included in the inaugural MTI Index, a new recognition platform highlighting the most promising medtech companies advancing innovation and commercialization in the sector.