The American Heart Association has selected eight companies to join its Heart and Brain Health Accelerator, a specialty track within the 2026 MedTech Innovator Accelerator. This program aims to advance medical and digital health technologies aligned with the Association's mission to improve cardiovascular and brain health. The selected startups, chosen from a global pool, represent early- to mid-stage companies developing solutions for conditions such as dementia, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and stroke.
The accelerator is a collaboration between American Heart Association Ventures and MedTech Innovator. Lisa Suennen, managing partner of American Heart Association Ventures, emphasized the importance of novel approaches: “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.” The program provides mentorship, coaching, and capacity building tailored to cardiovascular and neurological conditions.
The 2026 cohort includes Cerevia Neurosciences, which is developing a non-invasive neuromodulation platform for dementia; Chambertech, focused on minimally invasive hybrid ablation for atrial fibrillation; Envera Medical, creating a neurovascular balloon catheter for safer embolization procedures; Eupnoos, using acoustic breath biomarkers to detect heart failure and lung injury at home; Flux Robotics, developing magnetically guided robotic systems for navigating complex arteries; Lucentia, turning routine CT scans into virtual coronary CT angiography for early heart disease detection; OMINI, a portable platform for measuring blood biomarkers to monitor chronic diseases like heart failure; and Prima Medical, offering real-time AI guidance for pulsed field catheter ablation.
These companies were selected by an advisory committee of clinical, investment, and industry experts based on innovation, clinical impact, and potential to improve patient care. As participants, they gain access to MedTech Innovator's resources, including networking, funding opportunities, and visibility. They also qualify to compete in the MedTech Innovator Competition Finals at The MedTech Conference in Boston from October 18-21, 2026, and are included in the inaugural MTI Index, recognizing promising medtech companies.
The American Heart Association's venture capital arm, American Heart Association Ventures, and its venture studio, Studio Red, continue to identify innovations that address critical gaps in care. This accelerator underscores the Association's commitment to driving breakthroughs in science and policy to improve health outcomes. For more information, visit heart.org or follow @HeartNews on X.
