Showcasing Innovation: A Spotlight on Healthcare Demo Day Startups

Chicago has emerged as a vibrant nerve center for healthcare technology innovation, with a thriving ecosystem of startups tackling some of the industry's most pressing challenges. As healthcare continues to undergo rapid digital transformation, our city is positioning itself at the forefront of developing solutions that improve access, quality, and efficiency of care.

We organized our Healthcare Demo Day to spotlight this incredible local talent and create meaningful connections between innovative startups and the investors, healthcare leaders, and potential partners who can help them scale their impact. Chicago's unique combination of world-class medical institutions, research universities, established health tech companies, and support organizations provides fertile ground for healthcare innovation.

The healthcare industry is projected to experience significant transformation in the coming years, with healthcare technology startups playing a crucial role in addressing challenges ranging from rising costs to workforce shortages. According to recent industry reports, areas like artificial intelligence in healthcare could save the U.S. healthcare system billions annually by 2025, while technologies enabling remote care continue to expand rapidly Connexio Health, 2025.

Our recent Healthcare Demo Day brought together nine remarkable startups, each bringing innovative solutions to these pressing healthcare challenges. From revolutionizing patient transport to transforming mental health treatment, these companies represent the cutting edge of healthcare technology innovation that is emerging from our city's robust ecosystem.

Meet the Innovative Startups

BatteryXchange

Presented by Desmond Wiggan, CEO

BatteryXchange is revolutionizing patient experience by providing seamless mobile power access in healthcare facilities. Their smart charging kiosks empower patients and visitors to stay connected, improving satisfaction and engagement. Currently deployed in major health systems, they are scaling rapidly to enhance digital accessibility in hospitals nationwide.

In modern healthcare facilities, patient experience is a critical metric impacting hospital rankings and reimbursements. Yet, many patients and visitors struggle with a basic need: staying connected. Low phone batteries hinder communication with caregivers, access to telehealth apps, and engagement with digital health resources. Studies show that 82% of patients use their phones for health-related tasks while in hospitals, yet most facilities lack convenient charging access. Additionally, disconnected patients experience higher anxiety, lower satisfaction scores, and greater frustration—directly impacting HCAHPS scores and financial incentives.

BatteryXchange delivers a seamless mobile charging solution tailored for healthcare environments. Their smart kiosks allow patients and visitors to rent, use, and return portable chargers at their convenience, ensuring they stay connected without being tethered to a wall outlet. With an intuitive mobile app, users can locate nearby kiosks, rent power banks, and return them when finished—creating a frictionless, on-demand charging experience. Their solution directly supports Patient Experience (PX) and Digital Engagement initiatives by ensuring uninterrupted access to digital health tools, telemedicine, and caregiver communication. BatteryXchange kiosks also provide hospitals with valuable data insights, helping administrators optimize placement and utilization based on real-time analytics.

Biagon Inc

Presented by David Cooper, CEO

Biagon Inc. utilizes a proprietary machine learning platform to design and discover novel therapeutics with specific signaling profiles to maximize therapeutic potential and minimize adverse events.

Functional selectivity, also known as biased signaling, is when a ligand differently activates signaling pathways downstream of a single receptor. For G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which are targets for ~35% of FDA-approved drugs, receptors couple to various Gi, Gq, Gs, and G12/13 G proteins. Much research demonstrates that selectively activating specific pathways affects a drug's therapeutic index. For example, µ-opioid receptor (MOR) agonists such as morphine, which have Gi/o pathway bias, are potent analgesics. However, they cause respiratory depression, constipation, addiction, and dependence. Reducing β-arrestin signaling, which causes respiratory depression, would create safer opioid analgesics. However, predicting signaling selectivity remains a significant challenge and bottleneck in drug discovery, slowing the advancement of novel therapeutics to patients.

Biagon's original, proprietary technology comes from the research lab of Dr. David D.L. Minh, who is an expert in computational chemistry with >15 years of experience in computational drug design and cheminformatics. The Minh lab developed new architectures and approaches to represent protein-ligand interactions in deep neural networks. The team coupled deep neural networks with free energy calculations to score protein-ligand interactions more accurately. The Biagon team has translated these efforts to develop a machine learning platform that integrates proprietary free energy calculations and protein-ligand scoring functions to predict in vivo drug properties, including signaling selectivity. Using our platform, they design and discover novel chemical entities with ideal signaling profiles to maximize therapeutic potential while minimizing adverse events.

BiomeSense

Presented by Kevin Honaker, CEO

BiomeSense is revolutionizing gut microbiome analysis with an automated, in-home data-collection system and advanced AI analytics. They enable large-scale biomarker discovery and accelerate the development of next-generation therapeutics, diagnostics, and consumer health products through their integrated platform that delivers more data, more accurately, at a lower cost.

The gut microbiome offers immense potential for transforming healthcare, from predicting treatment outcomes to developing novel therapeutics. However, the field faces a critical "data gap" – existing tools are expensive, burdensome, and incapable of tracking dynamic microbiome changes over time. Current methods rely on infrequent stool samples that provide limited snapshots rather than the continuous data needed to understand this complex ecosystem. This data deficiency severely restricts the microbiome's clinical utility and slows therapeutic innovation.

BiomeSense solves this challenge with an end-to-end platform that combines seamless sampling with powerful analytics. Their AI-enabled system automates sample collection in the patient's home, generating 30x more data at less than 10% of the cost of traditional methods. This unprecedented data density reveals temporal patterns and intervention responses that would otherwise remain hidden. Their platform includes specialized hardware for sample stabilization, powerful machine learning algorithms that extract insights from complex microbiome data, and user-friendly interfaces that make these insights actionable for clinicians and researchers.

BRAIV

Presented by Sindhu Banerjee, Co-Founder/CEO

BRAIV is a ML-driven precision psychiatry platform designed to eliminate the trial-and-error in psychiatric medication prescribing. By integrating multi-modal patient data with advanced machine learning models, BRAIV delivers personalized medication recommendations for depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions, improving patient outcomes, reducing treatment delays, and lowering healthcare costs for hospitals and insurers.

Psychiatric medication prescribing is largely trial-and-error, with up to 50% of patients failing to respond to their first treatment. Patients typically cycle through 2-3 medications over 12-18 months before finding an effective treatment, leading to prolonged suffering, increased suicide risk, and substantial healthcare costs. This inefficient approach persists because psychiatrists lack objective tools to guide medication selection, relying instead on subjective assessments and general population data. The resulting delays and ineffective treatments cost the US healthcare system over $40 billion annually and contribute to the growing mental health crisis.

BRAIV's ML-driven precision psychiatry platform leverages advanced machine learning architecture to analyze multimodal patient data and generate personalized medication recommendations. Their system integrates clinical assessments, medical history, social determinants, passive digital phenotyping data, and optional biomarkers to create comprehensive patient profiles. These profiles are analyzed against outcomes from millions of similar cases using their proprietary treatment response prediction engine. BRAIV delivers actionable medication recommendations within minutes through their clinician dashboard, including the specific medications and dosages most likely to be effective for each patient's unique profile, estimated response timelines, and personalized care strategies.

CareSMS

Presented by Arjun Srivastava, CEO & Co-Founder

CareSMS is an AI-powered practice management platform built specifically for home care organizations. Their comprehensive solution consolidates multiple fragmented systems, automates administrative work, and optimizes provider scheduling & routing—enabling care teams to spend less time on paperwork and more time delivering quality care to patients at home.

The home care industry faces an unprecedented challenge: by 2034, Americans 65+ will outnumber children under 18 for the first time in U.S. history, creating massive demand for in-home care services. However, providers are severely constrained by operational inefficiencies that prevent scaling to meet this need. Research reveals that 82% of home care workers report significant time loss due to disconnected systems, with only 28% of staff time spent on primary job functions. The typical provider juggles 8.7 different software systems to manage operations—creating data silos, duplicated work, and frustrated staff.

CareSMS is building a comprehensive AI-powered practice management platform purpose-built for the unique challenges of home care delivery. They've created a unified system that addresses the full spectrum of needs across administrative, clinical, and patient-facing functions. Their platform consolidates the fragmented ecosystem of 8+ disparate tools into a single, cohesive solution that serves key stakeholders: practice leadership and back-office staff, home care providers, and patients/caregivers. At the core of CareSMS is a suite of intelligent modules including a Command Center for administrators that provides comprehensive oversight with intelligent scheduling and routing optimization, a mobile-first platform for care providers that streamlines documentation with AI-powered dictation, and simplified interfaces for patients and caregivers for care coordination and communication.

Juxta

Presented by John Ferrara, CEO and Founder

Juxta uses new geospatial technology to optimize essential hospital workflows — like patient transport, visitor wayfinding, and nurse rounding — ultimately generating millions in added revenue, recapturing thousands of staff hours, and improving the quality of care.

Hospitals operate in a high-stakes, fast-paced environment where inefficiencies in logistics can lead to significant financial losses and compromised patient care. Patient transport delays alone cost the average 400-bed hospital $2.1 million annually in lost procedural revenue. These delays cascade across departments, creating bottlenecks in ORs, imaging centers, and discharge processes. Meanwhile, visitors waste valuable time navigating complex hospital layouts, causing staff interruptions and missed appointments. Traditional solutions rely on ineffective walkie-talkies, whiteboards, or expensive RTLS systems requiring extensive hardware. The pandemic has only exacerbated these challenges by increasing labor shortages and operational costs.

Juxta is transforming hospital logistics with the first hardware-free indoor tracking system, developed specifically for healthcare environments. Their platform integrates seamlessly with existing hospital wifi infrastructure to provide positioning accuracy within 2 meters – without requiring beacons, sensors, or new hardware. This innovative approach creates a comprehensive solution that includes: Juxta Transport (a ride-hailing system for patient movement that cuts delays by 47% and improves staff efficiency), Juxta Wayfinder (a mobile navigation tool that guides visitors through complex hospital layouts), and Juxta Analytics (which provides actionable insights on patient flow, staff efficiency, and potential bottlenecks).

ORO Intelligence

Presented by TJ Davison, CEO

ORO Intelligence is a health tech startup that creates scheduling software for healthcare providers to improve utilization, recapture revenue, and get patients seen sooner. Their platform automates scheduling, predicts and mitigates no-shows, and optimizes the waitlist to bring patients in on short notice when there's a last-minute cancellation.

Across the US healthcare industry, between 10-15% of all appointments never take place due to no-shows, resulting in approximately $150 billion in lost revenue annually. Each unfilled appointment represents both lost clinical capacity and missed revenue that can never be recovered. Healthcare providers lack the tools to effectively predict which patients are likely to miss appointments, and more importantly, they don't have systems to automatically fill sudden vacancies. Traditional solutions like reminder systems only address part of the problem, while overbooking creates operational challenges and diminishes both the patient and provider experience. The industry needs a comprehensive approach that actively converts missed appointments into opportunities.

ORO Intelligence is creating an AI-powered software platform for healthcare providers that integrates into the EMR to maximize appointment utilization in three key ways: Predicting no-shows before they happen, Optimizing the waitlist to ensure the right patients fill last-minute openings, and Streamlining scheduling across multiple locations. Their predictive model analyzes over 100 data points to identify patients at high risk of no-showing, enabling proactive intervention. The intelligent waitlist prioritizes patients based on clinical need, revenue impact, and ability to attend an appointment on short notice. This allows practices to dynamically backfill cancellations with candidates who best fit their scheduling and financial goals.

Partum Health

Presented by Meghan Doyle, CEO & Co-Founder & Matt Rogers, COO & Co-Founder

Partum Health is a hybrid maternal health clinic offering in-person and virtual specialty care - mental health, lactation, nutrition, physical therapy, and doula support - to improve outcomes, reduce complications, and make high-quality perinatal care accessible and seamless for families.

Each year, over 4 million families in the U.S. navigate a fragmented and outdated maternal health system. Despite spending more than any other developed nation on maternal care, the U.S. has the worst maternal outcomes, with rates of pregnancy-related deaths and complications continuing to rise. The current model fails to address common complications like postpartum depression (affecting 1 in 5 mothers), breastfeeding challenges (experienced by 92% of new mothers), and pelvic floor issues (affecting up to 50% of postpartum women). These conditions go untreated due to a fragmented care system that forces families to navigate multiple disconnected specialists, creating overwhelming administrative and financial burdens at an already stressful time. This systemic failure disproportionately affects women of color, who face 3-4x higher mortality rates and encounter significant barriers to specialized care.

Partum Health enhances primary OB care by addressing common perinatal complications through a seamless, coordinated specialty care model. Their hybrid approach combines in-person clinics with virtual care options to make specialized maternal services accessible to all families. Partum brings together essential maternal health specialists – mental health providers, lactation consultants, nutritionists, physical therapists, and doulas – under one integrated system designed specifically for perinatal needs. They've eliminated traditional barriers by offering convenient scheduling, insurance coverage for all services, and personalized care coordination that takes the burden off families. Their innovative digital health platform further connects patients with providers between visits and enables remote monitoring for earlier intervention when complications arise.

Slideflow Labs

Presented by Sid Ramesh, Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer

Slideflow Labs democratizes AI-powered pathology by combining low-cost hardware with clinically-validated software. Their platform enables hospitals and biotech companies to develop, validate, and deploy custom biomarkers while maintaining complete data ownership. Unlike competitors requiring centralized processing, their local deployment approach ensures security and flexibility, accelerating precision medicine across diverse healthcare settings.

Healthcare and biotech organizations face significant barriers to implementing AI in pathology. The existing model for digital pathology biomarker development is slow, expensive, and restrictive – with typical projects costing $250,000+ and requiring 6-12 months to complete. Legacy solutions rely on proprietary hardware and centralized processing, forcing organizations to surrender their data to third parties and accept "black box" algorithms without transparency. This centralized approach creates significant bottlenecks, with organizations lacking the tools, expertise, and computing resources to develop custom biomarkers in-house. The result is a dangerous concentration of power in a few commercial entities, slowing innovation and limiting access to cutting-edge precision medicine.

Slideflow Labs offers an integrated AI-powered digital pathology platform that democratizes access to this revolutionary technology. Their approach combines low-cost hardware with powerful, clinically-validated software that can be deployed locally within a hospital or lab's existing infrastructure. This enables organizations to develop, validate, and deploy custom biomarkers while maintaining complete control and ownership of their data. Their platform features an intuitive interface for non-technical users to train and deploy models without coding knowledge, explainable AI that provides insight into how models make decisions, and flexible deployment options that allow organizations to choose between cloud-based or on-premises implementations based on their security and computing requirements.