TGH Ventures Pitch Competition

at the 2025 Bridge2AI-Voice Artificial Intelligence Symposium

April 23rd, 2025

J.W. Marriott Hotel, Water Street, Tampa, FL

Unlocking Potential: Implementing Voice Biomarkers for Transformative Healthcare

Challenge Overview:

Tampa General Hospital (TGH) invites innovators to participate in a pitch competition focused on harnessing the power of voice biomarkers to revolutionize healthcare. This competition challenges participants to present solutions that translate voice AI research into actionable real-world applications, improving diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment while advancing health equity and patient care.

The Problem:

Voice biomarkers hold immense promise for identifying and managing health conditions, from early detection of cognitive decline and respiratory issues to monitoring mental health and chronic diseases. However, deploying these technologies in clinical settings presents challenges, including:

·      Integration Gaps: Adapting voice biomarkers into existing healthcare workflows.

·      Health Equity Concerns: Ensuring technologies work across diverse populations and dialects.

·      Adoption Barriers: Building trust and demonstrating clinical utility to patients and providers.

The Opportunity:

TGH envisions a future where voice biomarkers are a cornerstone of healthcare innovation, offering clinicians actionable insights while empowering patients to manage their health proactively. This pitch competition presents an opportunity to partner with TGH and leverage its resources to advance clinical application of voice biomarkers to meaningfully move the needle in patient care. 

Pitch Format:

·      Time Limit: 15 minutes per presentation, including 10 minutes for the pitch and 5 minutes for Q&A.

·      Audience: Healthcare professionals, startups, industry leaders, researchers, and patient advocates attending the 2025 Voice AI Symposium and Hackathon.

·      Delivery: Presentations must clearly articulate the problem, propose an innovative solution, and demonstrate its potential to transform healthcare practices.

Evaluation Criteria:

Submissions will be judged based on:

1.     Relevance: Alignment with the theme of implementing voice biomarkers in transformative healthcare.

2.     Innovation: Creativity and uniqueness of the proposed solution.

3.     Impact: Potential to improve patient outcomes and address health equity.

4.     Feasibility: Clarity and practicality of the implementation plan.

5.     Scalability: Potential for the solution to expand and adapt to various healthcare settings.

6.     Ethical Considerations: Adherence to ethical principles in AI and data use.

7.     Presentation Quality: Clarity, engagement, and ability to inspire confidence in the solution.

Prize and Support:

The winning pitch will receive up to $25,000 worth of services and support tailored to their company's needs and the maturity of their solution. This may include one or more of the following:

·      Grant submission

·      Performance improvement resource time

·      Opportunities for commercial agreements or investments

·      The chance to pilot the solution in collaboration with TGH Innovation and clinical leaders

·      Access to TGH’s clinical resources and data for validation and testing

·      Strategic mentorship and support to refine and scale the solution

·      Opportunities to conduct clinical trials or validation studies

·      Potential investment from TGH, including equity participation, to accelerate the solution’s impact

·      Research assistant time from TGH

·      Access to subject matter experts

Who Should Participate?

This competition is open to startups, researchers, healthcare professionals, and innovators with expertise in voice AI, digital health, and healthcare delivery. Teams at all stages of solution development, from early concepts to market-ready technologies, are encouraged to apply.

Selection Committee:

The judging panel will feature:

·      Clinicians (a specialist in AI-driven care and conditions relevant to voice biomarker)

·      AI Experts (innovators in voice AI and digital health technology)

·      Bioethics Advisor (an expert in healthcare ethics and data privacy)

·      Patient Advocate (ensuring solutions meet real-world patient needs)

·      TGH Innovation/Venture Leader (to evaluate innovation and strategic alignment)

Timeline:

·      Pitch Competition: April 23, 2025, during the Voice AI Symposium.

·      Presentation Submission Deadline: Rolling applications with final deadline to submit on March 1, 2025. All individuals whose submissions are accepted will be required to register for the Voice AI Symposium.

·      Pre-Event Mentorship: Finalists will receive feedback and support to refine their presentations.

How to Apply:

Submit your pitch proposal via the official application portal by March 1, 2025. Proposals should include:

• A detailed description of the problem and solution, your plans to present the technology, if a demonstration will be conducted, and what your technical requirements are for completing the demonstration (less than one page)
• A roadmap for implementation and scaling (less than one page). 
• Supporting materials (optional). 

Be part of this transformative event and showcase your vision for the future of voice AI in healthcare. Apply today and join TGH in unlocking the potential of innovation!

About TGH: 

Tampa General Hospital is a private not-for-profit academic and research hospital and one of the most comprehensive medical facilities in West Central Florida serving a dozen counties with a population in excess of 4 million. As one of the largest health systems in Florida, Tampa General is licensed for 1,040 beds, and with more than 8,000 team members, is one of the region’s largest employers. Consistently recognized for world-class care, Tampa General Hospital is ranked as the #1 hospital in Tampa Bay by U.S. News & World Report for 2023-24 and is nationally ranked as among the top 50 hospitals in the nation in six specialties. Additionally, TGH was ranked as “high performing,” or among the top 10% of hospitals in the nation, in five more specialties along with 12 procedures and conditions. TGH is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2021, provided a net community benefit worth more than $224.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. TGH Ventures serves as Tampa General Hospital’s corporate venture capital arm and innovation team. TGH Ventures seeks to identify, partner with and invest in emerging health care companies that are redefining the care experience for clinicians and patients with the goal of supporting entrepreneurs, financially and strategically, who are seeking to solve problems and enhance patients’ lives. These efforts also drive innovation and improve everyday life for TGH team members, clinicians, and patients. TGH’s flagship venture fund makes direct investments in companies that align with TGH’s strategic vision of making health care affordable, accessible, convenient and effective. TGH Ventures adds both financial and strategic value to your cap table.

About Bridge2AI-Voice:

The Bridge2AI-Voice program, funded by the NIH Common Fund as part of the broader Bridge2AI initiative, is a collaborative effort aimed at advancing the use of artificial intelligence in voice biomarker technology. Featuring over 15 institutions, the program focuses on creating high-quality, diverse voice datasets to drive innovation in voice biomarkers to improve healthcare through non-invasive and affordable disease detection. A key component of the program is the annual Voice AI Symposium, which brings together researchers, clinicians, industry experts, and thought leaders to explore the latest breakthroughs, share insights, and tackle challenges in voice AI. Through workshops, panels, and presentations, the symposium fosters cross-disciplinary collaboration and accelerates the future of voice biomarker technology to improve healthcare and patient outcomes.