The Brain Race Announces Winning Startups in Position to Defeat Brain Tumors

BETHESDA, Md., April 23, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Center for Advancing Innovation (CAI) announces winners of the Brain Race, an open innovation contest to advance high-impact inventions and solutions to defeat brain tumors. The Brain Race launched 15 start-up companies, which are advancing promising therapeutics, devices, diagnostics, and digital health solutions to improve outcomes for brain tumor patients and caregivers. CAI orchestrated the Brain Race with support from Resonance Philanthropies -- a donor-advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation -- and The Brain Tumour Charity.

Dr. David Jenkinson, Chief Scientific Officer for The Brain Tumour Charity, said: "We are inspired by the progress that Brain Race spin-out companies have made in developing solutions for the brain tumour community. The Brain Tumour Charity looks forward to collaborating with these new companies in our fight against brain tumours. The Brain Tumour Charity's motto, A Cure Can't Wait, seeks to double survival within ten years and halving the harm that brain tumours have on quality of life within five years." Rosemarie Truman, Founder and CEO of the Center for Advancing Innovation, added: "We are thrilled by the enthusiastic, passionate participation that has advanced and galvanized the brain tumor community. We are certain to see this cohort make outsized positive impact on the world for many years to come."

The Brain Race hosted 124 teams, from which winners were selected, with access to 100+ relevant experts and 40+ web-based classes on entrepreneurship and technology commercialization through CAI's White House-recognized accelerator training program. Winners were most successful in leveraging CAI's training to develop 10-page business plans, financial models, and pitches, which were evaluated by a multi-disciplinary panel of judges, comprised of 60+ industry experts and potential investors.

Brain Race winners recognized with the Innovation Excellence Award will receive a cash award. Brain Race winners will also have opportunities to pitch for seed and early-stage funding from investors in the CAI community.

The winning startups and overviews of their innovations are listed on the website below:
https://www.brainrace.org/winners.html

For more information on the Brain Race, please visit https://www.brainrace.org/.

ABOUT CAI:
The Center for Advancing Innovation (CAI) is a global public-private partnership, non-profit focused on creating a virtuous circle of innovation and driving growth breakthroughs through novel, creative paradigms and models. CAI's mission is to accelerate and increase the volume of technology commercialization to ignite entrepreneurship, bolster the global economy, and maximize the potential of promising inventions. CAI's award-winning challenge-based accelerator, rigorous evidence-based due diligence, and capital-efficient lean management models serve to hyper-accelerate "gazelle" high-performing startups for outsized investor returns. For additional information about CAI, please visit http://www.thecenterforadvancinginnovation.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

ABOUT THE BRAIN TUMOUR CHARITY:
The Brain Tumour Charity is the world's leading brain tumor charity and the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumors globally. Committed to saving and improving lives, we're moving further, faster to help every single person affected by a brain tumor. We're set on finding new treatments, offering the highest level of support and driving urgent change. And we're doing it right now. Because we understand that when you, or someone you love, is diagnosed with a brain tumor - a cure really can't wait. For more information about The Brain Tumour Charity, please visit https://www.thebraintumourcharity.org/.

ABOUT RESONANCE PHILANTHROPIES:
Resonance Philanthropies is a donor advised fund of Silicon Valley Community Foundation with the primary funding interests in Children's Health and Plastic Pollution. The Fund supports the interests of its co-founders, Sheri Sobrato and Eric Brisson. Resonance House, one of the philanthropic funds, developed Shadow's Edge, the fist-ever free mobile game designed to build emotional resilience in young people facing health challenge. http://www.shadowsedge.com.

SOURCE The Center for Advancing Innovation