The Medical Center of the Americas Foundation (MCA) and the Melinda and Meyer Marcus Foundation Innovation Center are thrilled to announce Infinite Elements as the $20,000 grand prize winner of the Elevate Health Tech Challenge. The competition came to an exciting finish on the evening of February 15 at the Pitch Day event held at the Cardwell Collaborative.

Six regional startups—Infinite Elements, Oten Medical, Thyroid HQ, Freudensong, Metabolomics Rx, and Flow Aluminum—presented their innovative health technologies and strategic business plans to an expert judge panel. After difficult deliberations, Dr. Lawrence (Joe) Allred, Dr. Myrriah Tomar, and Angelica Maestas selected Infinite Elements as the top company for their innovative and eco-friendly bioprocessing technology that sustainably recovers critical materials from e-waste.

“It means a lot because after so many no’s just even one yes is a lot of validation for us. It’ll help us grow and helped us create partnerships. We’re really going to make a dent in this climate crisis” stated Jesica Urbina, PhD, CEO and Founder of Infinite Elements, as her team accepted the award.

The Elevate Health Tech Challenge was designed to empower startups with the opportunity to grow through collaboration. All 6 of these startups underwent an intensive 4-week program through which they worked on refining and elevating their ventures’ investment and technology readiness levels. Through Elevate they each were able to learn and grow their innovations and business plans to increase their viability and societal benefit.

“We congratulate Infinite Elements and all of the competitors on their compelling presentations and technologies,” said Nancy Lowery, Senior Director of Innovation at MCA. “The judges had difficult decisions to make. The Elevate Health Tech Challenge truly showcased the breadth of health innovation emerging from this region.”

The Elevate Health Tech Challenge is an initiative of the Innovation Center’s mission to catalyze the growth of the health tech economy by providing a combination of individualized support, access to resources, and networking / critical connections. The challenge has played a pivotal role in bringing together key players across the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and boosting regional innovation.