EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator™: 2020

Finalist, Joel Acevedo-Nieto, presenting during the 2020 National finale

National

Seven innovators presented their business stories on how they are improving health equity and community health transformation. Watch the 2020 National finale

Woman doing a presentation

1ST PLACE
Abigail Kohler | Resusitech

2ND PLACE & FAN FAVORITE
Prathamesh Prabhudesai | SafeBVM

Expand to see our 2020 National finalists

Abigail Kohler
[1st Place]

 

Abigail Kohler of Providence, Rhode Island, co-founded ResusciTech to empower people to save lives by taking action during medical emergencies. ResusciTech’s app, SMART Certification, provides people with convenient, smartphone-based training that provides Hands-Only CPR compression practice with real-time feedback.

UPDATE: American Heart Association crowdsources solutions in the fight against heart disease | CNBC SQUAWK BOX interview with Sharon Epperson featuring Abigail Kohler's work (article courtesy cnbc.com)
 

Prathamesh
Prabhudesai
[2nd Place &
Fan Favorite]

 
Prathamesh Prabhudesai co-founded SafeBVM to increase access to safe and personalized manual ventilation. SafeBVM focuses on preventing human errors/provider-associated complications of manual ventilation that worsen patient outcomes and increase health care costs. Its device helps providers deliver safe and optimal manual ventilation to people in cardiac arrest and respiratory distress.

Dr. Joel
Acevedo-Nieto
[Puerto Rico
Top Finalist]
 

Dr. Joel Acevedo-Nieto is the founder of Sharp Focus, a cognitive training platform for those who have difficulty concentrating. Joel’s concept uses a virtual reality interface that engages users by stimulating the prefrontal cortex via intentional eye movements.

Para español: Dr. Joel Acevedo-Nieto es el fundador de Sharp Focus, una plataforma de entrenamiento cognitivo para aquellos que tienen dificultades para concentrarse. El concepto de Joel utiliza una interfaz de realidad virtual que cautiva los usuarios al estimular la corteza prefrontal mediante movimientos oculares intencionales.
 

Mason Lucich
[Puerto Rico
Finalist]
 

Mason Lucich is co-founder and CEO of InsuHealth Design, Inc. His team created a way to protect and sustain bio-medicine users, in particular insulin users. Their product, a handheld tool that keeps medicines refrigerated without being connected to a power source, was particularly compelling after the devastation and long power outages caused by hurricanes Harvey and Maria.

Para español: Mason Lucich es cofundador y CEO de InsuHealth Design, Inc. Su equipo creó una forma de proteger y mantener a los usuarios de biomedicina, en particular a los usuarios de insulina. Su producto, una herramienta portátil que mantiene refrigerados los medicamentos sin estar conectados a una fuente de energía, fue particularmente cautivador después de la devastación y los largos apagones causados por los huracanes Harvey y María.
 

Connor Schoen Connor Schoen co-founded Breaktime in 2018 to help overcome chronic homelessness among young adults in Greater Boston. Through early intervention, his nonprofit social enterprise empowers people who are homeless to nurture their talents, launch their careers and serve their communities. COVID-19 interrupted Schoen’s efforts to open a café to provide jobs. So he quickly adapted and partnered with a landlord/wholesale provider to create Breaktime’s Double Impact initiative that includes 20 career-launching culinary jobs. In just six months, Double Impact became one of Boston’s largest donated meal operations — already providing over 50,000 meals for people in need. It also includes a hub-and-spoke system that has distributed more than 250,000 pounds of groceries.
 
Melissa Strawn
 
Melissa Strawn of Lake Park, Georgia, is a special programs director at SafeBeat, a national initiative that provides local and regional preventative heart screenings to reduce sudden cardiac death among youths. During her many years in childhood education, Strawn has been dedicated to teaching skills to students to flourish physically, mentally and emotionally.
 
Christopher
Temblador
Christopher Temblador is a business counselor for the Healthy Neighborhood Market Network program of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council. He assists neighborhood market owners in building capacity and infrastructure of healthy food business operations. Prior to joining the food policy council, as an independent consultant Temblador empowered business and community leaders by providing critical services to grow micro-enterprises, small businesses and nonprofit organizations in South Los Angeles.

Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico accelerator focused solely on businesses impacting the Puerto Rican population through business training and grant funding. Watch the 2020 Puerto Rico finale

1ST PLACE - $10,000 grant
Dr. Joel Acevedo-Nieto | Sharp Focus

2ND PLACE - $5,000 grant
Dolmarie Mendez | Abartys Health

FAN FAVORITE - $500 grant
Ana Yris Guzman | Nuestra Escuela

Expand to see our 2020 Puerto Rico finalists

Dr. Joel
Acevedo-Nieto
[1st Place]
 

Dr. Joel Acevedo-Nieto is the founder of Sharp Focus, a cognitive training platform for those who have difficulty concentrating. Joel’s concept uses a virtual reality interface that engages users by stimulating the prefrontal cortex via intentional eye movements.

Para español: Dr. Joel Acevedo-Nieto es el fundador de Sharp Focus, una plataforma de entrenamiento cognitivo para aquellos que tienen dificultades para concentrarse. El concepto de Joel utiliza una interfaz de realidad virtual que cautiva los usuarios al estimular la corteza prefrontal mediante movimientos oculares intencionales.

Dolmarie Mendez
[2nd Place]
 

Dolmarie Mendez co-founded Abartys Health, a health technology company that centralizes and improves health care processes for insurers. The company, which has raised almost $6 million in Puerto Rico, expanded in the United States and is partnering with international entities to increase democratization of clinical data.

Para español: Dolmarie Mendez es la directora ejecutiva de Abartys Health, una compañía de tecnología de la salud que centraliza y mejora los procesos de atención médica para las aseguradoras. La compañía, que ha recaudado casi $ 6 millones en Puerto Rico, se expandió en los Estados Unidos y se está asociando con entidades internacionales para aumentar la democratización de los datos clínicos.

Ana Yris
Guzman
[Fan Favorite]

Ana Yris Guzman co-founded Nuestra Escuela (Our School) with her husband, Justo Méndez Arámburu, in 2000. Nuestra Escuela includes democratic practices in which students learn the political process. Ana is also the president of the Board of Directors of the Una Sola Voz Movement, an organization that brings together community service groups. She’s on the IDEA Board of Directors and Global Board of Aflatoun International. Over the past 19 years, Ana’s commitment to creating life-changing opportunities has impacted the lives of thousands of children and youth in Latin America and on five continents.

Para español: Ana Yris Guzmán fundó Nuestra Escuela junto con su esposo, Justo Méndez Arámburu, en el año 2000. Nuestra Escuela incluye prácticas democráticas en las que los estudiantes aprenden el proceso político. Ana también es presidenta de la Junta Directiva del Movimiento Una Sola Voz, una organización que reúne a grupos de servicio comunitario. Ella está en la Junta Directiva de IDEA y en la Junta Global de Aflatoun International. En los últimos 19 años, el compromiso de Ana de crear oportunidades que cambian la vida, ha impactado las vidas de miles de niños y jóvenes en América Latina y en los cinco continentes.

Mason Lucich

Mason Lucich is co-founder and CEO of InsuHealth Design, Inc. His team created a way to protect and sustain bio-medicine users, in particular insulin users. Their product, a handheld tool that keeps medicines refrigerated without being connected to a power source, was particularly compelling after the devastation and long power outages caused by hurricanes Harvey and Maria.

Para español: Mason Lucich es cofundador y CEO de InsuHealth Design, Inc. Su equipo creó una forma de proteger y mantener a los usuarios de biomedicina, en particular a los usuarios de insulina. Su producto, una herramienta portátil que mantiene refrigerados los medicamentos sin estar conectados a una fuente de energía, fue particularmente cautivador después de la devastación y los largos apagones causados por los huracanes Harvey y María.

Sofía Santana

Sofía Santana, a finance and marketing student at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, is a project manager for AgroRuedas. The socially focused agribusiness provides a produce delivery service from the Río Piedras marketplace to consumers in the metropolitan area. They created this approach to revitalize the marketplace, transform the placeros’ mindsets, and help Río Piedras build a vibrant economy. In Puerto Rico, “Placero” is the name given to the vendor / grocer at the marketplace.

Para español: Sofía Santana, estudiante de finanzas y mercadeo en la Universidad de Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, es gerente de proyectos para AgroRuedas. El agronegocio socialmente enfocado proporciona un servicio de entrega de productos desde el mercado de Río Piedras a los consumidores en el área metropolitana. Crearon este enfoque para revitalizar el mercado, transformar la mentalidad de los placeros y ayudar a Río Piedras a construir una economía vibrante. en Puerto Rico, "Placero" es el nombre que se le da al vendedor en el mercado.