Startup Yale

The Future of Health Innovation prize will spotlight a theme at the frontier of health innovation. For 2026, the focus is on global health—encouraging early-stage ventures that advance equitable solutions to improve health outcomes in Low and Middle Income Country (LMIC) contexts.

The prize includes seed funding, hands-on mentorship from experienced founders, VCs, and other seasoned practitioners in relevant industries, so you can sharpen the problem you have identified, as well as your go-to market strategy, monetization/funding plans, and more. 

The prize reflects the Yale School of Public Health’s commitment to cultivating the next generation of innovators shaping the future of health. The aim of the prize is to:

1. Guide student innovators in turning bold ideas into reality, applying a sound understanding of public health principles to solve problems on the ground
2. Recognize and reward a nuanced articulation of healthcare challenges in LMICs that can be solved with an entrepreneurial approach
3. Generate and build upon student-led ideas that are equitable and achievable, and guide them towards a scalable and financially viable model

Judging Criteria 

• Opportunity: The problem the venture or idea seeks to address is clearly defined, supported by data or lived experience, and affects a significant target population in an LMIC context. This prize recognizes teams going beyond buzzwords, and being able to clearly articulate the scale of the problem, and its implications on public health.
• Innovation: The idea is truly innovative. It presents a new model, product or service that fills a unique gap and/or applies an existing model to a new context.
• Early validation/execution: There is some early evidence of traction or feasibility, such as user feedback, partnerships, pilot results, or stakeholder engagement that demonstrates potential for adoption and scale. We want to see spirited teams going the extra mile to learn as much as they can about the problem they are solving.
• Team: The team has the knowledge, skills, lived or professional experience, and commitment needed to execute effectively, including local or cross-sector partnerships relevant to the context.
• Catalytic Potential: The prize funding and mentorship would be meaningful at this stage, in accelerating the venture’s growth, validation, or ability to achieve measurable impact.

Important Dates

January 27, 2026: Startup Yale Application Fest
February 2, 2026: Startup Yale application opens
February 12, 2026 at 5:00 pm EST: Startup Yale application deadline
March 6, 2026: Finalist announced.
April 10, 2026: Finalists participate in a live pitch event as part of Startup Yale.

Contact

Swarnima Bhattacharya
Health Innovation Fellow, Yale School of Public Health
swarnima.bhattacharya@yale.edu