SPARC Health (Startup Platform for Advice, Resources, and Community) congratulates the twelve life sciences companies selected to compete in the Shark Tank-style pitch competition at the 2026 Wilson Sonsini Entrepreneur & Investor Life Sciences Summit (E&I Summit), taking place March 12, 2026, at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center.
The twelve finalists — drawn from more than 40 applicants across four category tracks — were chosen through a structured evaluation process led by SPARC Health and carried out by a committee of active investors, seasoned operators, and life sciences industry experts.
The 2026 finalists are:
- Medical Device/Diagnostics Group 1: Bloom Surgical, DigiBeat, Freyya
- Medical Device/Diagnostics Group 2 (Series A): Purgo Scientific, Microvascular Therapeutics, Path Fertility
- Therapeutics/Pharmaceuticals: Azunic AI, Numiera, Glafabra Therapeutics
- Digital Health/Biotechnology: Eyescreen, Intactis Bio Corp, MyxTek Bio
“Making it to this stage is a meaningful accomplishment. These companies went through a genuine evaluation — not a check-the-box process. Every applicant was reviewed against the same criteria a serious investor would apply. The twelve that came through demonstrated real clarity about their market, their science, and their readiness.”— Alex Wallberg, General Manager, SPARC Health | Investment Operations Manager, Park City Angels | SLC Angels
What Selection Has Meant
Being selected for the E&I Summit pitch competition has historically marked a genuine inflection point for Utah healthcare startups. Beyond the competition itself, the platform provides visibility to a room of active investors and industry leaders — and the lasting value often comes from the credibility of a rigorous vetting process, along with the relationships and feedback that follow.
The trajectory of past competitors illustrates this clearly. Foldax, a past participant in the E&I Summit pitch competition, has become one of the most closely watched medical device success stories in Utah’s life sciences ecosystem. The Salt Lake City-based company developed the Tria heart valve, which uses a proprietary life-like polymer material instead of animal tissue — the first and only biopolymer heart valve platform of its kind. Foldax has since advanced into human clinical trials globally, surpassed 100 successful implants, secured regulatory approval in India, and is now widely cited as a disruptor in the $10 billion heart valve market.
nView Medical, the 2023 winner, has built steadily on its competition momentum as well. The company’s nView s1 surgical imaging system has now been used in more than 500 procedures, expanded from pediatric orthopedic and spine surgery into adult applications, secured a strategic partnership and investment from Orthofix, and was adopted by St. Louis Children’s Hospital in 2024.
These are not outlier stories. They reflect what happens when early-stage companies are given a credible platform, constructive feedback from qualified evaluators, and the kind of exposure that opens doors to the next stage of growth.
The 2026 Selection Committee
The application and selection process was led by SPARC Health and carried out by a committee that brings together investment professionals, life sciences operators, and commercialization experts — each contributing a distinct and substantive lens.
Alex Pederson — Park City Angels — Utah’s most active angel investment network, with more than $75 million deployed since 2008 — Alex brings deep experience in life sciences commercialization and go-to-market strategy. His career spans Genentech, where he worked in oncology field operations and market planning, and BeiGene, where he leads regional marketing strategy. He has participated in angel-stage investment evaluation across numerous Utah healthcare ventures and currently teaches commercial functions in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals at Harvard University’s Division of Continuing Education.
Mike Keene — SLC Angels. Mike brings one of the more unusual combinations of credentials on the committee: a B.A. in Biochemistry from Princeton, and both an MBA and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Harvard. After more than 25 years conducting and managing R&D programs across environmental remediation, fuel cell technology, cystic fibrosis, and molecular genetics, he left academic research to join the founding team of Integrated DNA Technologies. He has since served as an executive, founder, or board member for numerous technology-based companies, and as both State Science Advisor and Director of the Utah Centers of Excellence Program under Governors Leavitt and Walker. A co-founder of the Utah Life Sciences Association — now BioUtah — Mike currently directs the MBA in Technology Commercialization Program at Westminster University’s Bill & Vieve Gore School of Business and serves as an active member of SLC Angels.
Nathaniel Skinner, PhD — Medical Device Leader | Entrepreneur | Park City Angels. With more than 15 years advancing medical devices through R&D and quality systems, Nathaniel brings hands-on expertise across the full product development lifecycle — from early-stage startups through multinationals. His background spans the technical, regulatory, and commercial dimensions of bringing medical devices to market, making him a particularly valuable evaluator for device and diagnostics applicants. He is an active member of Utah’s life sciences investment and professional communities.
Ted McAleer — Founder & Executive in Residence, SPARC Health | Chairman, Park City Angels. Ted is the founding force behind SPARC Health and one of the most engaged figures in Utah’s healthcare startup community. With a career built around guiding early-stage ventures from concept to capital, he has worked directly with dozens of founders navigating the specific challenges of building in healthcare. His role on the committee grounds the evaluation in entrepreneurial reality — not just what looks compelling on a slide, but what it actually takes to execute.
Chelli Miller — Content Carnivores / SPARC Health. Chelli brings a strategic communications and market positioning perspective to the committee, with extensive experience supporting healthcare and life sciences companies in articulating their value to investor and partner audiences. Her evaluation lens ensures that how clearly and credibly a company communicates its differentiation is treated as a signal alongside clinical and financial metrics.
Kristin Wihera — Director of Fund Operations, The Nucleus Institute. Kristin brings active venture capital experience to the committee in her role as Director of Fund Operations at the Nucleus Fund — Utah’s state-supported early-stage investment vehicle backing university-born technologies in life sciences, biotech, AI, and advanced manufacturing. A Harvard Business School alumna and U.S. Navy veteran with an MS/MBA, she has led due diligence and investment decisions for the fund. Her background combines rigorous financial evaluation with a deep understanding of what it takes to move technology from research to commercial viability.
Alex Wallberg — General Manager, SPARC Health | Investment Operations Manager, Park City Angels | SLC Angels. Alex is the operational architect of the competition process at SPARC Health. As Investment Operations Manager at Park City Angels and General Manager for SPARC Health, he has designed and overseen the application framework, evaluation criteria, and committee coordination across multiple competition cycles. His understanding of what early-stage investors look for — and where pitches commonly fall short — directly shapes the rigor and consistency of the review process.
“One thing I’m proud of is that we take every application seriously. A company that applied and wasn’t selected this year still went through a process that pushed them to articulate their business at a level most founders don’t reach until they’re sitting across from a lead investor. That has real value, regardless of the outcome.”— Alex Wallberg
Value for Sponsors and Partners
The caliber of the selection process is directly tied to the value sponsors and financial supporters receive. A rigorous, independent committee — with active investment experience and deep sector credibility — attracts stronger applicants, raises the quality of what appears on stage, and signals to Utah’s broader life sciences community that the competition reflects a genuine standard of evaluation.
For organizations investing in the E&I Summit, SPARC Health’s management of the pitch competition represents a commitment to doing the substantive work before the event, so what happens on stage accurately reflects the state of healthcare innovation in Utah.
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