Innovation starts with understanding the problem.

That idea was at the heart of the first Bounce Health Innovation Challenge: Aging + Brain Health Edition, a four-month program designed to help interdisciplinary teams explore validated healthcare challenges before developing digital health solutions.

Delivered in partnership with the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI), the Challenge invited entrepreneurs, students, and innovators from across Newfoundland and Labrador to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing older adults, caregivers, and the healthcare system. Rather than beginning with a technology, participants were encouraged to begin with the people and the problems, validating real needs before proposing solutions.

Tackling Real-World Healthcare Challenges

Participants selected from a series of validated challenge areas developed with CABHI, each focused on improving aging and brain health in meaningful ways. These included:

• Improving access to and coordination of care for older adults.
• Strengthening social connection, purpose, and independence.
• Supporting caregivers and reducing caregiver burden.
• Improving healthy aging in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

Teams also had the opportunity to propose their own challenge, provided it addressed an important aging or brain health need and demonstrated the potential for meaningful impact.

A Structured Path from Problem to Solution

The Challenge was designed to guide teams through a structured, milestone-based process over four months.

During Phase One, participants focused on exploration and validation. They conducted customer discovery, engaged with stakeholders, explored existing evidence, refined their understanding of the problem, and tested early solution concepts before presenting their findings to an adjudication panel.

Five teams were then selected to advance to Phase Two, each receiving $5,000 in non-dilutive funding to continue their work.

The Phase Two teams were:

• DischargeHUB
• eLumino
• OmaScan
• SafeStep AI
• VOK Developments Ltd.

During the second phase, teams continued strengthening their proposed digital health solutions, exploring implementation considerations, refining their approach, and preparing to present at the Final Showcase.

Throughout the program, participants received mentorship, expert guidance, milestone-based funding, and opportunities to challenge their thinking as they progressed from problem exploration to solution development.

Celebrating the Final Showcase

The program concluded with the inaugural Bounce Health Innovation Challenge Final Showcase, where the five Phase Two teams presented their solutions to a panel of judges representing Newfoundland and Labrador’s innovation ecosystem.

Following an afternoon of outstanding pitches, three teams were selected to receive additional funding to continue advancing their ventures and solutions.

Congratulations to Our Winners

🥇 OmaScan — First Place ($25,000)

🥈 VOK Developments Ltd. — Second Place ($15,000)

🥉 DischargeHUB — Third Place ($10,000)

Building the Future of Health Innovation

The Bounce Health Innovation Challenge was created to do more than recognize great ideas. It was designed to strengthen Newfoundland and Labrador’s health innovation ecosystem by helping promising teams better understand real healthcare challenges, validate opportunities for impact, and accelerate solutions with the potential to improve care.

The success of this inaugural Challenge demonstrates the value of bringing innovators together around meaningful healthcare problems and providing the support, mentorship, and connections needed to move promising ideas forward.

As Bounce Health Innovation prepares for the next Challenge, we’re excited to continue working with innovators who are passionate about solving healthcare challenges and improving the future of care in Newfoundland and Labrador.

SiftMed: Targeting 4x Growth as Demand Builds for AI-Powered Clinical Documentation

At Bounce Health Innovation, we’re proud to spotlight companies reaching defining growth milestones — and SiftMed is continuing to build strong momentum. The Newfoundland and Labrador–based healthtech company is setting its sights on quadrupling its annual recurring revenue, signalling a new phase of growth.

SiftMed is tackling a well-known challenge in healthcare: the time and effort required for clinical documentation. Its AI-powered platform captures and structures clinical conversations, helping physicians complete documentation more efficiently while staying focused on patient care.

As healthcare systems increasingly look to AI to improve workflows, SiftMed is gaining traction with providers across North America. The company’s approach centres on fitting into existing clinical environments, making it easier for teams to adopt without adding complexity.

Rather than rapid expansion for its own sake, SiftMed’s growth reflects a focus on building a product that responds to real clinical needs. That foundation is helping position the company for continued scale as demand for AI-enabled solutions grows.

This milestone reflects a broader shift in healthcare, where AI is being integrated into everyday clinical workflows in practical, measurable ways. SiftMed’s progress highlights how companies from Newfoundland and Labrador are contributing to that shift by developing tools that support both providers and patients.

At Bounce, we’re proud to support companies like SiftMed that are helping strengthen the connection between innovation and frontline care.

Read more about SiftMed’s growth plans here:
👉 https://entrevestor.com/home/entry/siftmed-eyes-4x-growth-in-arr-this-year

TxtSquad: Provincial Investment Supports Expansion of Healthcare Communication Platform

At Bounce Health Innovation, we’re proud to spotlight companies reaching defining growth milestones — and TxtSquad is taking a meaningful step forward. The Newfoundland and Labrador–based healthtech company recently received $124,000 in provincial funding, supporting the expansion of its healthcare communication platform into new markets.

TxtSquad is already seeing adoption across multiple regions in Canada and the United States, with early results pointing to real improvements in how healthcare providers engage with patients. A pilot with Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services demonstrated measurable impact, including fewer missed appointments and more efficient clinic operations.

Designed to simplify communication in busy care environments, TxtSquad’s platform enables secure, two-way interaction between providers and patients through text messaging and phone-based tools. The technology supports appointment reminders, follow-ups, and patient outreach, helping clinics reduce administrative strain while keeping patients more connected to their care.

This latest investment, delivered through the Business Growth Program, reflects growing confidence in TxtSquad’s approach and positions the company to expand its reach even further. As the team builds on this momentum, the focus is on scaling into new markets, strengthening the product, and continuing to respond to the communication challenges faced across healthcare systems.

It’s another example of how companies from Newfoundland and Labrador are developing practical solutions to real healthcare challenges and finding opportunities to grow beyond the province. TxtSquad’s progress shows how locally built innovation can translate into broader impact.

At Bounce, we’re proud to support companies like TxtSquad that are strengthening connections across the healthcare system and contributing to a more effective and responsive innovation ecosystem.

Read more about TxtSquad’s expansion and provincial investment here:
👉 https://www.gov.nl.ca/releases/2026/jobs-growth-and-rural-development/0317n01/

Sparrow BioAcoustics: $10M Raise Signals a Breakthrough Moment for Smartphone-Based Cardiac AI

At Bounce Health Innovation, we’re proud to spotlight companies reaching defining growth milestones — and Sparrow BioAcoustics has just hit a major one. The Newfoundland and Labrador–based healthtech company recently secured $10 million in funding, accelerating the scale-up of its smartphone-powered cardiac AI platform, Stethophone.

This significant raise marks a turning point for Sparrow as it expands deployment of Stethophone across new healthcare settings, particularly in the U.S. market. The investment underscores growing confidence in Sparrow’s vision: making advanced cardiac screening more accessible by turning a standard smartphone into a clinical tool.

Stethophone is the world’s first smartphone-based cardiac AI platform capable of detecting structural and rhythmic heart abnormalities without any additional hardware. By simply placing a phone on a patient’s chest, clinicians can capture heart sounds that are analyzed in real time using AI, helping flag potential cardiac issues earlier and more efficiently.

With regulatory clearance already in place, Sparrow is now focused on scaling impact. The new capital will support broader clinical adoption, continued product development, and expansion into more hospitals and care environments — helping address diagnostic gaps and improve access to cardiac care.

This milestone reinforces a powerful message: world-class health innovation can be built in Newfoundland and Labrador and scaled globally. Sparrow BioAcoustics is demonstrating how Canadian-made technology can compete on the international stage while delivering meaningful improvements to patient care.

At Bounce, we’re proud to support companies like Sparrow that are translating bold ideas into real-world impact and strengthening Canada’s health innovation ecosystem.

Read more about Sparrow’s $10M raise and Stethophone’s expansion here:
👉 https://thefuturismtoday.com/industry/healthtech/sparrow-bioacoustics-10m-for-stethophone-ai/

Granville Biomedical: Expanding Digital Education for Women’s Health

At Bounce Health Innovation, we’re proud to spotlight companies that are pairing clinical expertise with digital innovation to improve health outcomes. Granville Biomedical, a Newfoundland and Labrador–based women’s health company, has reached a major milestone with the launch of the beta version of its AI-powered educational app, marking an important step in its digital expansion journey.

After more than two years of development, testing, and iteration, Granville Biomedical’s app is now live on the Apple App Store, with an Android release coming soon. The beta version offers demonstration videos, assembly animations, and educational content that support Granville’s growing portfolio of women’s health products. This initial release allows the company to gather early feedback while laying the groundwork for a much larger digital platform.

The next phase of the app, planned for early 2026, will introduce a fully functional SaaS-based AI educational learning platform designed for patients, healthcare practitioners, and trainees. By combining interactive learning tools with AI-driven education, Granville Biomedical aims to elevate patient understanding, support clinical training, and advance pelvic and reproductive health education on a global scale.

This digital expansion reflects Granville Biomedical’s broader mission to improve women’s health through innovation that is accessible, scalable, and rooted in real clinical needs. Built in Newfoundland and Labrador, the company’s approach demonstrates how locally developed health innovations can grow into technology-enabled solutions with international reach.

At Bounce, we’re proud to support Granville Biomedical as they continue to evolve from product innovation into digital health leadership, strengthening women’s health education and care worldwide.

Learn more and follow Granville Biomedical’s product journey by downloading their app on the Apple App Store, with additional features and platforms launching in 2026.

PolyUnity Tech Inc. Partners Locally to Drive Innovation at Home and Beyond

At Bounce Health Innovation, we love highlighting collaborations that strengthen Newfoundland and Labrador’s HealthTech ecosystem. A recent example is PolyUnity Tech Inc., which announced new partnerships with fellow St. John’s organizations — reinforcing how local collaboration can lead to meaningful, scalable health innovation.

PolyUnity is partnering with Fonemed, Polyamyna Nanotech, and the Genesis AI Garage, bringing together expertise in virtual care, antimicrobial materials, advanced manufacturing, and artificial intelligence. Together, these collaborations aim to create smarter, safer, and more resilient healthcare solutions built right here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Through its partnership with Fonemed, PolyUnity is integrating advanced virtual care capabilities into device-enabled solutions, supporting remote assessment, diagnosis, and care delivery. With Polyamyna Nanotech, the team is developing antimicrobial 3D-printing materials designed to significantly reduce bacterial presence in healthcare environments. Meanwhile, collaboration with the Genesis AI Garage is focused on using AI to enhance product design, manufacturing efficiency, and regulatory readiness.

These partnerships demonstrate the power of a connected ecosystem — where companies build together, learn together, and scale together. By leveraging complementary strengths, PolyUnity and its partners are showing how Atlantic Canadian innovation can compete nationally and globally while addressing real healthcare challenges.

At Bounce, we’re proud to support and spotlight collaborations like this that strengthen our regional ecosystem and advance healthcare innovation.

Read more about PolyUnity’s partnerships on Entrevestor:
👉 https://entrevestor.com/home/entry/polyunity-partners-with-3-st.johns-groups

Fonemed: Redefining Virtual Care with Device-Integrated Healthcare Solutions

At Bounce Health Innovation, we’re proud to spotlight companies advancing healthcare delivery through practical, system-ready innovation. Fonemed, founded in Newfoundland and Labrador, continues to strengthen virtual care by building solutions that help clinicians deliver timely, high-quality care, regardless of location.

Rooted in close collaboration with healthcare providers, Fonemed has expanded its platform with a new suite of device-integrated virtual care products, including the Fonemed Care Pod, Black Bag, and Mobile Care Cart. These tools enable real-time clinical assessment, diagnosis, and treatment, helping healthcare systems overcome challenges related to distance, staffing shortages, and system bottlenecks.

Unveiled alongside fellow Newfoundland and Labrador innovators at PolyUnity Tech Inc.’s Open House, these solutions reflect Fonemed’s commitment to building technology that works within existing healthcare systems while extending their reach. By integrating clinical devices directly into virtual care workflows, Fonemed is helping clinicians deliver safe, efficient care beyond traditional clinical settings.

As President and CEO Charlene Brophy notes, the goal is simple: remove barriers to care and equip healthcare teams with tools that are scalable, secure, and designed for real-world impact. That approach is already resonating across Canada and internationally, as Fonemed continues to grow its footprint and support healthcare systems under increasing pressure.

At Bounce, we’re proud to support companies like Fonemed that are translating lived healthcare challenges into scalable solutions and demonstrating how innovation built in Newfoundland and Labrador can help shape the future of healthcare.

Learn more about Fonemed’s latest device-integrated virtual care solutions here:
👉 https://www.startupecosystem.ca/news/fonemed-launches-innovative-device-integrated-solutions-for-virtual-healthcare/

PragmaClin: Global Recognition Fuels Momentum in Brain Health Innovation

At Bounce Health Innovation, we’re proud to celebrate milestones that signal real momentum — and PragmaClin continues to build it on the global stage. The Newfoundland and Labrador–based healthtech company was recently awarded $50,000 at Washington University in St. Louis Olin Business School’s Ideas to Impact: Brain Health Innovationcompetition, recognizing the strength and potential of its approach to advancing brain health care.

On October 15, PragmaClin pitched its vision at WashU’s Knight Hall, standing out among innovators focused on tackling complex neurological challenges. The win reflects strong validation from academic, clinical, and business leaders who see meaningful impact and scalability in PragmaClin’s work.

That momentum is extending well beyond North America. In Ireland, PragmaClin’s Parkinson’s Remote Interactive Monitoring System (PRIMS) was recently the focus of a completed research study led by partners at University College Cork. The findings were presented at the 2025 Annual and Scientific Meeting of the Irish Gerontological Society in Killarney, highlighting international interest in PRIMS as a tool for remote motor symptom assessment in people living with Parkinson’s disease.

The study reported high user satisfaction, with 95% of participants noting comfort and ease of use. Participants also felt PRIMS could enhance objective symptom monitoring and support neurologists with deeper insights for care planning and decision-making. While not intended to replace in-person care, PRIMS was viewed as a valuable addition to clinical practice, improving communication, engagement, and understanding of symptoms over time.

Together, these milestones mark a significant moment for PragmaClin — combining competitive recognition, academic validation, and real-world user feedback across borders. It’s a powerful example of how health innovation from Newfoundland and Labrador is shaping conversations in brain health internationally.

At Bounce, we’re proud to support PragmaClin as they continue to translate research into impact, strengthen global partnerships, and advance the future of neurological care through thoughtful, patient-centered innovation.

📸 Photo credit: WashU Olin Business of Health

7 Fathoms: Harnessing the Power of North Atlantic Seaweed for Global Health Innovation

At Bounce Health Innovation, we’re proud to spotlight companies transforming Newfoundland and Labrador’s natural strengths into global opportunity. 7 Fathoms, based in Grates Cove, is doing just that — unlocking the bio-actives of North Atlantic seaweed to develop health and wellness products with the potential to impact lives around the world.

Built on a foundation of ocean research and biotechnology, 7 Fathoms is turning one of the province’s most abundant natural resources into a sustainable source of innovation. Their mission is to explore the powerful bioactive compounds in seaweed and bring those benefits to the global nutraceutical and wellness markets.

That vision recently reached a national audience when 7 Fathoms appeared on CBC’s Dragon’s Den, showcasing their groundbreaking work and securing a partnership with investor Manjit Minhas. The pitch reflected the ingenuity and collaborative spirit that define Newfoundland and Labrador’s growing biotech and healthtech sectors — and demonstrated how homegrown innovation from rural communities can compete and succeed on a national stage.

As 7 Fathoms continues to grow, their work stands as a testament to the province’s potential in ocean-based biotechnology — where scientific discovery, sustainability, and entrepreneurship intersect to create real-world impact.

At Bounce, we’re proud to support companies like 7 Fathoms that are translating local research into global solutions and positioning Newfoundland and Labrador as a leader in ocean-inspired health innovation.

Watch 7 Fathoms’ pitch on Dragon’s Den and see how they’re bringing the story of seaweed to life.
👉 Watch the episode

DischargeHUB: Scaling Solutions Across Newfoundland & Labrador to Free Up Bed Capacity and Clinician Time

At Bounce Health Innovation, we’re proud to support Newfoundland-born innovations that are delivering real improvements in healthcare delivery across the region and beyond. One standout company is DischargeHUB, a home-grown solution built in collaboration with NL Health Services and now scaling across Newfoundland & Labrador.

DischargeHUB digitizes and streamlines the non-medical discharge process, including arranging home oxygen, equipment delivery, fire inspection clearance, and family communication, so patients can return home safely and sooner while hospitals reduce the time patients spend in acute care awaiting discharge. The impact has been impressive, with the platform reporting a reduction in average patient length of stay by 2.5 days and approximately 5 hours of clinician time saved per patient.

With an average of 60 discharges managed each month so far, DischargeHUB estimates that its current usage will translate into 1,800 additional bed-days and 3,600 hours of clinical capacity freed up annually. This kind of scale matters in a province where delayed discharges represent one of the most significant barriers to timely care.

At Bounce, we’re honoured to have helped support and validate DischargeHUB’s journey from local pilot to provincial-wide rollout. Their success demonstrates how Atlantic Canadian innovation can address high-priority system challenges while creating meaningful value for patients, clinicians, and the health system alike.

For the full story, read the official release here.