Tina Aswani Omprakash is a Crohn’s patient and award-winning patient expert and health advocate based out of New York City. She has had Crohn’s Disease for 15 years and has had numerous surgeries. Tina maintains a blog and advocacy platform called Own Your Crohn’s (http://ownyourcrohns.com) and recently co-founded IBDesis, a community for South Asians living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Her overarching aim is to normalize the rhetoric around chronic illnesses and disabilities in order to help diverse groups of patients own their ailments to live fuller, happier lives.
Via her writing, lobbying, social media advocacy, and speaking engagements, she spearheads public health causes, including those proposing research and creating awareness for IBD, life-saving ostomy surgery, gastroparesis, fistulizing disease, and initiatives supporting health equity for women and racial, ethnic, and sexual minorities.
Tina is pursuing her master’s degree in Public Health at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine. Additionally, she has spoken at many premier GI conferences and does freelance work for non-profits as well as ostomy manufacturers, in addition to pharmaceutical and digital health companies. Her aim is to help companies recognize disparities and unmet needs in minority health populations.
The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation recognized Tina in 2021 for her phenomenal leadership and powerful impact on the IBD community with the Above & Beyond Volunteer Award. Tina’s blog was also recognized as a 2020 Best Blog by Healthline, and she was awarded the 2019 Healio Gastroenterology Disruptive Innovator Award by the American College of Gastroenterology for moving the needle on GI care for patients.
Michael B. Fensterstock is currently Managing Director of Sales, Marketing & Branding at Epicured, a healthcare company using food as medicine. Inventing since he was a child, Michael loves innovating and creating tangible value. Michael has started companies and has been CEO of a luxury lifestyle company he created. He has served as an advisor to technology companies and was #31 world ranked doubles squash player. He is actively involved in StreetSquash, an after-school youth enrichment program that combines academic tutoring with squash instruction, community service, and mentoring.
Michael attended Bowdoin College where he played baseball, golf and captained the squash team and has guest lectured at Johns Hopkins University where he completed his MBA. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and two sons.
Winners to receive monetary prizes for creative and robust patient-driven business solutions to address inflammatory bowel disease
MINNETONKA, Minn., and NEW YORK (July 26, 2018) Lyfebulb LLC and UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) have selected Jon Margalit of Complete Start as the winner of the first-ever Lyfebulb and UnitedHealth Group Innovation Award “Empowering Patients: An Innovation Challenge in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.”
Second- and third-place prizes were awarded to Vik Kashyap of Toi Labs and Scott Sundvor of Nima Labs, respectively.
The Innovation Challenge was open to established companies of all sizes whose founders have been affected by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), whether as a patient or through a loved one, and who have created a product or service to address an issue encountered by IBD patients.
Jon Margalit founded Complete Start in 2017 to provide convenient, nutritious breakfast shakes for IBD patients and others seeking healthy meal replacement alternatives. Toi Labs, started by Vik Kashyap, makes innovative toilet seats that collect data from waste to improve health and wellness. Nima Labs was founded by Scott Sundvor to launch the world’s first portable gluten sensor.
“Each Innovation Challenge award winner has launched a health care company with a mission and passion for improving the lives of people afflicted with inflammatory bowel disease,” said Dr. Deneen Vojta, UnitedHealth Group Executive Vice President, Research & Development. “We believe their products and services have great potential for getting to the market and making the strongest impact on people’s health and quality of life.”
Eleven finalists joined Lyfebulb and UnitedHealth Group in Minnetonka for the two-day challenge. An expert panel of judges selected the first-, second- and third-place winners with awards of $25,000, $15,000 and $10,000, respectively.
The panel included experts from the patient, business and medical communities including Rebecca Babcock, a Patient Ambassador at Lyfebulb; Shomit Ghose, General Partner at ONSET Ventures; Dr. Karin Hehenberger, Founder and CEO of Lyfebulb; Dr. Gerard Honig, Translational Research Manager at Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation; Dr. Scott Ketover, President and CEO of Minnesota Gastroenterology, P.A.; and Dr. Deneen Vojta, Executive Vice President of Research & Development, UnitedHealth Group.
“We salute each of our Patient Entrepreneur finalists and UnitedHealth Group for helping us bring focus to issues confronting and solutions for people affected by IBD,” said Dr. Karin Hehenberger, Founder and CEO of Lyfebulb. “All our Challenge participants share our vision of reducing the burden of chronic disease. We appreciate the support of the IBD community in sharing its insights into unmet patient needs and putting forth a tremendous pool of applicants for this Challenge.”
IBD comprises a group of disorders in which the intestines become inflamed, probably as a result of an immune reaction of the body against its own intestinal tissue. The disease category covers Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. About 3 million adults nationwide reported being diagnosed with IBD as of 2015, compared with 2 million adults in 1999.
About Lyfebulb
Lyfebulb is a chronic disease focused, patient empowerment platform that connects patients, industry (manufacturers and payers) and investors to support user-driven innovation. Lyfebulb promotes a healthy, take-charge lifestyle for those affected by chronic disease. Grounded with its strong foundation in Diabetes, the company has expanded disease states covered into Cancer and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
See www.lyfebulb.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Karin Hehenberger LinkedIn, and Lyfebulb LinkedIn.
About UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is a diversified health and well-being company dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and helping make the health system work better for everyone. UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services through two distinct platforms: UnitedHealthcare, which provides health care coverage and benefits services; and Optum, which provides information and technology-enabled health services. For more information, visit UnitedHealth Group at http://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/ or follow @UnitedHealthGrp on Twitter.
Contact:
Lyfebulb
Karin Hehenberger, M.D., Ph.D., CEO
917-575-0210; Karin@lyfebulb.com
UnitedHealth Group
Tyler Mason
424-333-6122; tyler.mason@uhg.com
CHALLENGE TIMELINE
24-25 JULY 2018
Innovation Challenge
25 JULY 2018
Award Winner
Announcement
Jon Margalit
Jon Margalit, a startup entrepreneur, is one of millions who suffers from IBD. Jon set out to discover a convenient, nutritious solution made from real food that would both fill and settle his stomach. Jon is leveraging his expertise in business and sales, along with his success from prior startups to share his discovery with the world. Complete Start was founded in 2017 and is experiencing ongoing growth.
Prior to founding Complete Start, Jon launched and sold a multi-million dollar finance company, invented and patented a sport towel line, and revived a software company.
Jon Margalit
CEO and Founder
LYFEBULB AND UNITEDHEALTH GROUP PRESENT EMPOWERING PATIENTS: AN INNOVATION CHALLENGE IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE
The 2018 Lyfebulb – UnitedHealth Group Innovation Challenge will recognize the top patient entrepreneurs developing innovative ideas for better management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) using healthcare information technology, medical devices, consumer products or services. Patient entrepreneurs are individuals with a chronic disease, or who have a close relative or loved one with a chronic disease, who have founded or lead a company bringing innovative solutions to the market place.
The Innovation Challenge will bring together patient entrepreneurs with venture capitalists, key opinion leaders, patient advocates and leadership from UnitedHealth Group as well as Lyfebulb to promote awareness, discussions and connections around IBD and innovation in the care of patients with IBD. The attendees stimulate entrepreneurs’ efforts and ideas and provide professional discussion, direction, and inspiration.
THE PITCH COMPETITION
The 2018 Lyfebulb – UnitedHealth Group Innovation Challenge is the first of its kind for patient entrepreneurs in the area of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, following examples in diabetes and cancer.
Are you the patient entrepreneur who will win the 2018 Lyfebulb–UnitedHealth Group Innovation Award?
Are you the patient entrepreneur who will win the 2018 Lyfebulb–UnitedHealth Group Innovation Award?
Some of the best patient entrepreneurs will pitch their innovative idea and business to venture capitalists, UnitedHealth Group and Lyfebulb leaders, key opinion leaders, as well as patient advocates and representatives. After their presentation, they will respond to a round of Q&A by the judging panel. Outstanding patient entrepreneurs will be awarded prize money to further develop their idea:
1st Prize $25,000
2nd Prize $15,000
3rd Prize $10,000
Cindy Frei
CEO and Founder at Caleb’s Cooking Company
Rebecca Babcock
Rebecca Babcock Business Development Content Commerce Partnership Lead at eBay
Deneen Vojta, M.D.
Executive Vice President of Research & Development at UnitedHealth Group
NEW YORK, Jan. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lyfebulb, a chronic disease-focused, patient-empowerment platform that connects patients, industry and investors to support user-driven innovation, is partnering with UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) to launch an innovation challenge featuring new businesses and products aimed at treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, up to 1.3 million people in the United States are affected by IBD, which includes Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Lyfebulb and UnitedHealth Group will help raise awareness for the conditions and stimulate user-driven innovation. By linking entrepreneurs with representatives from UnitedHealth Group and Lyfebulb, the partnership will spotlight the entrepreneurs’ efforts and ideas, and provide professional discussion, direction and inspiration.
The innovation challenge, to take place in the spring and summer of 2018, will be open to entrepreneurs living with IBD, or who have family members living with IBD, who have founded a company to develop an innovative idea for better management of IBD using pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices or consumer products. Eligibility criteria and official rules will be announced by Lyfebulb in April. UnitedHealth Group will host an innovation event in July for 10 finalists. A panel of judges will award cash prizes to three winners, to be used for their company’s further development of the winning innovations.
“Patients living with chronic disease and caregivers caring for someone with chronic disease understand the many challenges they face and are often in the best position to offer tangible solutions,” said Deneen Vojta, M.D., executive vice president, Research & Development, UnitedHealth Group. “UnitedHealth Group’s partnership with Lyfebulb will help place the patient at the center of early-stage innovation, thus providing us a unique opportunity to learn from and be inspired by patient-entrepreneurs.”
“This partnership with UnitedHealth Group in IBD means a tremendous amount to Lyfebulb in our efforts to enhance patient-driven innovation,” said Dr. Karin Hehenberger, CEO and Founder of Lyfebulb. “Continuing to build on the concept of patient entrepreneurs and partnering with leaders across health care are key components to fulfilling our mission to improve the quality of life of people living with chronic disease.”
Press Contact for Lyfebulb:
Karin Hehenberger, MD, PhD, CEO Lyfebulb, phone: 917-575-0210 email: karin@lyfebulb.com
About Lyfebulb
Lyfebulb is a chronic disease focused, patient empowerment platform that connects patients, Industry (manufacturers and payers) and investors to support user-driven innovation. Lyfebulb promotes a healthy, take-charge lifestyle for those affected by chronic disease. Grounded with its strong foundation in Diabetes, the company has expanded disease states covered into Cancer and IBD.
See www.lyfebulbprod.staging.wpengine.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Karin Hehenberger LinkedIn, and Lyfebulb LinkedIn.
About UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) is a diversified health and well-being company dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and helping make the health system work better for everyone. UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services through two distinct platforms: UnitedHealthcare, which provides health care coverage and benefits services; and Optum, which provides information and technology-enabled health services. For more information, visit UnitedHealth Group at www.unitedhealthgroup.com or follow @UnitedHealthGrp on Twitter.
Press Contact for UnitedHealth Group:
Jim Merwin, Senior Director, ERD, phone: 952-936-6070, to email: james_merwin@uhg.com
