2022 Global Innovation Challenge, in Collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb: Addressing Unmet Needs in IBD

Princeton Pike, New Jersey
January 25, 2023

CHALLENGE TIMELINE

September 20, 2022
Applications Open
October 31, 2022
Submission Deadline
December 9, 2022
Finalist Announcement
January 25, 2023
Innovation Challenge
January 25, 2023
Winner Announcement

ABOUT THE SUMMIT AND AWARD

The goal of the 2022 Global Innovation Challenge: Addressing Unmet needs in IBD was to identify a wide range of innovative ideas and scalable solutions for better disease management and care. Unmet needs continue to afflict the everyday lives of IBD patients and their loved ones; we seek to change that, ultimately to improve outcomes and experiences for people affected by the disease.

The challenge accepted applications through October 2022. Selected applicants were shortlisted as finalists and received an invitation to pitch their ideas and business solutions over the course of a one-day summit at Bristol Myers Squibb’s headquarters in New Jersey. An expert panel of judges comprised of healthcare industry, medical, and patient leaders assessed the innovators. Prizes were awarded to two finalists to further grow their companies. The Innovation Award was presented to a for-profit company and includes $25,000. The Impact Award was presented to a not-for-profit company and includes $25,000.

In addition to the pitch competition, finalists had the opportunity to engage with representatives from the patient community, industry, Lyfebulb, and Bristol Myers Squibb.

Winner

Innovation Award

Kishore Pardasani is CEO and Founder of OstoBuddy, a simple, but powerful and convenient mobile platform for managing ostomy supplies, usage, output and health. Diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis 20 years ago, Kishore has since undergone numerous surgeries including removal of his colon in 2009.  He was underwhelmed with the lack of technology solutions available to help ostomates manage their condition and devoted his time to develop OstoBuddy. The app has received accolades from high-profile bloggers as well as medical institutions and is being used globally to empower patients after life-changing surgery. Kishore is thrilled to have had the opportunity to donate his time to help the kids’ ostomy clinic in Kenya.

Kishore earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami in Computer Engineering and has over a decade of experience in Enterprise Customer Experience software sales. He is originally a native of Barbados where he met his wife and has since settled in Florida. In his free time, Kishore enjoys playing sports, traveling, volunteering, and spending time with family.

Kishore Pardasani
CEO and Founder

Winner

Impact Award

Tina Aswani-Omprakash is an award-winning Crohn’s advocate and patient leader based out of New York City. Tina maintains a blog and advocacy platform called Own Your Crohn’s (https://ownyourcrohns.com) and co-founded South Asian IBD Alliance (SAIA) (https://www.southasianibd.org/) to form a patient-clinician led non-profit initiative in order to minimize disparities and improve education in the growing South Asian IBD population.  

Tina’s 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 for and creating awareness for IBD, life-saving ostomy surgery, fistulizing disease and initiatives supporting health equity for women and racial & ethnic minorities.  

Tina is pursuing her Master’s degree in Public Health at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine and will be graduating in 2023. Additionally, she has spoken at many premier GI conferences worldwide and has co-authored several research papers in prominent journals (JAMA, Gastroenterology, Crohn’s & Colitis 360), a guidebook on IBD care and a series of websites on Crohn’s-related ostomy surgery. Tina does consulting work as a patient advisor for non-profits, clinical research organizations 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.  

Tina has been featured in The New York Times, on the cover of American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Magazine and in Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News as well as Health Magazine for her trailblazing advocacy work. 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 ACG for moving the needle on GI care for patients. 

Tina Aswani-Omprakash
President & Chair, Board of Directors

FINALISTS

Key Pillars of Innovation

Diagnostics, monitoring, and patient services
Disease education and awareness
Quality of life and mental health
Access and health equity
System-wide improvements to care
Comorbidities

Target of Innovation

Patients, care partners, or industry professionals
Any stage of the patient journey

Criteria to Apply

Devices, technologies, products, and services
All stages of development welcomed
All countries welcomed
Individuals with registered companies
Drugs/therapeutics may not apply
Licensed/practicing HCPs may not apply

JUDGES

Greg Lewis

President & Managing Partner at Calcium

Jackie Zimmerman

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patient Ambassador

Russell J. Wyborski, PhD

Director, IBD Ventures Investments at the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation

Sophie M. Balzora, MD, FACG

Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Michael McInerney

Executive Director, Digital Health in Business Development Innovative Technologies at Bristol Myers Squibb

JUDGING CRITERIA

UNMET NEED

Strategic basis for addressing unmet needs
Demonstrated ability of the innovation to address these challenges

IMPACT

Potential of the innovation to improve outcomes or lived-experience
Degree of market impact and patient impact
Measurability of impact

MARKET FEASIBILITY

Uniqueness to the market
Feasibility of development and implementation
Market sustainability

THE CHALLENGE IN NUMBERS

1

Day

The challenge took place on January 25, 2023

10

Finalists

Ten finalists presented their solutions

$50

Thousand

Two entrepreneurs were awarded $25,000 each

DRIVING CHANGE

The Lyfebulb Innovation Challenge, in collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb, stems from the concept of the Lyfebulb Entrepreneur Circle established in 2015, which features individuals who have created a product and/or a company in response to their personal experiences with a chronic illness (through their own diagnosis or that of a loved one).