Salva Health Wins Top Prize at Prestigious TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 Startup Competition

The winner of the highly competitive Startup Battlefield competition at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 was announced last week. Out of 20 promising early-stage companies that participated in the event, Salva Health emerged victorious after impressing judges with their innovative solution.

Startup Battlefield is a renowned program that has helped launch over 1,500 companies since its inception. Past winners include major tech players like Dropbox, Discord, and Cloudflare. This year’s event saw 20 carefully selected startups pitch their products in the hopes of winning $100,000 and recognition as the Disrupt Cup champion.

After three days of intense presentations and deliberations, five finalists were chosen to demo their solutions once more in front of top venture capital judges. These included Gecko Materials, Luna, MabLab, Salva Health, and Stitch3D. However, it was Salva Health that ultimately took home the prize.

Founded by Valentina Agudelo, Salva Health is tackling a huge gap in breast cancer mortality rates between Latin America and developed nations. Through her own research, Agudelo discovered that late detection is a major factor, as rural areas lack access to diagnostic tools like mammograms. Her vision is to create an affordable portable device capable of early detection.

Agudelo and her team have developed a prototype that shows tremendous potential to save countless lives. Their solution could reach underserved populations and revolutionize cancer screening in vulnerable communities. Judges were impressed by Salva Health’s meaningful mission and innovative approach.

The runner-up was Gecko Materials, created by Capella Kerst. Her company produces a super-strong dry adhesive inspired by gecko feet. It offers numerous advantages over traditional glues and tapes. Kerst showcased the product’s abilities, like dangling a full wine bottle from just her pinky.

Both Salva Health and Gecko Materials are poised to make large impacts with their disruptive technologies. By winning Startup Battlefield, they are positioned to accelerate growth with the $100,000 prize and prestige of the Disrupt Cup title. Their successes also continue the storied history of breakthrough companies launched through this renowned startup program.