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Stanford Wearable Electronics Initiative Stanford Wearable Electronics Initiative

2025 Application for eWEAR Health Prize @ Stanford U.

Category: 2025 Awards

UPDATED on 10/13 to remove sponsor name and to show reduced prizes….The eWEAR Health Prize @ Stanford U. is a pitch competition with the winning contestant receiving a $5,000 prize. The focus of the competition is Deep Tech at the intersection of the medical/health sector with artificial intelligence, brain-machine interfaces, longevity, precision health, or robotics.  The pitch competition will be an in-person event on October 30, 2025 on the campus of Stanford University.

eWEAR is an initiative at Stanford University that aims to solve challenges to enable breakthrough applications for future devices, and associated AI, for health and medical use. eWEAR fosters translational research that starts as innovation in the lab, to become an engineering prototype, then a proven, impactful solution.    

The objective of the eWEAR Health Prize @ Stanford U. is to encourage emerging companies with breakthrough, deep tech innovations for health or medical use.  The event is foremost an opportunity for contestants to participate in a positive environment to…

  1. gain recognition as a company invited to present in the eWEAR Health Prize @Stanford U. competition;
  2. pitch to a group of seasoned investors;
  3. describe their company to a public audience;
  4. receive feedback on pitch and company idea;
  5. network with potential investors and business partners. 

Contestants who are not the chosen winner will receive a $1000 prize for pitching.  There will be up to 8 companies participating. 

Frequently asked questions can be found here.

Application Process 

APPLY HERE (closed)

Applications will be accepted until September 12th at 5:00 pm PDT. 

To apply to be invited to pitch at the eWEAR Health Prize @ Stanford U. competition, provide the requested information on the online form. Responses should indicate how the innovation fits the theme of the competition. 

Applicants invited to compete in the pitch competition will be notified by September 26th. 

Eligibility

The company must fit the theme of Deep Tech at the intersection of the medical/health sector with innovation in one or more of the following areas: artificial intelligence, brain-machine interfaces, longevity, precision health, or robotics.

Companies should be at a very early stage, seeking pre-seed funding, or seed funding that is pre-A round funding.  Companies seeking A-round funding or later will not be considered.

Applicants should be the founder (or co-founder) of the company and be 18 to 35 years old on September 1, 2025. The company must be incorporated in the U.S.A. and have a business location in the U.S.A.

Key Dates

  • Applications open: July 25, 2025
  • Application submission deadline: September 12, 2025
  • Notification of invitation to compete: September 26, 2025
  • eWEAR Health Prize @ Stanford U. competition event: October 30, 2025

Participant Selection and Judging

Founders of start-ups chosen to participate in the competition will be chosen based on criteria, such as:

  • Transformative impact of the innovation: How much does the innovation offer an advantage/benefit, versus known alternate solutions? 
  • Moonshot potential: What future applications or capabilities does the innovation enable beyond the initial uses?
  • Market opportunity: How many users could this innovation benefit?
  • Potential to improve quality of life: What is the ability of the innovation to contribute to improving quality of life, and/or creating social good for those it is intended to help? 

The winning participant will be selected at the pitch event by a panel of judges composed of investors, entrepreneurs, physicians, and experts from industry.

Requirements

Invitees present in person for 10 minutes at the pitch competition and attend the award ceremony at the end of the event.  To prepare, each invitee will have a 30-minute meeting with event organizers via Zoom in October and send presentation slides by October 24th.

The winning company agrees to provide progress updates for mentoring feedback after six months and one year via presentations if requested.  The winner may be invited to present to a public audience at future eWEAR events.

Audience

The competition will be in-person only (not broadcast) with a live audience and registration open to the public.  At least 150 attendees are expected.  The audience is mostly from the Stanford community, investors, and companies in the tech and medical sectors. 

Contact

Questions? Email us at wearable-electronics@stanford.edu

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FAQ’s

Q: Will participant expenses be reimbursed?
A: No, participants will be responsible for their own expenses related to the competition, for example, travel, parking, meals, and lodging expenses. 
Q: Will companies need to provide equity to receive the prize?
A: No equity will be requested to receive the prize.
Q: Does the technology need to be related to wearables?
A: The pitch competition is open to deep tech. No advantage is given to wearable-related technologies.
Q: Will there be confidentiality agreements in place?
A: There are no confidentiality agreements for the competition.  Please present only information that is fine to share with the public.
Q: Can I register to attend the event as an audience member?
A: Yes, more information on the event will be on our website in August
Q: Why has the prize money been reduced?
A: The event sponsor unexpectedly defunded us. eWEAR is drawing on our existing funding to cover the cost of hosting the event. We are able to provide $5,000 to the winner and $1,000 to each of the other participating finalists.

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