{"id":1355,"date":"2020-01-16T11:39:23","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T16:39:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/m2d2\/?p=1355"},"modified":"2020-01-16T11:54:49","modified_gmt":"2020-01-16T16:54:49","slug":"for-2020-deshpande-foundation-again-sponsoring-india-based-200k-challenge-finalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/m2d2\/2020\/01\/16\/for-2020-deshpande-foundation-again-sponsoring-india-based-200k-challenge-finalists\/","title":{"rendered":"For 2020, Deshpande Foundation Again Sponsoring India-based $200K Challenge Finalists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Team<\/a>
Team India’s jerseys won serious style points at the 2019 Challenge Pitch-Off!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For the second year, the Deshpande Foundation<\/a> has announced it will sponsor up to three early-stage India-based life sciences companies that are chosen as finalists in the M2D2 $200K Challenge<\/a>. This generous sponsorship will cover all travel and housing expenses for those teams, as well as tours around the Massachusetts life sciences innovation ecosystem and introductions to potential mentors and investors.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

“The Foundation\u2019s generosity in making the Challenge accessible to these bright young innovators is phenomenal,\u201d said M2D2 Director of Operations Mary Ann Picard. \u201cLast year\u2019s sponsored finalists, BuzzArk Simulations<\/a>, IMOV Motiontech, and MediSim VR<\/a>, brought products and ideas that opened a lot of eyes. Everyone involved in the Challenge is very, very excited to see what\u2019s coming from India this year.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bridging the distance to advance life-saving innovations\ufeff<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Enter<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are thrilled with the last year\u2019s results and the success the finalists have achieved,\u201d said Raj Melville, Executive Director of the Deshpande Foundation. \u201cWe hope these examples will motivate more health and medical technology innovators in India to take advantage of this unique opportunity with M2D2\u2019s $200K Challenge.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Year One: A stellar success for India-based Challenge Finalists<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, the first year of this sponsorship program, the Foundation sponsored three finalists from the Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre (HTIC) at the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras<\/a>.  They were:
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