The finalists have been selected for the 2026 BioHealth Capital Region Crab Trap Competition, taking place on September 16 during the 12th Annual BioHealth Capital Region Week at U.S. Pharmacopeia in Rockville, Maryland. This year’s group includes five U.S.-based finalists from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia, along with one international finalist from France, representing medical devices, diagnostics, digital health, and life science technologies.
This year’s competition drew a record 82 applications, the largest applicant pool in Crab Trap history. The finalists represent medical devices, diagnostics, digital health, and life science technologies from across the United States and internationally.
Each company will pitch live before a panel of judges, investors, industry leaders, and members of the regional biohealth community. The competition is scheduled for September 16 during the second day of the BioHealth Capital Region Forum.
2026 Crab Trap Finalists
Actuated Medical — Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Actuated Medical develops NeuralGlider, a precision brain-access and deep-brain therapy delivery platform that uses controlled micro-motion to improve targeting while reducing tissue trauma. Supported by extensive NIH and DARPA research, an ISO 13485-certified quality system, and FDA-registered manufacturing operations, the company is advancing next-generation tools for neurological procedures.
Aidar Health — Columbia, Maryland
Aidar Health develops MouthLab, an FDA-cleared handheld platform that captures more than 10 clinical-grade vital signs in under 60 seconds. Paired with its AI engine, AIDI, the system learns individual patient baselines and identifies changes that may signal deterioration, supporting longitudinal monitoring and more informed care outside traditional clinical settings.
Cortexx Medical Intelligence — Paris, France
Cortexx Medical Intelligence develops AI-enabled clinical decision software designed to improve spine-surgery planning and patient selection. Its platform uses clinical data and predictive analytics to estimate outcomes, personalize treatment pathways, and help providers manage surgical-episode costs by reducing avoidable variability and complications. The company is expanding from Europe toward the U.S. market.
Lisen Imprinting Diagnostics — Wilmington, Delaware
Lisen Imprinting Diagnostics is pioneering a new class of cancer diagnostics using Loss of Imprinting biomarkers and artificial intelligence. Its technology is designed to help physicians evaluate borderline and indeterminate findings and improve early-stage cancer diagnosis. The company has studied its approach across thousands of patient samples while advancing the platform toward broader clinical use.
Liquet Medical — Glen Allen, Virginia
Liquet Medical develops the Versus Catheter, which combines catheter-directed pulmonary embolism treatment with continuous pulmonary-artery pressure monitoring. The platform is designed to give clinicians real-time insight while treating dangerous blood clots. Liquet has secured FDA clearances, developed a substantial patent portfolio, and advanced toward broader manufacturing and clinical deployment.
Phycin — Frederick, Maryland
Phycin develops ultrastable engineered bFGF growth factors for bioprocessing, regenerative medicine, wound healing, and tissue-repair applications. Its technology is designed to address the stability limitations of conventional growth factors while maintaining biological activity. The company is advancing commercial and strategic partnerships across multiple life science and regenerative medicine applications.
What the Judges Will Be Looking For
Winning the Crab Trap takes more than promising science. The judging scorecard evaluates each finalist across five areas, with scores ranging from 1, Poor, to 5, Excellent.
Product & Technical Strategy: Judges will consider the strength and innovation of the technology, how well it addresses a market need, its differentiation, and whether the technical strategy provides a credible path toward product success.
Business Strategy: Companies will need to demonstrate a clear commercial vision, an understanding of their market and competitive environment, and a strategy capable of translating the technology into a sustainable business.
Leadership Team: Judges will look at the experience and capabilities of the team, including its ability to make strategic decisions, communicate effectively, and execute on the company’s plans.
Financials: Finalists will be expected to clearly communicate their financial position and plans. Strong presentations should make the company’s financial needs, assumptions, and path forward easy to understand.
Overall Presentation: Organization, clarity, design, and delivery all matter. The strongest pitches will communicate a compelling story, engage the audience, and leave the judges with a clear understanding of why the company and its technology stand out.
Each finalist will have seven minutes to present followed by three minutes of questions from the judges, putting a premium on both the strength of the business and the ability to communicate it clearly.
Moderator and Judges
The 2026 Crab Trap Competition will be moderated by Richard Bendis, President & CEO of BioHealth Innovation, who will guide the finalist presentations and Q&A.
This year’s judging panel brings experience across venture investment, company building, commercialization, economic development, and life sciences:
- Alex Euler, Senior Investment Director, VIPC
- Teddy Gresser, Senior Director, TEDCO
- Matthew Miessau, Principal, Epidarex Capital
- Ethel Rubin, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, BioHealth Innovation
- Brett Shealy, Executive Director of Life Sciences, J.P. Morgan
- Tien Wong, Chairman and CEO, Opus8
Together, the judges will evaluate each finalist on Product & Technical Strategy, Business Strategy, Leadership Team, Financials, and Overall Presentation, using the Crab Trap scoring framework.
The moderator and judging panel bring experience across investment, company building, commercialization, life sciences, and the regional innovation ecosystem and will help determine which company rises to the top of this year’s competition.
Join Us September 16
The Crab Trap Competition will take place on September 16, 2026, at U.S. Pharmacopeia in Rockville, Maryland, as part of BioHealth Capital Region Week. This year’s competition offers attendees a chance to see six emerging companies present the technologies and business strategies they believe can shape the next generation of biohealth innovation.
In this episode of BioTalk with Rich Bendis, Matt Adams, Chief Executive Officer of BrainScope, joins the conversation to discuss how the Rockville-based company is working to bring objective brain function measurement into real-world clinical care.