Cure
Overview
The maternal health startup won $100,000 in equity investment from the Catalytic Impact Foundation at Cure's Power of X Summit.
At Cure's Power of X Summit in New York City, DeepEcho took home $100,000 in equity investment from the Catalytic Impact Foundation (CIF), winning the second annual Catalytic Innovation Prize, which backs early-stage companies advancing women’s health. The AI-powered fetal ultrasound platform was selected from more than 140 applicants worldwide. Feminai, which is developing an at-home breast cancer screening device, received the $50,000 runner-up investment.
The summit and the competition come at a critical moment for the field. Women's health conditions outside of oncology account for less than 2 percent of the current healthcare pipeline, according to McKinsey, despite women representing half the world’s population. For the founders who took the stage, that number is not just a statistic, it is the problem they have spent years trying to solve.
"These founders are doing things that are truly transformative in terms of saving lives and changing outcomes," said Robert Wolk, Chair of the Catalytic Impact Foundation. "Each one of these companies has the potential to expand access and quality of care across women's health."
DeepEcho Takes Top Prize With AI Ultrasound Platform
The Catalytic Impact Foundation, a philanthropic investment fund, was founded on the premise that the most important healthcare problems are often the least funded. To identify the companies best positioned to change that, CIF evaluated finalists on four criteria: quality of the team, innovation, go-to-market strategy, and business model differentiation. Five companies ultimately pitched live at the summit to a room of investors, clinicians, and industry leaders.
DeepEcho emerged as the winner.
The company's AI software integrates with existing ultrasound machines and enables non-specialists to perform detailed fetal scans with minimal training, analyzes more than 54 fetal and maternal structures, and generates reports in real time. DeepEcho is FDA-cleared, has been deployed at clinical sites including Rush Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and was named one of TIME’s top 100 health technology companies of 2025.
For Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer Saad Slimani, the recognition carried as much weight as the funding. DeepEcho is currently raising a Series A round, and Slimani said the CIF win strengthens its position with investors.
"It is a validation of our approach and the work that we have done," Slimani told Cure. "The CIF team, who have seen thousands of startups, have seen our pitch, talked to me, asked me questions, and came away convinced that we were doing something meaningful. That is extremely valuable, and it is also going to drive other investors to join the round."
Feminai Earns Runner-Up for At-Home Screening Approach
Feminai received the $50,000 runner-up investment after winning the audience choice vote.
The company is developing a breast cancer screening device built around a disposable wearable patch paired with an app that delivers results in about five minutes, prescribed by a primary care physician and shipped directly to a patient’s home. Feminai holds two international patents and is currently pursuing FDA submission.
For Founder Dr. Karny Ilan, a breast surgeon who grew up watching family members navigate the limitations of existing screening as carriers of a high-risk gene mutation, the work is personal.
"This funding is another great signal that women are ready for innovation in their breast health solutions," Ilan said. "Receiving validation from large crowds, mainly made up of women, shows us that our future users are anticipating our arrival to the market."
Finalists Reflect Breadth of Unmet Need in Women’s Health
The remaining finalists underscored the range of gaps across women’s health, and all delivered impressive presentations.
VasoWatch is developing a predictive wearable system to detect postpartum hemorrhage hours before it occurs, the leading cause of maternal death during childbirth. Presenter: Christine Rohan, CEO.
Elidah, produces Elitone, the only external, at-home treatment for urinary incontinence, a condition affecting one in three women. In clinical studies, 95 percent of users improved after six weeks. Presenter: Gloria Kolb, Co-Founder and CEO.
OsteoCure Therapeutics, a Duke University spinout, is developing a minimally invasive treatment for osteoporosis, which disproportionately affects women and impacts nearly 200 million people globally. Presenter: Hunter Newman, Co-Founder and CEO.
Beyond Capital, Building the Ecosystem
For CIF, the investment is only the starting point. The foundation pairs funding with access to advisors, clinical partners, and commercial relationships that can help companies scale. That emphasis on ecosystem-building was central to the design of the Power of X Summit.
"These are founders doing truly innovative and disruptive work," Wolk said. "What they are building is going to fundamentally change the modality of care. It is not just incrementally better. They are addressing unmet needs at a scale that has been overlooked for far too long, and where there is that level of unmet need, there is a market."
The tailwinds are strengthening. Venture funding in women's health reached $2.6 billion in 2024, a record high and a 55 percent increase year over year, according to Silicon Valley Bank. Yet the category remains underdeveloped. Early-stage companies still face a difficult fundraising environment, but for investors willing to move early, the window remains open.
"There is tremendous demand,” Wolk said. “This is an amazing opportunity to get returns, get exits, and get therapeutics into the hands of people who need them."
Momentum Builds, but Access Gaps Persist
Slimani has seen that dynamic firsthand. DeepEcho won the Cure Xchange Challenge: Health AI for Good in 2023, which included a residency at Cure's New York City campus, seed funding, and access to the Cure ecosystem, helping bring the company to New York.
The company has since grown into a recognized player in maternal health technology, deployed at clinical sites across the U.S. and working with the Moroccan Ministry of Health.
The barriers facing pregnant women in rural America and those in the global south are more alike than different. Closing that gap is central to the company’s mission.
"Women's health is just health, period," he said. "We are trying to equalize opportunities for care."
