TGH Ventures Hosts HLTH 2025 Startup Pitch Competition, Championing Breakthrough Solutions in Specialty Care

Switchboard Health emerged as the winner, earning funding and an opportunity to explore a potential partnership with TGH Ventures and Tampa General.

Tampa, FL (December 1, 2025) – TGH Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Tampa General Hospital (TGH), hosted the Startup Pitch Tournament for Specialty Care at HLTH 2025, a leading health care innovation summit that took place Oct. 19-22 in Las Vegas. This year’s competition highlighted pioneering innovations across high-impact areas such as oncology, cardiovascular, neurology, diabetes and oral-systemic health, fields poised for transformative advancements in patient outcomes and cost reduction.

“Our commitment to innovation at Tampa General extends to every facet of patient care, and specialty care represents a critical frontier,” said Scott Arnold, executive vice president and chief digital and innovation officer at Tampa General Hospital. “This competition allows us to identify and champion groundbreaking solutions that will not only enhance patient outcomes in complex areas like oncology and neurology but also emphasize Tampa General’s commitment to advancing health care nationwide.”

The competition took place on Monday, Oct. 20. It was moderated by Anthony Zlaket, investment manager for TGH Ventures, and adjudicated by Arnold along with a distinguished group of venture capital professionals, including Mei Headley of Mercato Partners and Rachel Kern of First Trust Capital Partners.

From a competitive pool of 75 applicants, the judging panel chose eight startups, recognized for their potential to revolutionize specialty care. The winning company, Switchboard Health, received a $10,000 prize and the opportunity to explore strategic partnerships with TGH Ventures and Tampa General.

Switchboard Health, led by Co-Founder and CEO Derek Baird, is a digital health company that improves access to specialty care by connecting patients with high-value providers through its platform and national network. They offer services to providers, health plans and employers to streamline care coordination and reduce costs.

“The caliber of innovation demonstrated by Switchboard Health and this year's finalists in specialty care is truly exceptional,” said Rachel Feinman, vice president of innovation at Tampa General and managing director of TGH Ventures. “From AI-driven precision medicine to wearable stroke detection and advanced rehabilitation, these startups are tackling some of health care’s most complex challenges, and TGH Ventures is proud to provide a platform for these visionary companies, accelerating solutions that will redefine patient care."

In addition to Switchboard Health, the tournament finalists included:

• PGxAI (Precision Medicine Powered by Generative AI & Real-World Evidence): PGxAI empowers hospitals, clinics and health care professionals to make data-driven decisions for every patient. The AI-powered pharmacogenomic platform analyzes each individual's genetic profile, ensuring personalized treatment recommendations are always within reach.
• Wotch Health – Virtual Assistant for Clinicians and Their Patients: For clinicians, Wotch’s platform allows them to plot the patient’s course, with Wotch carrying out medical and administrative actions. For patients, Wotch seamlessly acts as a virtual assistant, tracking appointments, tests and medical milestones.
• Vibrant: Vibrant is developing the world’s first wearable smart patch that uses ultrasound and AI to detect strokes in real time, including those that occur during sleep (“wake-up strokes”). By enabling early intervention through continuous monitoring and instant alerts, the technology aims to reduce disability, improve treatment outcomes and lower costs.
• mPATH Health: mPATH is a digital health company dedicated to innovating preventive cancer screening through the integration of automation and behavioral science. mPATH identifies individuals who are candidates for routine screening tests, providing personalized education and motivating them to connect with the care they need. The self-identifying tool empowers individuals to put their health first while closing preventive care gaps.
• smallTalk: smallTalk® is an award-winning technology startup focused on brain development through early language exposure. Acquiring language is one of the major accomplishments of early childhood, playing a critical role in social and cognitive development. Babies depend on the stimulus of “infant-directed speech” from the adults in their life to create the neural pathways in their brain to process language.
• Airalux Medical: Airalux is developing a medical device to better monitor patients' breathing after surgery. It delivers therapeutic spirometry, redesigned with automatic adherence and performance tracking, and on-device real-time inhalation feedback.
• Bioliberty: Bioliberty is on a mission to give everyone the best chance at recovery from a mobility-limiting condition or injury. Bioliberty holds seven patents across its core technologies, Lifehub and Lifeglov — both of which are FDA-registered. While the initial focus is on upper-limb recovery, Bioliberty is actively expanding the platform to support broader therapeutic needs.

TGH Ventures invests in and partners with emerging health care companies redefining the care experience. It offers financial and strategic support to entrepreneurs developing solutions that improve patient lives and align with TGH's vision of affordable, accessible, convenient and effective health care. Beyond direct investments, TGH Ventures fosters collaboration through programs that provide resources to drive transformative changes in health care.

More information about TGH Ventures, including their latest news and investments, is available here.