Product of the Year Finalists Named

Five New Hampshire companies have been named finalists for the 2021 NH Tech Alliance’s Product of the Year (POY) Award competition.

Finalists are:

• Helios Core from Helios Sports Inc. Helios, presented by Founder and CEO Bill Near, is a performance improvement platform for developing athletes. Helios’ first product is a membership that includes the Helios Core, a proprietary smart sensor that uses AI to track, benchmark and gamify skating performance for hockey players.
• Breast Cancer Locator (BCL) from CairnSurgical, Inc. CairnSurgical, presented by CEO Dave Danielsen, has developed a patient-specific surgical guidance solution for breast cancer lumpectomy. The Breast Cancer Locator provides surgeons with a 3D-printed custom surgical device and an interactive, MRI-derived visualization model of the tumor, including tumor shape, size, and location. It is designed to enable surgeons to be more precise and more successful in completely removing the tumor, thus reducing repeat surgeries.
• BioAssemblyBot® 500 from Advanced Solutions Life Sciences. Advanced Solutions Life Sciences’ BioAssemblyBot®500, presented by Chief Scientist and Partner Jay Hoying, is a robotic-based tissue fabrication and manufacturing platform designed for point-of-care, regenerative medicine applications.
• Powermax SYNC from Hypertherm, Inc. Powermax SYNC series, presented by Marketing Director, Rafael Barrera from Hypertherm, are revolutionary, next generation air plasma cutting and gouging systems, designed to greatly improve operational ease of use resulting in productivity gains to a global base of customers.  The game changing innovations featured in the Powermax SYNC are unparalleled in the competitive plasma space and offer value driven benefits for our customers.
• HVT 2.0 from Vapotherm. Vapotherm, Inc., presented by Sr. VP & CFO John Landry, is a global healthcare technology company.  It offers the only mask-free clinically validated alternative to the current standard of care for patients with respiratory distress.

These companies were selected by a panel of judges and will compete for the 2021 POY honors at a virtual event on Thursday, October 28, from 3 - 4:30 pm. The event will be streamed live on the NHTA’s YouTube and Facebook page.

The competition will include a live seven-minute pitch and a real-time selection of this year’s top product. After the event, networking will be available with finalist companies on Remo, an event networking platform.

POY celebrates the innovative products developed within the past two years and provides a platform for entrepreneurs and inventors to receive free advice, major product promotion and podium time in front of hundreds of tech leaders and audience members.

“This year we received more applications than ever before. It's so encouraging that even during some of the most trying times our state and country has seen, innovation in NH remains strong.” said Julie Demers, executive director of the NH Tech Alliance. “This year's virtual format will allow more people to cast their vote and help us name a winner out of some of the strongest contenders we've ever seen."

The POY event provides finalists and winners with significant visibility throughout the judging process and live product demonstration. The first-place winner will be featured in a display at the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, showcasing their product to thousands of travelers in 2022.

Past award winners include SpotOn Virtual Smart Fence by OnPoint Systems, Measured Air Performance, iCAD, Inc., Wilcox Industries, Plexxi, Prosenex, Single Digits, Nanocomp Technologies, UltraVision, InsightTech Gear, Holase Incorporated, Sky-Skan, Foss Manufacturing and Therma-HEXX.

Register for the event to receive the latest updates about the virtual event and networking opportunities.