mHealth Israel, the largest connected health community in the Middle East, today announced the winner of its connected health startup contest: Healthymize.  The company provides early detection of COPD exacerbation via personalized speech monitoring based on analysis of patients' voice and breathing during regular voice calls The startups presented in front of a packed conference, held in at the Jerusalem Cinematheque, with the winner beating out 8 other finalists to win a significant prize package to help fast-track their technology to market.

“This is our fourth year running mHealth Israel, and it is incredible to see the growth of the community and the significant global interest in the breakthroughs being produced by our innovators,” said Levi Shapiro, Founder of mHealth Israel.  "By bringing together the newest developments in the Israeli mHealth ecosystem, and veteran leaders of international organizations – both public and private – we are helping to accelerate the path towards a healthier future.”

“The healthcare industry is on the brink of sweeping change,” said HIMSS CEO, Hal Wolf.“Innovation in healthcare is tough, and the ecosystem will be impacted by those who can bring innovation and sustain it. We are facing one of the largest change management opportunities the world has ever seen.”

The competition runner-up was AI DOC, which utilizes deep learning and AI to analyze medical images and patient data, detecting critical anomalies for radiologists. Other finalists included Augmedics, Neetera, Day Two, Eye Control, Dreamed Diabetes, MedyMatch and Wikaya.

“We’re thrilled to have been part of the mHealth Israel Conference and to win the competition,”said Dr. Shady Hassan, Cofounder and CEO of Healthymize. “We’re grateful for this opportunity and look forward to presenting our technology to a wider audience at the HIMSS Conference. Within the next year, we expect clinical trials via partnerships with connected health organizations around the world.”

This year’s mHealth Israel Conference attracted more than 500 health tech innovators from Israel, the U.S. and Europe. Speakers included HIMSS CEO, Hal Wolf, Former UK Health Minister Nicola Blackwood, representatives from the French Ministry of Health, Scott Dulchavsky, M.D., Ph.D., CEO of the Henry Ford Innovation Institute and Chairman of Surgery and Surgeon in Chief at Henry Ford Hospital, Gustavo Perez, CEO, Guided Imaging, GE Healthcare, Merck Principal Alexandra Hoffman, and many others. The conference took place in Jerusalem with the support of the Jerusalem Development Authority.

"Israel has a tremendous amount of health innovation and talent to offer the world, and I've had the privilege of meeting some extraordinary companies during my visit," said Nicola Blackwood, former UK Health Minister. "Startups are helping to pave the way for a promising healthcare future, but they must be careful not to fall into into the trap of 'build it and they will come.' For healthcare startups to succeed, they must deeply understand the market and how their solution fits into it. They should not assume the market will adapt to fit their solution."