Eye Pitch

Saturday, May 3
3:30 - 5pm MT
Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center

Have an entrepreneurial mindset but little to no experience moving a product forward through the pipeline? You are in luck! In collaboration with the Alcon Seed Fund (ASF), ARVO is offering members a fantastic opportunity to present your innovative ideas for a chance to win an up to $1 million investment from Alcon*.

How it works?

• Submit your proposal for a great new treatment, drug or device
• If your proposal is selected, you will present a 5 - 6-minute pitch and take part in a Q&A with a judging panel of experts at the live Eye Pitch session held during ARVO's All-Access Saturday on May 3 (Salt Lake City, Utah).

Prizes

• Winner — $25,000
• Second place — $15,000
• Third place — $10,000

* The overall winner will be invited to enter the ASF process for a chance to win an up to $1 million investment from Alcon.

Key dates

March 16  Eye Pitch proposal submission deadline (11:59pm ET)
March 26  Eye Pitch acceptance notification sent to submitter
May 3        Eye Pitch (live session)

Eligibility

• ARVO members with a great proposal for a new treatment, drug or device in eye and vision research can submit a pitch (should have supportive experimental data).
• Submitters are expected to register for All-Access Saturday and present their work if selected.
• Can submit one proposal for consideration.

Focus areas

We are especially interested in products in the early- to mid-development stage. If your idea aligns with the following ASF focus areas, we want to hear from you:

• Cataract – Advanced instrumentation, new IOL materials or designs with opportunity for enhanced performance

• Myopia – Device-based or digital modalities with enhanced effectiveness vs. available treatment options

• Retina – Technologies or systems that can be used to visualize, diagnose or treat retinal diseases

• Glaucoma – Medical devices with step change improvement in risk/benefit for office-based or surgical interventions

• Ocular Health – Technologies with potential to improve health status of the ocular surface

• Pharma – Truly novel approaches with potential to change treatment paradigm and supported by strong science and pre-clinical data

• Dry eye disease (DED) – diagnostic devices to reduce complexity of identifying sub-classification of DED and/or determining optimal initial treatment approach, with pathway towards reimbursement

• Contact lenses – New optic or device technologies to drive incremental or breakthrough performance in key indications, including myopia and presbyopia

• Digital technologies – Improved visualization, analysis or modelling tools to support diagnosis, treatment planning and guided surgery; Clinical decision support systems

• White Space – Novel technologies with potential to revolutionize the treatment of ophthalmic diseases supported by proof-of-concept data

What to expect

Submissions will be scored by a panel of experts in transitioning great ideas to the market.

• Top five scored proposals will be accepted to present live.
  • The primary applicant for selected proposals will receive complimentary registration for All-Access Saturday.
• Each selected submitter will have the opportunity to meet with a mentor who will guide you in preparing for the live pitch presentation.

(Download the chart)

Note: It is expected that any ideas presented are already protected by appropriate patent applications.

Sponsor

ARVO is grateful to the Alcon Seed Fund for their generous financial support and expertise.

Alcon is committed to finding external innovation opportunities that could enhance its current product portfolio or lead to innovative new products for eye disorders. As part of these efforts, the Alcon Seed Fund was launched in 2022 to identify and invest in early stage, disruptive innovation within the ophthalmic field.