Future of Healthtech x AI: One Way Pitch Competition
We invite founders, investors, operators, and members of the healthtech ecosystem to join us for the Healthtech × AI Pitch Competition, an in-person showcase featuring emerging startups at the intersection of healthcare and artificial intelligence.
Selected founders will present their companies before a panel of four judges and an audience from the Bay Area startup and investment community.
Pitch Format
Each selected startup will have:
2 minutes to pitch
2 minutes for Q&A
12 startups will be selected to present
Who Can Apply?
Startups must meet the following criteria:
Healthtech × AI startup
Less than $2M in cumulative dilutive funding from investors (grants and other non-dilutive funding excluded)
U.S. or international startup
At least one founder must be an immigrant to the United States
Able to pitch in person in San Francisco on September 29
Finalist Opportunity
One startup will advance to the One-Way Summit, where the founder will have the opportunity to pitch in front of approximately 1,000 attendees from the startup and investment ecosystem.
Applications
Application Deadline: September 15, 2026
Application link: Open Google Form
The Winner will go on to Pitch at One Way Summit on Oct 28-29th
FBLSTA50 - 50% off Standard Pass (full event access except workshops and VIP perks)
FBLPRE50 - 50% off Premium Pass (+ access to expert-led workshops)
Pitch Competition format:
October 28: Heats on the Startup Grind pitch stage
October 29: Final on the main stage
Each of the 5 verticals will be a separate heat
Heats: 2m pitch, live audience & judging panel, no Q&A
Final: 2m pitch + short Q&A with the judges
Startups will be assessed in real time, and 2 finalists will get selected per heat
10 finalists will go through to the final on the main stage
Winning startup + the Ecosystem Partner they represent will receive a prize
Why Invest in Immigrant Founders
Nearly 80% of America's unicorns have an immigrant founder or an immigrant in a key leadership role — 613 of 775 privately held billion-dollar companies as of April 2026. 59% have an immigrant founder or cofounder. (NFAP, June 2026)
Those 455 immigrant-founded companies are worth $5.0 trillion and employ an average of 833 people each. (NFAP)
Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. billion-dollar companies has a founder who first came here as an international student — 184 companies, $3.5 trillion in value. (NFAP)
Immigrants start new employer firms at 1.8x the rate of the U.S.-born — and generate at least 49% more jobs per capita. The researchers' conclusion: immigrants "act more as job creators than job takers." (Azoulay, Jones, Kim & Miranda, AER: Insights)
Immigrants are 16% of U.S. inventors but account for 32% of all U.S. innovation output since 1990. (American Economic Review, 2025)
60% of the top U.S. AI companies were founded or cofounded by immigrants — 25 of the 42 U.S. companies on the 2025 Forbes AI 50. More than 70% of those founders arrived on a student visa. (Institute for Progress)
Immigration already drives ~70% of U.S. population growth — 1.3 million of the 1.8 million people added in the year to July 2025. By 2038, it will be the only source. (U.S. Census Bureau)
America employs 59% of the world's elite AI researchers — but only 24% of them did their undergraduate degree here. The lead is imported. (MacroPolo Global AI Talent Tracker)
Only 17% of international students who earn a U.S. bachelor's degree stay long-term — against 50% of master's and 75% of doctoral graduates. An estimated 1.4 million international graduates left over the past decade. (Economic Innovation Group)
Venue Sponsored By:
Wells Fargo Technology Banking Group
Wells Fargo Technology Banking Group is focused on the needs of companies including day-to-day banking, treasury, partnerships, and capital markets. The Technology Banking Group serves over 1,400 clients across five verticals including software, fintech, internet digital, hardware/semiconductor and sustainable technology.
Host:
Funding Breakthrough Lab is a no-equity 501(c)(3) nonprofit pre-accelerator with a mission of creating a supportive community (25,000+ subscribers) to build a better tomorrow. We support founder success not just startup success by ensuring founders have community, access to education, networks, and resources to unlock their potential.
Apply for the next cohort here https://fundingbreakthroughlab.org.
Subscribe to our events here https://luma.com/fbl
Berkeley Pharma Tech Foundation is a nonprofit expanding biotech understanding and industry access through education, mentorship, and community events for aspiring scientists, entrepreneurs, and innovators. To get involved, follow us on LinkedIn or reach out to Vanloan Nguyen—we’re building toward a funded research program and a state-of-the-art Bay Area biotech lab.