Digital health wins big at Hi-Tech Awards

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

Innovative digital health companies were in the spotlight at the recent 2023 NZ Hi-Tech Awards.

Formus Labs won both the software and deep tech categories and Tend won the innovative Hi-Tech service award, with Orion Health highly commended in that category.

Formus was founded within the Auckland Bioengineering Institute and developed the world’s first AI-automated 3D planner for joint replacement surgeries.

Formus chief executive Ju Zhang says he and the team were incredibly honoured to receive two awards.

"I think our success comes from our enduring belief that our technology, based on decades of world-class research, will make a fundamental improvement to orthopaedic patients and surgeons," he says.

"The Hi-tech awards cap off a great first half of 2023 for Formus with a growing user base in Australia, international regulatory clearances, and growing exposure in the orthopaedic industry worldwide.

"We are looking forward to taking our technology to the US and Japan, providing surgical plans without the effort of planning to surgeons, unlocking scalability and insights for the tech ecosystems of our industry partners, and pushing the frontiers of orthopedics with our clinical champions," says Zhang.

Co-founder of digital first general practice provider Tend, Josh Robb, says the competition was fierce, with outstanding finalists in their innovation category.

“Our unique and innovative service, with a strong focus on promoting more equitable healthcare access and outcomes across Aotearoa, is what made us stand out from the rest,” he says.

“The judges were impressed by our ‘inside out’ approach and the dedication of our purpose-driven founders to leaving a positive health legacy for Aotearoa.”

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Fellow co-founder Mataroria Lyndon says it was humbling to see Tend’s technology and team's dedication and mahi being recognised.

“We will continue driving technological innovation in healthcare, and are committed to making a meaningful impact on the health and well-being of our communities,” he says.

Chief executive of Orion Health Brad Porter congratulated Tend as the winners and said it was great to see digital health so well represented at the awards.

“We were really proud to be highly commended for our work implementing our world-first Digital Front Door solution in Canada, supporting more than 15 million people with a unified digital tool to manage their own healthcare,” he says.

“These were two great examples of Kiwi tech making a difference to the healthcare experience for people around the world."

The NZ Hi-Tech Awards judges said the calibre of this year’s entrants was at an all-time high, with a record number of new companies entering the awards.

“A key theme that comes through is how many of our Kiwi companies are making technology with purpose that can really scale internationally,” said NZ Hi-Tech Trust chair David Downs.

Picture: Tend co-founders Josh Robb and Mataroria Lyndon at the Hi-Tech Awards - click to enlarge

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