RURAL HEALTH INNOVATION CHALLENGE

November 4, 2026 | 7:00 PM EDT | GSA Annual Scientific Meeting, National Harbor, MD

The Rural Health Innovation Challenge is a pitch competition designed to help rural hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and other care providers find the best technology and tech enabled services that can improve access, reduce cost, and transform outcomes for providers and patients.

WHO CAN APPLY?

Startups and other solution providers that have commercially available products with verifiable customers may apply. 8 finalists will be selected to present at the pitch competition to be held on November 4, 2026 at the GSA Annual Scientific Meeting in National Harbor, MD.

WHAT IS AT STAKE?

Presenting startups will have the opportunity to participate in a study or pilot awarded by one of the RHIC participating hospitals or other care providers. There will be live voting at the final pitch-off to determine the winner, and a separate poll to award the coveted Audience Choice Award.

Guidelines and Application to Pitch Here

How AgeTech Startups Can Participate

APPLY TO THE PITCH COMPETITION

Startups must have a commercially available product and verifiable clients. Software, tech-enabled services and devices must have proven capabilities that align CMS Rural Health Transformation core strategic goals:

Make Rural America Healthy Again: Fund preventative care, chronic disease management, behavioral health, and substance use disorder treatments.

Sustainable Access: Help rural clinics and hospitals cooperate regionally to share operations, emergency services, and primary care resources.

Workforce Development: Offer recruitment and retention incentives to attract clinical talent and expand training for local providers and community health workers.

Technology Innovation: Upgrade digital infrastructure, expand telehealth, improve cybersecurity, and introduce modern workflow tools like AI medical scribes.

Showcase Your Solution at the Scientific Meeting

Showcase your software, tech-enabled service, or device in the AgeTech Connect Innovation Pavilion on the main floor of the exhibit hall. You have the opportunity to connect with over 4,500 leading professionals in the field of aging. Spotlight your brand, introduce solutions, and spark high-impact conversations with an elite, interdisciplinary audience of researchers, clinicians, educators, and industry leaders.

If your startup is planning to apply for a grant (NIH/NIA/RHT), need to conduct a peer-reviewed study, or is seeking a proving ground to validate your product claims, the AgeTech Pavilion is the place to be. Conference attendees include:

Health Sciences - Physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists, and other allied health professionals.

Behavioral and Social Sciences - Economists, epidemiologists, political scientists, psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, humanists, social workers, and other clinicians.

Biological Sciences - Individuals with interests varying from understanding molecular, alterations that feature in the aging process to those studying, evolutionary forces that determine longevity differences, among species.

Social Research, Policy & Practice - Educators, researchers, practitioners, and policy makers.

For pricing contact: jeff@agetechatlanta.com

Demo Your Product in the Innovation Theatre

Dates: Thursday and Friday, November 5-6
Time: 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Don’t miss your chance to spotlight your organization’s cutting-edge aging solution in the Innovation Theater, centrally located in the exhibit hall. Presentations will be scheduled on Thursday and Friday of the conference during exhibit hall hours.

These dynamic, interactive demonstrations are designed to showcase your product or service in action while fostering meaningful connections with a highly influential audience shaping the future of aging. Secure your presentation slot and elevate your visibility—apply today!

Questions? Email exhibits@geron.org