Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Indore-based neuroscience-driven cognitive health startup Ivory, founded by Issac John, claimed the top honour at the HealthTech Innovation Challenge 2025 held at IIT Indore, earning the title of Best HealthTech Startup of the Year.
The Demo Day showcased some of India’s most advanced digital health innovations, drawing fierce competition from deep-tech health ventures nationwide.
Organised by DHN and supported by IITI Drishti CPS Foundation, the event also featured Curebay Technologies (Oralcare) as 1st runner-up and Plus91 Technologies, led by Aditya Patkar and Neelesh Bhandari, as 2nd runner-up.
This year’s edition carried additional significance as an official Pre-Summit Event for the upcoming India-AI Impact Summit 2026, hosted by MeitY and IndiaAI. Partners included W Health Ventures, CDAC, iCreate, and AWS.
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Vishnu Saxena, founder and CEO of DHN & ScaleHealthTech, said the 2025 cohort demonstrated that India’s most meaningful healthcare innovations now come from bold, mission-driven founders. Aditya Vyas, CEO of IITI Drishti CPS Foundation, highlighted the winning solutions’ clinical relevance, integration readiness with national digital health systems, and capacity for large-scale impact.
Ivory stood out for its AI-enabled cognitive screening platform, which identifies early indicators of cognitive decline before visible symptoms appear. Its clinically validated assessments and personalized brain-training modules aim to shift India’s approach to brain health from reactive treatment to proactive care, enabling timely intervention at population scale.
High-impact startups
Ivory -- Neuroscience-based cognitive screening via interactive digital tools
Plus91 -- ABDM-ready digital health infrastructure for seamless interoperability
HeyDoc AI -- AI-powered personal health record and wellness ecosystem
BrainSight AI -- AI-enabled precision diagnostics for brain health
Curebay Technologies -- Hybrid care delivery model serving rural populations
