More Than $1 Million in Funding Awarded to Six Arizona-Based Medtech Startups

The Partnership for Economic Innovation (PEI) has secured $600,000 in funding from the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) to support six new health technology projects.

Through PEI’s Applied Research Centers, these projects represent the fifth and latest cohort of the Center’s Arizona-based medical technology projects working to move promising research out of the lab and into the hands of patients, clinicians, and consumers. State funding matches private and non-state funds committed by industry partners.

The PEI Applied Research Center’s fifth cohort brings together six Arizona-based health technology projects, each tackling a distinct and pressing medical challenge:

• Prickly Pear Health: A personalized, AI-powered app developed that supports women’s brain health through voice-based journaling, mood tracking, and science-backed insights during perimenopause and hormonal shifts.
• ScripGuard: A compact, reusable medication dispenser uses an intelligent timing system to securely release doctor-prescribed medications at the correct dose and time, helping prevent prescription misuse before it starts.
• MiiCare: A chronic conditions and fall-prevention management platform designed to help older adults live independently at home longer. The MiiCube device gathers and analyzes in-home data to deliver personalized care plans through Monica, a virtual health assistant that passively monitors behavior, measures vitals, and triggers emergency responses without cameras or video recording.
• Serenity Neurotechnologies: Developing ultrasound-powered neuromodulation technology to treat chronic migraines, beginning with a non-invasive wearable device.
• UnityCare: A lightweight wristband and adhesive patch system that monitors heart activity, movement, and stress levels to detect cardiac events like arrhythmias.
• Cortalis Neuro: Building clinician-facing software that guides optimal deep brain stimulation settings for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.

“These ‘Cohort 5’ projects represent more than a collection of promising devices and apps; they reflect a growing commitment to building Arizona’s health technology economy,” said Kathleen Lee, director of Applied Research Centers at the Partnership for Economic Innovation. “Each project creates jobs, accelerates research timelines, and puts Arizona-made solutions in front of patients and clinicians who need them. Continued support for applied research funding in the state budget keeps Arizona competitive and ensures the next generation of health technology breakthroughs is built right here.”

PEI’s Applied Research Centers focus on de-risking investment in Arizona-based medical technology products.

“Supporting early-stage health technology companies is not just good for innovation, it is good for Arizona’s economy,” stated Dr. Robert Bowser, chief scientific officer at Barrow Neurological Institute and PEI Board Member. “This kind of investment attracts entrepreneurs, researchers, and companies of all sizes who want to build something that matters, and Arizona gives them the infrastructure to do it.”

Since its founding in 2019, the PEI Applied Research Centers has guided more than 35 health technology projects through every stage of development, from initial idea generation to U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval pathways and full commercialization. The Center’s engineering lab, located in the Phoenix Medical Quarter at Park Central, gives teams hands-on access to research resources, prototyping support, and strategic partnerships that help early-stage companies bridge the investment gap between research and market. 

Cohort 5 builds on that track record, with each of the six projects partnering with one of Arizona’s top research institutions, including Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, and Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science in Arizona. These universities provide the projects with the researchers needed for their research process, helping to speed up the process of research to market for their products.

“This funding gives us a runway to move faster, and the PEI Applied Research Centers has the connections to do it right,” Prickly Pear Health Founder/CEO Imen Maaroufi Clark commented. “There is no better place to build the future of women’s health than Arizona.”

The Partnership for Economic Innovation is a collective of business and community leaders dedicated to accelerating Arizona’s economic opportunities. PEI invests in community-building technology and R&D designed to make Arizona more resilient and empower innovators to bring world-changing ideas to market. PEI initiatives include:

• Applied Research Centers initiative is accelerating the development of emerging technology products in biomedical, semiconductor adjacent, and climate/clean technologies with the potential to radically transform healthcare, and keep people safe and more secure.
• The Connective, Greater Phoenix’s internationally acclaimed Smart Region collaborative, convening cities, industries and entrepreneurs to lay the open innovation groundwork to solve regional challenges.