Resident Company RevBio Announces New Scholarship for UMass Lowell Students
Image by Jodie Andruskevich 03/26/2026
Media Contacts: Brooke Coupal, communications, economic impact and research development specialist, (email: Brooke_Coupal@uml.edu), and Nancy Cicco, associate director of media relations, (email: Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu).
LOWELL, Mass. – A neurotechnology startup aiming to treat chronic pain and neurological disorders won the 15th annual Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2) $200K Challenge.
Entrepreneurs from about 175 companies entered the contest, which seeks to identify disruptive startups in the medical technology and biotechnology industries. Eleven finalists pitched their innovations to a panel of nine judges at UMass Lowell on Wednesday, March 25, vying for a chance to win a share of more than $200,000 in sponsored services and cash prizes.
This year’s top winner was Highland Instruments. The company has developed ElectroSonic Stimulation (ESStim™), a noninvasive brain stimulation technology designed to treat chronic pain and neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease. The startup will receive $25,000 in funding from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC), along with in-kind support from Mintz and PRIA Healthcare.
“We are honored to be selected as the winner of the 2026 M2D2 $200K Challenge. M2D2 has built one of the premier platforms for advancing early-stage medtech innovation,” said Alex Herzlinger, the chief business officer of Highland Instruments. “We are grateful for the support of its sponsors, including Mintz and PRIA Healthcare, who play a critical role in helping companies navigate legal, regulatory and reimbursement pathways. This recognition reinforces Highland’s mission to bring ESStim™ to more than 500,000 Americans living with moderate Parkinson’s disease, who currently have limited treatment options between medications and surgery.”
Second place went to Juno Technologies, a startup developing a discreet, wearable device designed to provide fast and lasting relief from menstrual pain. The company won in-kind support from M2D2, Hologic and bene : studio. MilkMade, which is developing a real-time lactation device that measures milk output and latch, placed third. The startup won $25,000 in funding from M2D2 and in-kind support from Ursanex and MPR.
In addition to the top three winners, MLSC awarded a $25,000 cash prize to Lithe Medical, a startup developing a lightweight scrub cap with embedded micro-LED lighting to improve comfort and visibility for clinicians during procedures. Massachusetts eHealth Institute awarded a $10,000 cash prize to Breathe Biomedical, a company that is creating a breath-based diagnostic test to detect early-stage breast cancer in women with dense breast tissue.
During the event, UMass Lowell and RevBio, a medical device company that invented a regenerative bone adhesive, announced the formation of the new RevBio MedTech Innovation Scholarship Fund, which will support UMass Lowell engineering students who demonstrate a strong interest in biomedical innovation and entrepreneurship. RevBio joined M2D2 nine years ago and continues to operate there today. The company has since treated over 150 patients with its invention and is currently participating in five FDA-approved clinical trials.
“RevBio would not be up here if it were not for this amazing ecosystem at M2D2,” said Brian Hess, CEO and founder of RevBio. “We decided that this scholarship is a great way to be stewards of the system and to give back.”
Image by Jodie Andruskevich A partnership between UMass Lowell and UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester, M2D2 helps startups in the medical device and biotech fields bring their innovations from concept to completion. The annual $200K Challenge forecasts the future of health care, showcasing new products and technologies being developed by competition entrants.
Contest sponsors included American Instrument Exchange, bene : studio, Hologic, Massachusetts eHealth Institute, Mintz, MLSC, MPR, PRIA Healthcare, Qosina, RQMIS, RQM+, Sallop, Simbex, StitchDX, Ursanex and Withum.
"The M2D2 $200K Challenge provides a great showcase for highlighting the work of the region’s life science inventors and entrepreneurs. This year, our 15th year of the competition, we are particularly proud that our sponsors requested a focus on women’s health innovations,” said M2D2 Co-founder and Co-director Steven Tello, a professor of entrepreneurship in the Manning School of Business at UMass Lowell.
“The $200K challenge is one of the highlights of the year for biomedical companies that look to UMass Chan and UMass Lowell for help in commercializing their technologies. We’re excited to work with our winners and sponsors to improve health for all,” added M2D2 Co-director Nathaniel Hafer, director of operations in the UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science at UMass Chan, where he is an associate professor of molecular medicine.
Since 2007, M2D2 has vetted more than 300 medical-device and biotech ventures for inclusion in its programs and provided support to more than 100 startups. In total, M2D2 resident companies have secured more than $190 million in external funding for their innovations.
“Through M2D2, we’re helping bring breakthrough health care technologies from concept to commercialization,” said UMass Lowell Executive Director for Innovation and New Ventures Mary Ann Picard. “Our strength lies in the collaboration between UMass Lowell, UMass Chan and our industry and government partners, which allows us to support innovators at every stage and drive meaningful impact in the life sciences.”