University Hospitals Ventures Receives Plug and Play Health's Corporate Innovation Award

CLEVELAND, Ohio – University Hospitals Ventures, the innovation and commercialization arm of University Hospitals Health System, was recognized today with the Health Corporate Innovation Award from Plug and Play at its Summer Summit 2021.

Plug and Play makes this distinct recognition to corporations that have demonstrated a commitment to expanding their innovation culture by developing partnerships with startups, building networks across industry, and thought leadership within the Plug and Play ecosystem. University Hospitals (UH) is a long-standing partner of Plug and Play Health and has been leveraging the Plug and Play network to continue to advance the delivery of health care.

“When the impact of the pandemic become clear, our system initiated a very effective, aligned response that ensured our system could quickly react to a rapidly changing set of variables,” explained David Sylvan, President of UH Ventures. “We learned that leveraging intellectual assets and non-traditional relationships helped us innovate in ways we never imagined to rapidly address a number of unmet needs. We are truly humbled by this recognition from Plug and Play, who have been outstanding collaborators not only through the pandemic, but as we have worked together to help make Cleveland a thriving innovation hub.”

As COVID-19 bore down on the nation’s hospital systems early in the pandemic, UH Ventures emerged as front-line assistance to help the Northeast Ohio regional health system develop response initiatives, including the establishment of strategic local and national partnerships in order to rapidly co-design tools and equipment for front-line use. They engaged with Plug and Play Health not only to access startups, but to share their journey and learnings with other providers.

“During the past challenging year, UH Ventures continued to take full advantage of Plug and Play Health’s ecosystem, with the foresight that now more than ever, the health system must foster innovation, drive investment, and bring technology to market faster,” said Jennifer Thomas, Managing Director of Plug and Play Health. “We’ve been impressed by their determination to lead on innovation and ability to engage across industry to get it done.”