Sana Care Wins Harvard Business Plan Contest

Last week, Harvard Business School held its annual business plan contest, the capstone of the school’s Entrepreneurial Studies program. It awards innovation in for-profit models through its business venture track, as well as ideas that would create social value via nonprofit, for-profit or hybrid models through its social venture track. Sana Care, which developed a technology that allows mobile phones to inexpensively capture and send medical data that is useful for diagnosing heart and lung disease, was awarded first prize in the social venture track. The award includes a $25,000 cash prize plus in-kind services.

Sana Care, which was profiled in the Summer 2011 issue of Americas Quarterly, is currently piloting its technology in Bangalore, India. Its mobile and data transmission technology has been successful in enabling off-site health care professionals to prevent, diagnose and manage oral and cervical cancer and cardiovascular disease. The company hopes to expand elsewhere in India and Latin America, with a goal of reaching 10 million patients in five years.