These top breakthroughs stand out for their potential to help nearly 6 million of the people the healthcare system reaches last, addressing critical healthcare gaps, including access, communication and monitoring.

BOSTON, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The breakthrough isn’t coming. It’s already here — working in people’s daily lives now and ready to scale to reach millions.

WellWithAll, a purpose-led wellness company rooted in making wellness more accessible for all, is pleased to announce the finalists of the $1 Million Prize Competition, a national search for AI-powered health tools that are working in people’s daily lives now and ready to reach many more.

Sponsored by The M&T Charitable Foundation, AARP, The Boston Foundation, The Kapor Foundation, and Craig and Darla Albert, the Prize equips the people the healthcare system reaches last with accessible, everyday AI-powered tools that make better health possible.

The finalists offer solutions that go beyond diagnosis, putting AI to work on paperwork, translation and monitoring so people can focus on caring, building community trust and scaling to reach millions. Selected from a competitive national search, these five finalists represent leading tools designed to help people stay healthy with measurable results.

The winner will be selected at Demo Day, a showcase event on Thursday, October 15, at Harvard Business School, chosen by a judging panel of experts in AI and healthcare. These solutions reach people the system was never built to reach. The five finalists include:

• Boston Children’s Hospital (Boston, MA):

Problem: The process of translating inpatient discharge instructions into the diverse languages that patients need them in is time- and cost-prohibitive, meaning less than 10% of patient families who prefer reading in a language other than English leave with translated instructions. Boston Children’s Hospital has partnered with LILT to develop a customized AI translation model with professional linguist review requested directly within the Epic EHR. In just 6 months, the hospital saw that over 50% of eligible instructions were translated within their pilot, and returned 10 hours sooner for their top languages.

What It’s Built: An AI model that generates instant translation drafts upon creation of discharge paperwork, followed by professional review before family departure. Integrated directly into the hospital’s Epic EHR system, the workflow operates automatically without manual order delays.

“We are now able to provide translations and discharge notes in over 100 languages to our patients,” said John Brownstein, SVP & Chief Innovation Officer. “By reducing the time it takes to translate them by over 60% we are able to provide more patients with instructions they can understand in their hands prior to leaving the hospital.”

• MEandMine (San Jose, CA):

Problem: One in five American students has a diagnosed mental health condition, with youth distress increasing by roughly 25% annually. Students wait an average of 8 to 11 years between initial symptoms and treatment.

What It’s Built: An interactive game analyzing over 160 behavioral signals alongside daily check-ins to detect subtle emotional shifts before students express them verbally. The platform flags changes and recommends action items for counselors, while a secondary tool automates special education administrative paperwork (Individualized Education Programs and behavior plans).

“Big emotions don’t have to become big problems,” said Elinor Huang, MEandMine Founder and CEO. “MEandMine is building a future where emotional resilience starts early and behavioral health support moves upstream.”

• MedHaul (Memphis, TN):

Problem: An estimated 90 million medical appointments are missed annually in the U.S. due to lack of transportation. Standard rideshare services cannot accommodate complex mobility needs, resulting in an estimated $180 billion annual cost to health systems.

What It’s Built: An AI-coordinated transit platform catering to specialized transportation needs, including wheelchair, stretcher and bariatric access. The software reduces ride scheduling time from 2.5 hours to two minutes.

“Ninety million medical appointments are missed every year due to transportation barriers costing over $180 billion and leading to worse patient outcomes,” said Erica Plybeah, MedHaul’s Founder and CEO. “Transportation barriers can have particularly significant consequences in cancer care, kidney care, clinical trials, maternal health, behavioral health, and in the care for people with disabilities – especially for people who live in rural and under-resourced communities. Our technology platform allows healthcare providers to match their patients with appropriate medical transportation easily, quickly and with dignity.”

• Slingshot AI (New York, NY):

Problem: Over half of Americans seeking mental health support face access barriers due to provider shortages. Many individuals experience stress, loneliness or burnout that requires early-stage support before reaching a clinical crisis.

What It’s Built: Ash, a conversational support platform accessible via text or voice. Designed by clinicians and AI researchers, Ash provides early-intervention support prior to acute mental health crises.

“Ash is for home, rural communities, during work breaks, late at night when traditional systems are unavailable,”  said Derrick Hull, Clinical R&D at Slingshot AI. “Because problems aren’t usually nine to five.”

• Xandar Kardian (New York, NY):

Problem: Physiological changes precede illness, yet subtle shifts in respiration and heart rate often go undetected due to the friction of wearable tracking devices.

What It’s Built: A touchless bedside monitor that measures vital signs contactlessly through radar technology. The device establishes baseline health metrics and detects anomalies without requiring wearables, apps, Wi-Fi or active user input.

“No matter where they live, no matter what language they speak, no matter whether they can afford a doctor,” said Sam Yang, Xandar Kardian Co-Founder and CEO. “Everybody deserves to know early.”

“At M&T Bank, our purpose is to make a difference in people’s lives – including helping our communities become stronger, healthier and more resilient,” said René F. Jones, chairman and chief executive officer of M&T Bank. “The WellWithAll Prize reflects that purpose in action by backing practical, proven tools that are already helping people get the care and support they need. These five finalists show how innovation can expand access and create a positive impact for generations to come.”

One winner will be chosen at Demo Day on October 15 at the Harvard Business School.

“At a time when life expectancy is declining and health outcomes vary dramatically from one community to the next, the Prize meets an urgent need,” said Demond Martin, Co-Founder and CEO of WellWithAll. “These breakthrough solutions are already helping close longstanding health equity gaps across the nation, and the Prize will extend that impact to millions.”

To learn more about WellWithAll’s $1 Million Prize Competition finalists, visit the Prize website.

About WellWithAll: WellWithAll is a purpose-driven health and wellness consumer packaged goods company on a mission to create generational wellness for all. Co-founded by CEO, investor and philanthropist Demond Martin, alongside investor Carmichael Roberts, WellWithAll combines innovation and impact by developing functional consumer products that help people make better daily health choices. The company has committed to reinvest 20 percent of its profits into programs that expand access to care and help close health gaps where they are widest, so everyone has a fair chance at living a longer, fuller life. Learn more at WellWithAll.com and follow WellWithAll on Instagram, TikTok, Spill, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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