A Carle Illinois College of Medicine student team has won the top prize in the TechRise Startup Pitch Competition with their solution to help detect onset of labor.
Photo by Kaden Rawson
AmnioAlert is a non-invasive underwear liner designed to provide an objective and cost-effective indication of labor onset, preventing unnecessary trips to the hospital for ‘false alarms.’
CI MED students Tessabella Magliochetti, Bhargavee Gnana, and Nellie Haug say their device could be especially important for expectant mothers in rural settings who must drive long distances to deliver their babies.
"Our mission is to empower expectant mothers by ensuring timely and accurate identification of labor onset in the comfort of their homes. AmnioAlert leverages existing and trustable technology by embedding a standard-of-care amniotic fluid detection test with a color-changing indicator into a discrete, third-trimester daily wear pad. This innovation allows mothers to identify amniotic fluid leakage easily and accurately," Magliochetti said.
The team’s $25,000 prize from the TechRise Founders Week start-up competition will help advance their work to improve maternal health through innovative technology. "We can now accelerate key aspects of development, including finalizing our design, scaling up manufacturing, and advancing product validation tests," Magliochetti explained. The AmnioAlert team hopes to launch their product in Spring of 2026.
The same student team won $10,000 in investment by advancing to the finals of last spring’s Cozad New Venture Challenge. They also won second place in both the Rural Health Innovation category and the Health Innovation Prize category in the Healthcare Track of the Cozad Challenge.