The inaugural Rm8 iNov8 Pitch Competition was held August 5 at the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA)’s 2024 Annual Congress in San Diego. The competition showcased innovative solutions that improve patient safety, outcomes, or provider experience for anesthesia providers such as Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), also known as nurse anesthesiologists or nurse anesthetists.
Among the finalists for the competition was Ollivate, which helps with long-term knowledge retention by nurse anesthesiology residents through a gamified app they can use to study anesthesia content. Ollivate was co-founded by Joshua Olson, DNP, CRNA, and April Olson, MS, and created with a team of educators and software engineers. They currently have a beta version and are hoping to have a full version in the next few months. Those who are interested in becoming beta testers can sign up at Ollivate.com.
“We built Ollivate for my dedicated students who inspire me every day. Winning first place in the audience vote at the Rm8 competition validates my belief that Ollivate will revolutionize healthcare education. We are immensely grateful to stand alongside so many remarkable innovators in this field,” Joshua Olsen said.
In addition to winning first place in the audience vote, Ollivate was awarded second place in the competition by the judges, winning a $10,000 prize.
Rm8 (pronounced “Room 8”)’s unique programs and initiatives aim to revolutionize the way healthcare startups are nurtured, supported, and connected with the broader healthcare community. Rm8 provides a supportive environment for members and others to incubate product and service ideas or facilitate growth in emerging startups. With a focus on collaboration, the initiative creates an opportunity to bridge healthcare startups with the nurse anesthesiologist community as well the broader healthcare market.