The Digital Health Hub Foundation Sets a New Benchmark for Digital Health Excellence in 2026 With New Awards Announcement at JPM

The new framework will be announced at the StartUp Health JPM event by the Digital Health Hub Foundation Digital Health Awards Show executive producers Mark H Goldstein, Dr. Daniel Kraft, Matthew Holt, and Dr. Stephen Klasko, joined by Unity Stoakes, Co-Founder and President of StartUp Health.

Guided by extensive market research conducted throughout 2025, the Digital Health Hub Foundation Board of Directors approved the most forward-looking evolution in the history of the awards program, one that aligns recognition more closely with where healthcare innovation is delivering the greatest impact today.

According to Founder Mark H Goldstein, ‘The 2026 awards framework is now also closely aligned with several of StartUp Health’s Moonshots and introduces a more vertically focused structure that highlights companies tackling healthcare’s most critical challenges. The updated categories better reflect how innovation is being built and scaled across the healthcare ecosystem, from prevention and diagnosis to treatment, care delivery, and long-term health outcomes’.

Awards will continue to recognize excellence across the innovation lifecycle, honoring early-stage companies through the Rising Stars categories and more mature organizations through the Best of Class awards. In an exciting update, previous award winners are now eligible to apply to any Best of Class category, ensuring continued recognition of sustained leadership, category-defining innovation, and long-term impact in digital health.

After significant market research over the past 3 months, The Digital Health Hub Foundation Board of Directors have chosen to make perhaps the boldest change in the history of the awards program.

This year’s awards are:

• Cardiometabolic & Diabetes - Heart Health, Obesity, Diabetes
• Brain Health - Alzheimer’s and related Dementias
• Mental & Behavioral Health
• Women’s Health
• Food as Medicine
• Caregiving - solutions to support the silver economy and aging population
• Affordability -Cost Savings, Improved Workflows, Administrative Efficiency- solutions that displace legacy care and save patients, the government, providers and payers money)
• Health Equity and Access - expanding care to billions
• Healthy Lifespan & Longevity
• Cancer Care
• Children’s Health
• Oral Health
• Home Health Diagnostics

The announcement was unveiled today at StartUp Health’s APOLLO HOUSE, an exclusive innovators summit focusing on Health Moonshots in the Age of Superintelligence, during the JPM Healthcare Conference Week in San Francisco.

This alignment reflects a shared intention: to help the global innovation community move beyond narrow technical benchmarks and toward challenges that directly improve and extend human life.

As the tools of superintelligence continue to advance, the Digital Health Hub Foundation aims to help ensure they are applied—and celebrated—where they can have the greatest impact.

In addition, applying companies will be offered membership and guaranteed access to StartUp Health’s Health Moonshot Communities. Learn more here.

About the Digital Health Hub Foundation

Health Hub SF, DBA The Digital Health Hub Foundation, is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded on the campus of UCSF, dedicated to advancing health innovation globally. Best known for hosting the Digital Health Hub Foundation Awards @ the HLTH Conference — widely regarded as the “Oscars of Health Innovation” and now in its 8th year— the foundation recognizes and celebrates the world’s top startups, innovators, and industry leaders each year. Through its awards, convenings, and programs, the Foundation provides a trusted platform for showcasing breakthrough ideas and inspiring bold collaborations that accelerate progress toward solving urgent health challenges.