KeraLink International Launches the Great Cornea Challenge and a Cornea Technology Accelerator

Seeks Novel Innovations to Help Eradicate Corneal Blindness in Lower- and Middle-Income Countries

Chosen Innovators, Entrepreneurs Could Receive Up to $100,000
Plus, Development and Deployment Support from KeraLink International’s newly launched Cornea Technology Accelerator

Baltimore, Maryland, December 11, 2023 – KeraLink International (KLI) today announced the launch of The Great Cornea Challenge and the Cornea Technology Accelerator. These bold initiatives are designed to attract and support innovators and entrepreneurs to help in the fight to eradicate corneal blindness, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Through these new initiatives and other programs, KLI is rewriting the narrative of corneal health, fusing the efficiency, scale, and affordability of proven market-based practices with the compassion of philanthropy.

The Great Cornea Challenge invites entrepreneurs and innovators to propose new products, services, or technologies for preventing, detecting, and treating corneal blindness in LMICs. Those selected could receive an investment of up to $100,000 in cash or equivalents from KLI, along with a broad range of business and technical support services from KLI’s new Cornea Technology Accelerator. The Accelerator is open to entrepreneurs and innovators needing business support services such as product development, assistance with regulatory approval, supply chain and distribution strategies, and more.

“In LMICs, conditions of poverty lead millions to corneal blindness. KLI is singularly focused on eradicating corneal blindness through realistic and sustainably affordable measures supported by our generous donors, investors, and philanthropists,” said Douglas J. Furlong, KLI Board Chairman. “We are excited to offer – through these new initiatives – financial, technical, and fundamental business supports to entrepreneurs whose ideas could protect the right to sight for millions.”

KLI’s President and Chief Executive Officer, David Green, has mastered the art of frugal innovation in vision care. Green has a proven record of bringing high-quality vision care to people in LMICs at low cost and has helped KLI convene clinicians, technology innovators, healthcare providers, philanthropists, and investors into a coordinated, collaborative effort to eradicate corneal blindness in LMICs.

KLI has also partnered with Ultralight Labs, providing innovators with access to a modern software platform for managing medical device documentation and compliance. Ultralight founder and CEO Monik Sheth stands behind the work of KeraLink International and its mission to eradicate corneal blindness. “We believe Ultralight can play an important role in the fight against corneal blindness. We love supporting the types of founders and innovations that the Great Cornea Challenge is attracting,” Sheth said.

More than 12.7 million children and adults are completely blind due to corneal injuries or infections, and many millions more are blind in one eye or live with seriously impaired vision. Through the Challenge and the Accelerator, KLI seeks to advance ground-breaking ideas, products, technologies, and services that align with KLI’s three-pronged strategic PEN approach to eradicating corneal blindness: Prevention of corneal blindness, Early detection and treatment of corneal conditions, and Novel therapies that are effective and affordable for broad use in underserved and under-resourced LMICs.

Learn more at www.keralink.org.

About KeraLink International

KeraLink International, Inc. (KLI) is a forward-thinking and innovative non-profit, 501(c)3, driven by empathy and compassion. Fueled by generous support from our donors and investors, KLI is solely focused on eradicating corneal blindness and ensuring the right to sight for people in low- and middle-income countries where corneal blindness persists. We are accelerating a “see change” of innovation by supporting the discovery, development, and deployment of revolutionary yet sustainable and affordable solutions to improve corneal health. Learn more at www.KeraLink.org.