Meet the 4 Finalists for the 2026 VSP Vision Innovation Challenge 

VSP Vision’s Global Innovation Center has announced the four finalists for its third annual VSP Vision Innovation Challenge, a global competition to source and advance solutions enhancing the eye care experience. 

Finalists will present their solutions live on stage at Vision Expo 2026, the optical industry’s largest gathering of vision care professionals and executives, on Friday, March 13, in Orlando. 

Selected growth-stage startups will also have the potential to secure a $400,000 investment from Topcon Healthcare, Inc.’s THINC Ventures capital arm. 

The four finalists for the 2026 VSP Vision Innovation Challenge are: 

• Altris AI: Clinical-grade SaaS platform serves as a "second set of eyes" for eye care specialists, identifying 70+ retinal biomarkers from OCT scans to help providers match patients to appropriate treatments, devices, and clinical trials with objective, data-driven precision. Its system is FDA-approved, HIPAA-compliant, and integrates with OCT scans from nine major manufacturers.  
   
• Alchemy Vision: Modern, subscription-based digital training platform designed for today's eye care environment. The platform includes learning paths automatically assigned by role and experience, queued learning, gamified challenges, and real-time progress and activity data to support compliance and ensure accountability.  
   
• EyeCareX: OD-founded AI platform using computer vision and generative AI to automate and standardize core components of the optometric exam, enabling clinics and enterprise networks to increase patient capacity and deliver more consistent care. The platform is HIPAA-compliant, approved by Health Canada, and increases clinic productivity by 38 percent. EyeCareX was founded in Vancouver in 2022, and the University of Toronto and Creative Destruction Lab are among its investors.  
   
• Captify: Builds prescription-ready, AI-enabled smart eyewear that provides real-time captioning for patients with hearing loss, empowering independent optometrists to deliver cutting-edge accessibility tools that enhance patient quality of life. Its Myvu glasses support 13 languages, and its Pro glasses support over 80. Each pair includes unlimited free captioning and environmental sound indicators, but Captify will soon offer a premium option for $15 a month featuring enhanced captioning and translation, speaker differentiation, conversation summaries, custom word recognition, and cloud backup.  

“We received applications from companies around the globe for the 2026 VSP Innovation Challenge, with more than half being venture-backed and collectively representing over $300 million in funding,” said Will Flanagan, Head of VSP Global Innovation Center Programs and Partnerships. “These founders are committed to enhancing provider and patient experiences and empowering private practices to thrive, and we’re excited to help accelerate their progress.” 

This year’s Innovation Challenge applicant pool reflects a rapidly evolving landscape of vision care technology. Nearly three‑quarters of applicants leverage AI and machine learning as foundational components of their solutions, while a smaller but impactful segment is using the eye as a diagnostic gateway for both ocular and systemic diseases. Remote care innovation is also surging, with 44 percent of applicants developing virtual consultation or at‑home diagnostic tools to expand access. And almost a third focus on practice‑workflow optimization, harnessing automation and AI‑assisted diagnostics to help independent practices compete with retail chains. 

Before the live pitch event, the finalists will participate in a four-week bootcamp in February to enhance and refine their pitch and receive mentorship from leading vision care, venture capital, and healthcare professionals. 

Click here for more information about the VSP Vision Innovation Challenge. 

For more vision innovation news and updates, check out the Global Innovation Center's LinkedIn page.