October 19, 2026
The WellWithAll Prize highlighted several innovative tech solutions designed to remove barriers in medicine and community health
Memphis startup MedHaul won the $500,000 top prize at the WellWithAll $1 Million Prize competition on Oct. 15, 2026. Founded in 2017 by Black tech leader and CEO Erica Plybeah, MedHaul uses artificial intelligence to solve non-emergency medical transportation problems for rural, low-income, and elderly patients.
WellWithAll is a wellness company co-founded by CEO Demond Martin that gives 20% of its profits to health equity. The company created this national prize to fund proven technologies that help underserved communities.
MedHaul’s software helps patients who need wheelchair or stretcher rides and are often turned away by regular transit. The AI speeds up scheduling—cutting wait times from two hours to two minutes—while tracking rides to prevent missed appointments. Data shows that 42% of MedHaul riders live in rural areas, 48% are over 65, and 46% live in low-income neighborhoods.
How Are Tech Leaders Using AI to Improve Healthcare Access?
The WellWithAll Prize highlighted several innovative tech solutions designed to remove barriers in medicine and community health:
- MEandMine (Second Place, $300,000): Led by San Jose founder Eleanor Jiang, this youth mental health platform uses video games to spot early signs of distress in children, matching school counselor recommendations 91% of the time.
- Boston Children’s Hospital (Third Place, $180,000): This hospital built an AI translation tool that instantly writes patient discharge instructions in over 100 languages, with professional linguists checking every word before families go home.
- Slingshot AI (Honorable Mention, $10,000): Co-founded by CEO Neil Parikh, “Ash” is an AI mental health tool offering voice and text support to over 10,000 people living in areas with few health providers.
- Xandar Kardian (Honorable Mention, $10,000): This contact-free bedside radar tracks breathing and heart rates without apps or wearables, warning doctors of heart issues and infections days before symptoms get severe.
Why Is Fixing Transportation So Important for Health Equity?
Missed doctor appointments are a major reason treatable health issues become emergencies. Without reliable rides, patients miss vital scans and treatments.
“What we found is that the breakthrough is already here,” said Demond Martin, WellWithAll co-founder and CEO. “The people who have been left furthest behind in our healthcare system deserve tools that meet them where they are, no matter their ZIP code.”
Dr. Theresa Williamson, a neurosurgeon and Prize judge, noted the real-world value of MedHaul’s work: “A missed ride can become a missed scan, a missed treatment, or even a diagnosis that comes too late. MedHaul is covering that last mile.”
MedHaul will use the $500,000 award to upgrade its electronic medical record (EMR) systems and expand partnerships with services like Uber Health.
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