In November 2026, HEALIO, a student team from the Faculty of Pharmacy at LHU, will represent the University at the ASU VentureX Global Challenge at Arizona State University (ASU), USA. From winning First prize at the university-level VentureX competition, HEALIO now has the opportunity to present its wound care solution to international experts and students. This journey also shows LHU's role in creating an environment where students can develop their ideas, build their skills, and gradually take part in larger competitions.
The Faculty of Pharmacy's lecturers and students are ready for their journey to pitch their project at the ASU VentureX Global Challenge, USA
HEALIO - Giving student Ideas a chance to reach the world
The ASU VentureX Global Challenge is an innovation competition for students from ASU's partner universities. Each university selects one winning project to compete in the global round in Tempe, Arizona. The competition gives students a chance to present their ideas, receive feedback from experts, and compete for a total of US$10,000 in startup funding.
Representing LHU, the HEALIO team has developed a smart herbal film for wound care, combining ingredients from turmeric and betel leaves. The product is designed to form a gel, change color according to the wound environment, and work with an app that helps users monitor the wound and receive reminders about when to change the dressing.
What makes HEALIO notable is not only its product idea but also the way students approach a real need in healthcare. To develop the project, the team has combined their knowledge of Pharmacy with product design, technology, and the ability to assess how the product can be used in practice.
One journey, many new opportunities
From November 16 to 22, 2026, the team will join an international competition at the ASU VentureX Fall Experience, alongside six teams from the following universities: CEIPA - Colombia; Universidad Internacional del Ecuador (UIDE) - Ecuador; Sunway University – Malaysia; Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara (UAG) - Mexico; Mapúa University - the Philippines; and the National Institute of Technology (NIT) - Pakistan.
During the program, LHU students will take part in activities related to entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence, hands-on workshops, laboratory visits, company visits, and international exchanges. These activities will give students a chance to compare their ideas with real-world needs, learn how to develop projects, and gain a broader view of the market.
In particular, presenting and defending their project directly before an international panel of experts will help students develop critical thinking, English presentation skills, and problem-solving abilities in a multicultural environment. The feedback from the competition will also help the team further evaluate, improve, and develop the product to better meet practical needs.
Regardless of the competition results, the knowledge, experience, and connections gained from this journey will provide a foundation for students to continue pursuing research and startup projects and explore more career development opportunities in the future.
LHU # HEALIO # ASU VentureX Global Challenge # startup # Pharmacy
