Qaelon Medical Wins SAGES 2026 Shark Tank Competition

STRASBOURG, France, March 31, 2026 -- Qaelon Medical has been selected as the winner of the 2026 Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Shark Tank Competition, a premier forum highlighting breakthrough innovations in surgery.

Qaelon Medical CMO Dr. Eran Shlomovitz and CEO Liam Burns accept the award for Winner of SAGES 2026 Shark Tank competition.

Hosted by Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), the competition brings together leading innovators to present their ideas and supporting business models to a panel of SAGES judges, representing a global community of ~7,000 laparoscopic, robotic, and endoluminal surgeons.

We believe this recognition reflects several factors that strongly resonate with the surgical community:

• 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘂𝗻𝗺𝗲𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 - without changing workflow - Qaelon converts a 100+ year-old subjective leak test into an objective, real-time signal that augments surgeon judgment with actionable data

• 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆 - Our constant-flow insufflation platform delivers stable pneumoperitoneum, increasingly recognized as essential for robotic performance where even small pressure fluctuations impact visualization, precision, and procedure flow.

• 𝗘𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆 - As the field moves toward endoluminal and organ-sparing procedures, no reliable method exists today to confirm full-thickness closure integrity after advanced procedures like ESD and full-thickness resection - Qaelon addresses this critical barrier to adoption

• 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 - By generating the first objective performance indicator (OPI) for GI integrity, Qaelon introduces a structured intraoperative dataset that supports standardization today and AI-driven decision-making in the future

“As a SAGES member, surgeon, and interventional endoscopist, 𝗜’𝗺 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆,” said Eran Shlomovitz, Co-Founder of Qaelon Medical. “Our goal is to bring real-time, actionable insight into one of the most critical moments in surgery - helping surgeons and endoscopists make more confident decisions when it matters most.”

Qaelon’s proprietary dual-function platform - combining leak detection with advanced insufflation - addresses more than 1 million procedures annually in the U.S. for leak detection and over 38 million procedures globally where insufflation is required, a market that has seen little meaningful innovation in more than a decade.

Qaelon extends its gratitude to the SAGES community, judges, mentors, and its Scientific and Data Advisory Boards.

Qaelon Medical Eran Shlomovitz  Liam J. Burns  Lee Swanstrom

Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES)