Babson Diagnostics, a science-first healthcare technology company, today announced that BetterWay™ blood testing is a finalist for the 2025 South by Southwest (SXSW) Innovation Awards in the Health & Biotech category.

The SXSW Innovation Awards recognize the most exciting creative developments in the connected world, celebrating a variety of technological advancements, achievements, and discoveries.

The Health & Biotech category uncovers the best new projects serving wellness and medicine. To be eligible, a project or product had to become commercially available in 2024.

“Every March, SXSW makes Austin the center of the world’s creative energy, and as an Austin-based company, we are especially honored to be recognized,” said Eric Olson, Babson’s founder and chief operating officer. “We’re excited for the opportunity to show innovators from around the world how we’ve reimagined blood testing to prioritize the customer experience.”

Babson launched BetterWay in May to provide customers with a less invasive, more convenient alternative to conventional blood testing that requires a phlebotomist to draw tubes of blood from a vein at a lab or doctor’s office. To achieve a consumer-friendly blood test without sacrificing the accuracy and efficiency of laboratory analysis, Babson reimagined every aspect of the process, from collection to preparation to analysis.

BetterWay’s ecosystem of innovations includes:

• Collection: A novel capillary sample collection device developed in partnership with BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) that obtains high-quality, pea-sized samples from a fingerstick without the need for a phlebotomist. The BD MiniDraw™ Capillary Blood Collection System received 510(k) clearances from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in November and December 2023. Collection is aided by the Babson Hand Warmer, a unique device that continuously warms and comfortably supports the customer’s hand during collection.
• Preparation: The Babson Sample Preparation Device, which fully automates labeling, mixing, centrifuging, and cold storage to prevent human error in these critical steps. The device uses Babson’s patented reverse centrifugation technique to reduce sample waste by 93%. After collecting a customer’s sample, the pharmacy team member simply places it into the device and resumes their normal work, eliminating the need to set timers for additional handling tasks.
• Analysis: Babson has proprietary miniaturized assays (blood tests) that consume 55% less blood, enabling analysis of broad test panels. Babson’s purpose-built microsample lab is CLIA-certified for high-complexity testing and CAP-accredited, meeting the highest standards of the laboratory industry. It uses high-throughput analyzers, including the Atellica® Solution from Siemens Healthineers, which Babson has an exclusive license to modify through a partnership with Siemens.

The combination of these innovations enables laboratory-quality, small-volume capillary blood testing in more care settings, such as pharmacies. Babson launched BetterWay in Austin with Texas grocer H-E-B and two more retail partners and has plans to expand this year. In addition, Babson recently announced the launch of BetterWay for Healthcare Organizations, expanding BetterWay nationally to health systems and other large provider organizations.

Finalists for the SXSW Innovation Awards across all award categories will have the opportunity to demonstrate their innovations during the festival on March 8. The demos, which serve as the final round of judging for the awards competition, are open to all SXSW badge holders and attending press. Winners will be announced at a ceremony on March 10.

About BetterWay™ blood testing

BetterWay is blood testing reimagined: convenient and affordable fingertip collection at local pharmacies. Available now in Austin, Texas, BetterWay is a customer-first experience, where friendly pharmacy staff collect pea-sized samples from the fingertip instead of vials of blood from the arm. Customers have the choice to self-order or order with a doctor. Fair prices enable everyone to access routine testing with self-pay, and tests are eligible for insurance and FSA/HSA coverage. Samples are transported from the pharmacy to Babson Diagnostics’ clinical laboratory, and customers receive easy-to-understand results in one to two days. For more information, visit betterway.com.

About Babson Diagnostics

Babson Diagnostics is a science-driven healthcare technology company that has reimagined blood testing with the launch of its BetterWay blood testing service. BetterWay's patient-friendly, fingertip collection process and ability to be administered without phlebotomists improves population health by increasing adherence to testing. BetterWay for Healthcare Organizations enables health systems and other provider organizations to acquire new patients, increase health equity, and reduce the overall cost of care by deploying BetterWay in a broad range of ambulatory care settings, including physician practices, urgent care clinics, and community events. The end-to-end BetterWay solution seamlessly integrates BD's MiniDraw capillary collection system with proprietary Babson technologies, including its patented hand warming and sample preparation devices. For more information, visit betterway.com/healthcare-organizations

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