CBID Dolphin Tank 2026: Johns Hopkins Students Pitch Biomedical Startups

March 5, 2026

Last week on Thursday, February 26, 2026, the Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design (CBID) hosted the 2026 Dolphin Tank, an annual showcase highlighting student-led biomedical startups from the CBID MSE Class of 2026.

Held at the Pava Center, the event brought together students, clinicians, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders for an afternoon of innovation, live pitches, and networking. Four CBID venture teams presented their technologies addressing major clinical needs in pulmonology and critical care, emergency medicine, high-risk pregnancies, and urology.

Each team delivered a live startup pitch outlining the clinical problem, engineering solution, and path toward real-world implementation. Following the presentations, a panel of biotech and healthcare industry leaders served as judges, each receiving $500 in funding to allocate across the teams in any way they chose, recognizing ventures they believed demonstrated strong potential for impact.

The event also featured a keynote address from life sciences entrepreneur Mir Imran, who shared insights from his career launching more than 20 healthcare companies and translating breakthrough ideas into commercial medical technologies.

The Dolphin Tank serves as a milestone in the CBID program, giving students the opportunity to present their innovations to leaders across the biomedical ecosystem while celebrating the progress of their ventures as they move toward clinical and commercial impact.

The event was also livestreamed to allow the broader CBID community to engage with the teams and follow along with the showcase.