Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership presents Pioneer Award

The founder and CEO of Fort Wayne-based Navigate Maternity has been awarded the inaugural Pioneer Award from the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership. Ariana McGee created the digital platform to reduce the number of deaths among Black women who have medical complications resulting from pregnancies.

NEI, which serves as a point of contact for economic development for northeast Indiana’s 11 counties, says the award celebrates entrepreneurship and innovation in the region.

“Northeast Indiana is a community of pioneers. Thanks to business leaders like Ariana, we can celebrate NEI’s authentic stories as we work to bring new business to the 11-county region,” said Jonathan Sackett, vice president of marketing at NEI. “We’re thankful for Ariana for being our very first Pioneer of the Year.”

McGee and her team developed a real-time biometric data monitoring system. The wearable collects key data for at-risk patients and notifies providers of any significant changes. The app also prompts new mothers to complete mental health assessments throughout the pregnancy and after.

The system monitors postpartum patients up to a year when mothers are still at risk.

Inside INdiana Business Reporter Kylie Veleta spotlighted Navigate Maternity last month, which you can read here.

“The Pioneer award shows that we value entrepreneurship, innovation and diverse background in Northeast Indiana,” said McGee. “I’m so grateful for this incredible honor.”

The other finalists for the award include Riley Johnson, the director of the Amp Lab at Electric Works, Paris McFarthing, president and co-founder of Hop River Brewing Co., and Rosalina Perez, the WEOC WBC program manager at the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center (NIIC).

The event also celebrated the launch of the Pioneer Starts Here digital storytelling platform, which enables others to share their stories about starting and growing their businesses in northeast Indiana.