Distinguished award recognizes over a decade of high-performance leadership

AUSTIN, Texas, May 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Alafair Biosciences today announced that co-founders John Joyoprayitno, Sarah Mayes, PhD, and Dan Peterson, MD are named finalists for the Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2026 Gulf South Award by Ernst & Young LLP (EY US).

Now in its 41st year, Entrepreneur Of The Year^® celebrates bold leaders whose vision, innovation, and leadership are shaping the future of business. Selected by an independent panel of judges, finalists are recognized for entrepreneurial spirit, purpose-driven leadership, company growth, and long-term value creation.

“We are honored to be named finalist for Entrepreneur Of The Year^®,” said President, CEO & Co-Founder John Joyoprayitno. “This recognition reflects the dedication of our entire team, and our commitment to delivering advanced soft-tissue healing solutions. We’re grateful to our employees, customers, and partners who have made this journey possible.”

Founded in 2011, Alafair Biosciences is a medical device company commercializing a portfolio of hydrogel solutions including VersaWrap^® Hydrogel Sheet and VersaCoat™ Flowable Hydrogel intended to protect soft tissues and maintain gliding surfaces during healing. The co-founders have driven Alafair past 40,000 implants, scaled the company’s commercial footprint across upper extremity, lower extremity, and spine, and advanced a hydrogel platform that continues to expand surgeon adoption.

Regional award winners will be announced on June 11th during a special celebration in Austin, Texas, and will join a distinguished community of Entrepreneur Of The Year^® alumni. Regional winners will then be considered for the national Entrepreneur Of The Year^® awards, presented in November at the Strategic Growth Forum^®, one of the nation’s premier gatherings of high-growth entrepreneurs, executives, and investors.

About Alafair Biosciences
Alafair Biosciences, Inc. is an Austin-based medical device company focused on developing advanced biopolymer technologies for surgical soft-tissue protection. Its proprietary VersaCore™ Hydrogel Technology combines high-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid and alginate to create conformable, bioresorbable devices that support healing tissues and maintain gliding surfaces during recovery. The company’s portfolio includes the VersaWrap^® Hydrogel Sheet and VersaCoat™ Flowable Hydrogel, which are used in procedures involving tendons, peripheral nerves, ligaments, and skeletal muscle. Alafair’s mission is to redefine surgical healing with advanced biomaterials that prevent soft-tissue tethering, support natural mobility, and empower surgeons to help patients reclaim optimal physical function.

About VersaWrap^Ⓡ Hydrogel Sheet
VersaWrap^® Hydrogel Sheet (VersaWrap Tendon Protector, VersaWrap Nerve Protector) is a bioresorbable, hyaluronic acid and alginate-based soft-tissue protector that provides a conformable, non-constricting gliding layer in tendon and peripheral nerve procedures. VersaWrap is designed for a sutureless application, forming an ultrathin, uniform, tissue-adherent interface between adjacent tissue planes to allow mobility during early healing stages.

Developed from Alafair’s VersaCore^™ Hydrogel Platform, VersaWrap established the clinical foundation for the company’s soft-tissue protection portfolio. The sheet form allows quick, easy placement on exposed anatomy in tendon, peripheral nerve, ligament, and skeletal muscle procedures. VersaWrap’s tissue-free composition avoids the variability associated with human- or animal-derived implants and may be placed adjacent to hardware and grafts where tissue gliding protection is desired.

About VersaCoat^™ Flowable Hydrogel
VersaCoat™ Flowable Hydrogel (VersaCoat Tendon Protector, VersaCoat Nerve Protector) is a bioresorbable, hyaluronic acid and alginate-based soft-tissue protector engineered for precision delivery in anatomically complex procedures. VersaCoat forms a conformable, tissue-adherent hydrogel that stays where applied and creates a non-constricting, gliding interface between adjacent tissue planes. This interface reduces postoperative soft tissue tethering while allowing natural healing and mobility.

Developed from Alafair’s VersaCore™ Hydrogel Platform, VersaCoat builds upon the proven clinical foundation of the VersaWrap Hydrogel Sheet, expanding the platform’s utility to include flowable application for use on hard-to-reach anatomy with minimal mechanical manipulation of tissue. VersaCoat is indicated for use as a bioresorbable, flowable soft-tissue protector in tendon, peripheral nerve, ligament, and skeletal muscle procedures and is provided in a syringe-based format for rapid preparation and precise placement.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year^®
Founded in 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year^® has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious visionaries leading successful, dynamic businesses in the United States and has expanded to nearly 80 countries and territories globally.

The U.S. program consists of 17 regional programs whose independent panels of judges select regional award winners each June. Those winners compete for national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum® in November, where national finalists and award winners are announced. The national overall winner then represents the U.S. at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year^® competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.

About EY
EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

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SOURCE Alafair Biosciences, Inc.