NatEureka Labs Named Grand Prize Winner of the 2026 Shils Fund Great Oral Health Pitch
- Aug 13
- 2 min read
NatEureka recognized for its development of CajuDent™, a patent-pending, naturally derived oral health ingredient platform
Farmington, Conn. — August 13, 2026 — NatEureka Labs announced today that it has been named the Grand Prize Winner of the 2026 Shils Fund Great Oral Health Pitch, receiving a Grand Sponsorship Package valued at more than $50,000 to support the continued development and commercialization of CajuDent™.
The Grand Finale, held virtually on August 10, brought together the winners of three regional Great Oral Health Pitch competitions held in conjunction with leading dental meetings across the United States. NatEureka Labs advanced to the Grand Finale after winning the California Dental Association Great Oral Health Pitch.
“We founded NatEureka to bring fresh thinking to some of the world’s most widespread and persistent health challenges,” said Zach Rome, Founder and CEO of NatEureka Labs. “Winning the Great Oral Health Pitch is an exciting validation of that vision, and we’re grateful to the Shils Fund for recognizing the importance of continued innovation in oral health.”
NatEureka’s winning presentation focused on CajuDent™, the company’s patent-pending, naturally derived oral health ingredient platform. CajuDent is a standardized extract derived from the cashew apple and is being developed as the key ingredient in Cazu™, NatEureka’s consumer oral health brand expected to launch in early 2027. The company is initially focused on convenient daily formats, including lozenges and lollipops, designed to fit naturally into consumers’ routines between brushing.
The Grand Sponsorship Package includes cash, products and services, mentorship, strategic business support, and opportunities for exposure and engagement with leaders across the oral health industry. NatEureka plans to use the resources to help advance CajuDent through its next stages of research, product development, and commercialization.
"The Shils Fund exists to find entrepreneurs whose ideas can genuinely change the trajectory of oral healthcare," said Keith Drayer, President of the Shils Fund. "This year's finalists brought an exceptional level of scientific rigor and vision to the stage. Zach Rome and NatEureka Labs are tackling one of dentistry's most persistent challenges from an entirely new angle, and we're proud to help drive CajuDent into its next phase."
The Great Oral Health Pitch is a Shils Fund initiative designed to recognize, cultivate, and connect entrepreneurs developing new approaches to oral healthcare. Through mentorship, education, networking, and strategic partnerships, the program supports innovators working to bring new ideas to the oral health community.
NatEureka will be formally recognized at the Shils Fund Annual Awards Celebration on October 13, 2026, at the NYU College of Dentistry in New York City.
About NatEureka Labs
NatEureka Labs discovers and develops novel, naturally derived, science-backed ingredients for consumer health products. The company’s lead program, CajuDent™, is a proprietary ingredient derived from the cashew apple and developed to support a healthy oral environment. NatEureka’s mission is to bring new approaches to everyday oral care through naturally derived ingredients that are enjoyable to use, easy to incorporate into daily routines, and accessible to all.
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