EIT Health Bridgehead to support cohort of 16 start-ups in expanding into new European markets

EIT Health’s Bridgehead has selected 16 promising start-ups and is going to support them on their international journeys, during which they will take their healthcare innovation products and services beyond their home country and into new markets in Europe.

The start-ups will be supported by the Bridgehead network of helpers, known as “CATalysers” for their role in catalysing development. CATalysers include prime incubators, accelerators and clusters, each with a proven track record in helping foreign ventures and providing local expertise in their market to facilitate a soft-landing. In the upcoming months the CATalysers will be supporting Bridgehead start-ups with tailored market-entry strategies, while opening doors for validation, pilots and local expertise.

This first EIT Health Bridgehead start-up cohort were accepted after the first cut-off date, in February. A second cut-off date is scheduled for 14 May 2019 (23:59 CET) – read more and apply here. This initial cohort had their first occasion to meet when Parc Cientific de Barcelona hosted a lively Matchmaking event on 17-18 April 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. Bridgehead participants met to discuss how the internalisation projects will be shaped and how the potential of European CATalyzers can be used to best effect.

The first cohort of Bridgehead start-ups:

• Advantis Medical Imaging: Advantis makes medical imaging more accessible, user-friendly and data-driven by merging it with cloud technology. The company’s mission is to develop advanced cloud-based software solutions that improve the efficiency of detection of severe human pathologies.
• AptaTargets: Focused on therapeutic aptamers, AptaTargets is currently developing ApTOLL, an immune modulator for acute treatment of stroke. The innovation represents a novel approach to treat stroke in the acute phase, promising to substantially reduce brain damage.
• Bedal: This medical device company has developed a unique patented technology for fixing catheters. Their technology delivers very strong fixing of the catheter that is up to twice as secure as other systems. It is very easy and intuitive to use, provides more patient comfort and it fits all catheter sizes.
• Biodata devices: A Spanish company for the design, development, manufacture and marketing of low-cost professional medical devices, specially designed to be integrated into any scenario of telemedicine and patient monitoring: lifehub and lifehub home.
• DEO: DEO aims to support the orthopedic community by treating more patients at a lower cost and by optimising the quality of care. This is achieved by optimising every step of the treatment pathway, including the peri-operative process and the implant supply chain.
• FollowHealth: This innovation is designed to allow researchers to make better and faster clinical decisions, reducing costs and helping bring drugs to the market faster. FollowHealth is an AI platform that monitors the course of disease in chronic conditions, using deep learning and machine learning techniques.
• LifeGuard: This solution is an innovation in preventive healthcare. LifeGuard is a digital platform for companies who want to address the health challenges of modern society – including obesity, stress and inactive life styles – and to help their employees become healthier.
• MyBasePair: This company sells DNA-tests with evidence-based disease prediction and personalised lifestyle advice to the health and wellness industry.
• MyHabeats: A smartphone application designed especially for post obesity surgery patients. It is a behavioral vaccine to maximise adherence to the post surgery guidelines and long-term monitoring needed after bariatric and metabolic surgery.
• Qubiotech Health Intelligence: A medical imaging start-up dedicated to the development and commercialisation of cloud software for improving the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases by means of advanced image processing.
• Sensius: A new approach to thermotherapy for treatment of cancer. It increases the efficacy of radiotherapy or chemotherapy by up to 50%. The solution uses microwave antennas with precision control through software to heat the tumour.
• Sleepiz: A new solution to measure vital signs in a contactless and medical grade manner to diagnose sleep disorders at home. The innovation aims to provide revolutionary technology to the medical community, developing an end-to-end solution consisting of software and hardware improvements that improve the process for physician and patient.
• SMARTdo PLC: A vibroacoustic therapy bed to reduce anxiety. Across the EU, many people suffer from stress, anxiety, or other psychosomatic states, and are given drugs that affect their quality of life. This innovation, developed in cooperation with Tallinn University, helps people to alleviate these conditions and get back to higher qualities of life quicker.
• SmartSoft: Applies machine learning in optical character recognition, processing and data capture to provide segmentation and diagnosis based on lumbar magnetic resonance imaging. CoLumbo is the company's first digital health project.
• Vitadio: A solution to reverse type 2 diabetes with data-driven, high-touch lifestyle interventions. The start-up cooperates with national opinion leaders in diabetology to digitise European guidelines and develop mobile/web software that supports patients, therapists and clinicians in effective treatment of metabolic diseases.
• WIVI: An assessment and treatment tool for children with visual dysfunctions, personalised for each user and the specialist. The innovation uses immersive clinical 3D and AI algorithms to provide a complete cognitive, neural and physical assessment of the visual system in its full extension at an affordable price.

About the Bridgehead programme

The EIT Health Bridgehead programme aims to bring together European health entrepreneurs who have a desire to grow their business beyond home markets with European top incubators, accelerators or clusters who can facilitate this growth.

Bridgehead functions as a relocation programme for start-ups interested in being hosted by one or more top-notch organisations from EIT Health’s vetted network of European accelerators. Start-ups travel to accelerators of their choice, to speed up access to markets, tap into local networks of partners and clients, access infrastructure and get the first-hand feeling for local regulatory and business context. They are guided by a trusted and seasoned local support team who open the right doors to establish and grow cross-border business. The accelerators, incubators and clusters catalysing start-up development are referred to as CATalyzers (CATs).

In 2019 the EIT Health Bridgehead programme will support 30 start-ups ready and willing to establish their activities in new European markets. The next cut-off date for applications is 10 May 2019.

This release was first published 4 May 2019 by EIT Health.