11th October 2024
The list of start-ups selected for the HICEE Start-up Support Programme has been released, featuring innovative companies from the Biotech, Medtech, and Digital Health sectors across Central and Eastern Europe.
The selection process for the HICEE Start-up Support Programme was highly competitive, with 82 applications received and 61 meeting the necessary criteria. With the largest number of participants coming from Poland, alongside others from Armenia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Romania, Slovenia and Ukraine, the programme highlights the diverse and expansive innovation emerging from the Central Eastern Europe (CEE) region. The selected start-ups are tackling a variety of critical health challenges. Many of the selected companies are at advanced stages of development, with several reaching Technology Readiness Levels 8 and 9, focusing on innovative approaches to improving patient well-being and addressing pressing healthcare needs. Despite the high TRL of these companies, most remain at an early funding stage, which highlights the need for market validation and fundraising support identified by investors and start-ups in the initial phases of the project.
“The HICEE Start-up Support Programme offers tailored, non-financial support to help high-potential ventures become investment-ready,” said Célestin Garcelon, HICEE Programme Manager.
Running until June 2025, the programme offers tailored support to gather critical insights on healthcare innovation across Europe and to generate direct connections with investors to help them reach the next stage.
Abigail Sidibe, HICEE Project Coordinator outlined that “our goal is to provide them with the practical tools and resources needed to grow and make a meaningful contribution to the region’s health innovation landscape.’’
Twenty-four start-ups have already been selected from the applications submitted to the HICEE Start-up Programme. The 25th and final start-up will be chosen as the winner of a pitch competition at the 11th LSBC Central European Life Science Investment Conference, happening from 23rd to 25th October in Kraków, Poland.
List of the HICEE start-ups
- Antegenes (Estonia, Medtech): (Estonia, Medtech): Provides innovative genetic tests for personalised cancer prevention, using polygenic risk scores to assess the risk of common cancers like breast, prostate, colorectal cancer, and melanoma. These CE-IVD clinical-grade tests offer more precise screening compared to traditional age-based risk factors, potentially reducing cancer mortality by 30-40%. Antegenes has introduced risk-based prevention in Estonian healthcare and is working to expand this model to public healthcare in the EU, UK, and US.
- BLiiNK (Armenia, Digital Health): An AI -powered software solution for healthy sitting posture, eye comfort, and improved digital habits.
- BrainTrip (Malta, Medtech): Main innovation is the NeuroAI platform. The NeuroAI platform functions as an operating system for brain-wave devices such as EEGs and brain implants – it drastically simplifies the recording and analysis of brain-wave data. It also enables the development of brain diagnosis apps, such as the Brain Trip Dementia Index (BDI). The BDI is a simple and scalable, medically certified test that was rigorously validated in a large clinical study involving 500 participants.
- Centrum Cognitio d.o.o. (Tina) (Slovenia, Digital Health): Is an AI-powered assistant designed to revolutionise mental health care by alleviating administrative burdens on therapists, enabling them to focus more on patient care. Our platform automates tasks such as scheduling, and treatment recommendations using advanced AI and ML technologies, with AI functionality still in development. Tina supports the therapist’s workflow by providing emotional analysis and assisting with post-therapy care. Our solution enhances efficiency, accuracy, and personalised care, ultimately improving mental health outcomes and accessibility for therapists and their patients.
- CheckEye (Ukraine, Medtech): An AI-driven platform for mass screening of chronic diseases, enabling preventive healthcare for everyone around the world. The platform utilises AI algorithms to conduct mass screenings for various health conditions—over 40 diseases are on the roadmap, including Diabetic Retinopathy (the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults), Arterial Hypertension (a top 3 cause of premature death), eye diseases, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and more. By offering accessible and affordable screening services, we aim to improve healthcare outcomes for people globally. With CheckEye, individuals can undergo screenings at designated points, such as optical retailers or pharmacies, or even at home using mobile phones.
- Cytocast Hungary Kft (Hungary, Biotech): A high-performance computing platform, integrates data into AI to model protein interactions within virtual cells and simulates protein complex formation to understand the physiological responses of cells and predict side effects associated with perturbations. The platform simulates interactions across multiple tissue types, capturing diverse cellular behaviours. Reference complexes are used to benchmark protein structures and assess the impact of drugs. This unique approach is pivotal in enhancing the accuracy, complexity, and comprehensiveness of the technology. The platform enables drug testing prior to clinical trials, saving time and costs while improving success rates.
- Deep MedChem (Czech Republic, Biotech): The company is developing breakthrough software tools for medicinal chemistry, poised to transform the field of drug development and reduce the time needed to bring drugs to the clinic. Imagine the speed of ChatGPT combined with the capabilities of AlphaFold. Our tools are designed for extremely fast, highly accurate, and scalable searches in large molecular (chemical) spaces, identifying the best molecules that pharmaceutical and biotech companies are seeking to develop into drugs. Both a B2C feedback model and a B2B model are used to commercialise the technology.
- Denovo Sciences (Armenia, Biotech, Digital Health): The company is building the next generation of AI-based drug discovery platforms, capable of generating new drug candidates. A key feature of our platform is that it does not require any biological datasets to learn and can work against almost any target or disease. This technology scales horizontally to tackle complex tasks, such as generating molecules that target RNAs, designing PROTACs, and creating selectively multi-target drugs. The platform has already been validated up to the in vivo stage.
- Dermus (Hungary, Medtech): Skin cancer affects 1 in 5 people in the developed world—more than any other type of cancer. Most of these cancers are thankfully low-risk and can be treated minimally invasively or with conservative surgery. However, knowing the risk type and margins non-invasively is currently not feasible in standard practice. Our device, supported by proprietary ‘dermoscopy -guided high-frequency ultrasound’ technology, provides point-of-care treatment guidance, ensuring that those who are eligible can receive same-day minimally invasive treatments, while those who need surgery receive preoperative margin assessments to ensure personalised and effective care.
- EFM S.A. (Poland, Medtech): Aims to significantly accelerate the diagnosis of two critical diseases—Chronic Heart Failure and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Currently, doctors do not have a tool to quickly determine whether a patient with shortness of breath has one disease or the other, so they make educated guesses. According to scientific research, they are incorrect up to 68 per cent of the time. The patient’s condition worsens while waiting in the wrong queue to see a specialist, which also incurs costs. EFM solves this problem with the Mudisocard system, consisting of a telemedicine device, a SaaS platform, and unique algorithms that allow doctors to identify the problem within minutes and decide on the next steps.
- Feyenally (Poland, Digital Health): Feyenally’s eyeTEST™ app revolutionises eye care by enabling users to self-examine their eyes for refractive errors using just a smartphone. Our AI-driven solution provides precise, objective measurements without the need for specialist intervention, addressing the global shortage of optometrists and making eye care accessible to over 1 billion people. With advanced neural networks and Generative Adversarial Networks, eyeTEST™ ensures accurate results, empowering users to monitor their eye health conveniently and affordably from home.
- FindAir Sp. z o.o. (Poland, Medtech): The company develops digital tools to improve treatments for respiratory conditions. Currently, it has two product lines in its portfolio: FindAir ONE, smart inhaler add-ons for a range of inhalers that track adherence through medication monitoring, and FindAir Smarthaler, an advanced mobile inhalation training station that enables patient education about the entire inhalation process while also providing real-time muscle memory training.
- GenuForm AI (Hungary, Medtech): Developed an AI solution to match the geometry of available knee cartilage donor tissue to that of prospective recipients, thus allowing for an efficient knee cartilage transplantation process. Knee cartilage transplantation can be a superior therapy to traditional knee replacement in some cases. There is no immunological issue, but the geometry must match perfectly; this is what we have solved. We have performed one trial operation with great success: the patient fully regained knee function, likely for the rest of their life.
- InsulLoc AI SRL (Romania, Digital Health): The Virtual Insulin Therapy Assistant helps diabetes patients manage their insulin regimens effectively, reducing insulin dosage and avoiding complications by using just a smartphone. Acting as a virtual nurse, it assists diabetic patients 24/7 with their insulin and novel GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-RA) injections. The assistant achieves improved outcomes through an AI and AR-enabled precise locator for insulin and GLP injection sites, along with a technique assistant.
- INVENTMED Sp. z o.o. (Poland, Medtech): Laserobaria 2.0_S presents a revolutionary medical device that accelerates the healing of chronic wounds and prevents amputations. Combining five therapeutic modalities—oxygen, ozone, UV light, red light, and magnetic fields—into a single treatment, Laserobaria 2.0_S offers a comprehensive, non-invasive solution that reduces pain, fights infection, and promotes rapid tissue regeneration. Designed for efficiency and effectiveness, this device is transforming wound care, improving patient outcomes, and significantly reducing healthcare costs. Join us in advancing medical innovation for a healthier future.
- kineto tech rehab srl (Re.Flex) (Romania, Digital Health): Is a pioneering DTX (Digital Therapeutics) startup, revolutionising the physical therapy landscape through innovative digital care programmes. Utilising a user-friendly motion-tracking solution, comprising two motion-tracking sensors and a mobile app, Re.flex is at the forefront of reshaping how chronic musculoskeletal conditions are managed. The company’s impact extends beyond patients to orthopedic stakeholders, which include doctors, hospital chains, physical therapy providers, manufacturers of joint implants or braces, and health insurance companies.
- MY OVU (Poland, Medtech): Recognised the disparity between existing solutions and the specific needs that women experience during their reproductive life. Our mission is to equip women with an innovative tool to track their ovulation cycle and gynaecological health, thereby offering them choices for family planning decisions. Our primary goal is to serve as a solution for couples striving for conception and to enhance health awareness. In addressing the challenges presented by Europe’s ageing society, where an increasing number of women are delaying motherhood for various reasons, our system offers a necessary response. We aspire to aid them in enhancing their probability of parenthood.
- Saventic Health (Poland, Medtech): is developing AI-driven algorithms to detect and support the diagnosis of rare diseases. The developed algorithms, which analyse EHRs, are implemented on our platforms: (i) Saventic Med Platform – for medical clinics and physicians, and (ii) Saventic Care Platform – for patients. Our portfolio boasts over 50 AI algorithms covering a wide range of medical fields, such as blood/bone marrow, metabolic disorders, immune system diseases, and cardiology. Our goal is to shorten the rare disease diagnosis time from 5-6 years to 4-5 months, increase efficacy by 15-20 times compared to current solutions, reduce the cost of diagnosis, and provide faster access to treatment and clinical trials.
- Scicake s.r.o. (Czech Republic, Medtech): The company aims to develop an AI-supported dysarthria assessment and therapy system that leverages advanced signal processing and artificial intelligence. Our solution promises to revolutionise dysarthria diagnosis and treatment by providing a digital, objective, and efficient assessment tool, significantly reducing the assessment time from 60 to just 20 minutes. Our therapy solution promotes a personalised and adaptive therapy process managed through an accessible and user-friendly mobile application, leading to 20-30% faster recovery times.
- Sensepilot (Lithuania, Digital Health): Is a personalisable accessibility hub aiming to revolutionise computer access for individuals with low mobility by transforming standard webcams into intuitive control devices. Our AI-driven software offers head tracking and gesture recognition, eliminating the need for costly specialised equipment. Designed to be highly customisable and user-friendly, SensePilot empowers users to engage with digital environments independently. Our mission is to make technology more accessible and affordable while fostering a more inclusive society for those with physical disabilities.
- Shemha Health (Bulgaria, Digital Health): Develops a virtual environment for guiding and advising patients and physicians at every step of the oncology journey. Our solution, PrOPA by Shemha Health, addresses the needs of millions of individuals: revolutionising cancer care with AI-driven tele-oncology, delivering personalised and predictive treatment pathways for better outcomes. PrOPA 360° AI could represent a breakthrough model that fosters engaging communication between patients and healthcare providers, enhancing understanding, data transparency, participatory decision-making processes, and adherence to treatment protocols.
- StethoMe (Poland, Medtech): The company is revolutionising home healthcare for parents and children with the world’s first AI-powered stethoscope, certified as a medical device. Our innovative solution allows parents to monitor their child’s lung health from the comfort of home, significantly reducing unnecessary healthcare visits. With a 93% accuracy in detecting respiratory exacerbations and seamless integration with healthcare systems, the company empowers parents with instant, reliable health assessments and peace of mind. Having navigated the rigorous path of certification and clinical validation, StethoMe® is ready for widespread market adoption.
- Unicorn VR World (Poland, Digital Heath): Theraply VR revolutionises neuro-therapeutic care and special educational needs therapy through immersive virtual reality experiences. Our platform combines cutting-edge VR technology with expert therapeutic content to create engaging, effective, and accessible treatments for mental health and special educational needs. Since our launch in December 2023, we have registered over 70 therapists, conducted more than 1,800 VR sessions, and achieved significant improvements among users, such as a 275% improvement in reaction times during auditory attention exercises and a fourfold enhancement in spatial orientation tasks. Join us in transforming the future of therapy and education with VR.
- WeavAir (Poland, Digital Health): WeavAir’s innovative solution uses AI-driven algorithms combined with radar and ultrasonic sensors to remotely monitor the health of the elderly in real time. By capturing vital signs such as breathing and heartbeat from a distance, our technology provides early warnings and timely interventions, filling crucial gaps in elderly care. Scalable and sustainable, WeavAir supports personalised medical interventions and chronic disease management, empowering self-care. This transforms disease diagnosis and supports clinical decisions, bringing supportive care closer to home and fostering a healthier, more resilient ageing society.
About HICEE
Healthy Investment Central Eastern Europe (HICEE) aims to boost innovations in Central and Eastern Europe, where start-ups receive only a third of the European average for VC investments. The initiative aims to build sustainable investment ecosystems, increase venture investments, provide support for innovators, and promote cross-border collaborations by addressing the region’s challenges in start-up survival and early-stage funding. It aligns with the European Innovation Agenda to boost competitiveness, job creation, and knowledge transfer, potentially expanding its outcomes to other regions and sectors. The project has been strategically designed to enhance the capacity of start-up support organisations, such as technology transfer offices, by introducing an innovative methodology. Furthermore, it aims to enrich the trainers’ knowledge, which is expected to impact significantly the success of innovation projects and start-up ventures. The project is expected to equip start-up support organisations, such as Technology Transfer Offices, with new methodologies and train the trainers who have the potential to impact innovation projects/start-up ventures. Other expected outcomes include vetting health start-ups for investment readiness in international markets and attracting millions in cross-border co-investments. Digital investment handbooks and a white paper on investment policies, published as a part of the project’s commitment to knowledge-sharing, will serve as invaluable guides for investors, contributing to a more informed and empowered investment community.
The project consortium is spearheaded by EIT Health, Europe’s leading network of healthcare innovators, and is supported by EIT, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, a body of the European Union. The project consortium consists of 10 partners from 7 European countries. This includes EIT Health (DE) as a coordinator, its affiliated entity EIT Health SI (DE) and the primary beneficiaries, namely Civitta (SK), Cobinangels (PL), Crowdberry (SK), EIT Health InnoStars (InnoStars) (DE), Hungarian Business Angel Network (HunBAN) (HU), Ljubljanski univerzitetni incubator (SI), MEDVIA (BE) and TU Delft (NL). The two-year initiative is strategically implemented under Horizon Europe, a flagship EU research and innovation programme.
For more information visit: www.hicee.eu
New report reveals how start-ups can access Germany’s €498bn healthcare market

An essential new resource for start-ups.
BRIGHTskills project kicks off in Brussels

A new Blueprint Alliance strengthening healthcare.
Corify Care raises €6M to revolutionise cardiac care

Transforming the diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias.