EIT Health Catapult 10th Edition – Semifinals

EIT Health Catapult Selects 30 Semifinalists for its 10th Anniversary Edition.

EIT Health announced the selection of the thirty promising start-ups to participate in the 10th edition of the EIT Health Catapult programme during HLTH Europe in Amsterdam. Each year, Catapult identifies and supports Europe’s most promising Life Science and HealthTech ventures, providing them with exceptional opportunities to connect with leading experts, investors and industry partners as they accelerate their path to market and growth. 

EIT Health has selected 30 high-potential start-ups to join the 10th edition of EIT Health Catapult, a flagship competition and training programme designed to fast-track Europe’s most promising health innovators.  

The companies, active in the fields of Life Sciences and HealthTech, were strictly selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants from across Europe. Over the upcoming months, they will benefit from tailored training, expert mentoring and investor exposure as they compete for a place among the finalists of this 10th anniversary landmark edition. 

For the past ten consecutive years, EIT Health Catapult has helped Europe’s most promising start-ups gain visibility, credibility and access to investors. Delivered by EIT Health and operationally run by two EIT Health members BioRN Life Science Cluster and Medical Valley, with the extravagant support of Cap Digital; since its launch, the programme has supported more than 300 start-ups, helping them accelerate their growth and scale innovative healthcare solutions across Europe and beyond.  

A highly competitive selection process 

To be eligible for EIT Health Catapult, companies must be incorporated and operating in an EU Member state, Horizon Europe country or Horizon Europe associated country, have fewer than 50 employees, have secured at least €500,000 in private investment or generated at least €500,000 in revenue during the previous year, and must be seeking funding of at least €2 million euros. 

Applications were assessed by experts from across the EIT Health network against three key evaluation pillars: 

• Excellence: the quality and innovation of the technology or solution; 

• Impact: the potential to address healthcare challenges and improve patient outcomes; 

• Implementation: the strength of the business model, team and growth strategy. 

The selected thirty catapult semifinalists demonstrated exceptional potential to transform healthcare through innovative solutions in life sciences, medical technology and digital health. 

Meet the 2026 semifinalists 

Life Sciences 

Akasi Pharma (Denmark) developing a new, non-opioid weekly injection to treat chronic nerve pain in diabetes patients, without the addiction risk or side effects of current options. 

Diamante (Italy) is developing a short, one-course therapy that retrains the immune system to stop rheumatoid arthritis at its earliest stage, before joint damage, instead of life-long medication.  

FcR Therapeutics (Netherlands) develops new medicines to calm harmful immune reactions in auto-immune diseases, where the body attacks itself. 

MicThera (Italy) develops a first-in-class biologic inspired by gut bacterial signatures from long-survivour patients to treat therapy-resistant prostate cancer, a disease with no effective option today. 

NurExone Biologic (Canada/Israel) develops innovative exosome-based therapies to repair and regenerate nerve cells, offering hope for patients with central nervous system injuries and disorders. 

Oniria Therapeutics (Spain) is developing a novel oral medicine that helps the body fight cancer by restoring its natural protective mechanisms and reducing the risk of tumour recurrence. 

OvartiX (United Kingdom) is building the first drug discovery platform for women’s health. This platform has delivered our first asset, OVX001, for preventing medically induced pre-mature menopause in cancer patients. 

Panosome (Germany) develops antibodies against cancer markers existing therapies cannot reach, creating new treatment opportunities for patients with hard-to-treat cancers such as pancreatic and ovarian cancer. 

Polbionica (Poland) develops a 3D bioprinting ecosystem. Its flagship project, the Bionic Pancreas, is a transplant-based therapeutic option for patients with chronic pancreatitis and severe type 1 diabetes. 

Provasctec (Ireland) aims to expand the application of cell therapies through precision delivery of cells. Our lead product provides a treatment for no-option patients suffering from critical limb ischemia.

HealthTech 

Aiomics (Germany) turns the unstructured documents a hospital drowns in into a verified patient record, then runs operational and compliance workflows from it, giving clinicians back the time lost to paperwork. 

Alithea Biotechnology (Germany) We make the invisible visible on tumour cells, creating unique humain-based data for drug developers to create targeted immunotherapies that work for everyone and are safe for everyone. 

Bios Medical (Switzerland) Hip fracture patients do not regain pre-injury mobility. Doctors are flying blind post hospital discharge, and patients are left on their own during rehab. We’re building the pacemaker to track recovery progress in real-time. 

CLARO Surgical (United Kingdom) 170M broken bones every year, still operated on like it’s the 1940s. CLARO Surgical is bringing orthopaedic surgery into the 21st century. No X-rays, no guesswork. 

Debios Diagnostics (Spain) addresses the chronic kidney disease gap by making kidney tumour fibrosis measurable through a simple urine test, expanding access beyond selected biopsy cases to all patients. 

FindAir (Poland) is a med-tech company based in Krakow, that produces & develops medication monitoring technology with the focus on smart inhalers devices. Our solution is being used in Telemedicine, Remote patient monitoring & clinical trials in the field of asthma & COPD since 2019. 

Flux Robotics (Netherlands) uses magnetic robotics to steer tiny wires through blood vessels, helping doctors reach difficult areas more safely and reliably during vascular procedures. 

Heecap (Spain) is a smart, non-invasive device that keeps breathing muscles active for ICU patients on ventilators, preventing muscle atrophy and helping them recover faster. 

Levels Diagnostics (Netherlands) is developing a test to identify liver cancer when it is still curable at risk patients suffering from advance liver damage (liver cirrhosis). 

Loop Diagnostics (Spain) develops rapid blood tests that help doctors identify severe bacterial infections and sepsis earlier, enabling faster treatment and improving patient outcomes. 

Lunarchy Teknoloji/RareSum (Spain)  is a decision support tool that helps physicians to identify rare diseases earlier by turning complex medical data into clear insights, improving patients’ access to the right care sooner. 

Metyos (France) For heart and kidney patients, sudden potassium imbalances take lives within hours, with no warning. Metyos built the first wearable patch that catches the danger early, treating it before it strikes. 

Omniloy (Spain) builds AI agents that transform healthcare delivery by supporting clinical decision-making, reducing administrative workload, and improving patient access and experience. Giving time back to care.  

Rebrain (France) Precision neurosurgery meta-model for Parkinson’s & tremor. Safer, faster, accessible, so every patient can live freely. 

Sencilia (Netherlands) is developing Rely-V®, a first-of-its-kind IV infusion monitoring sensor that is designed to prevent dangerous medication errors in fragile newborns. 

Solid IO (Finland) personalizes cancer immunotherapy, helping more patients receive treatments that are likely to work and bringing new hope to cancer care. 

Strive Health (United Kingdom) Treating the sickest patients involves many high-stakes decisions. STRIVE’s AI learns from millions of past cases to guide doctors in real time, adapting treatment as patient physiology evolves. 

TimeTeller (Germany) is a precision medicine company pioneering circadian diagnostics. Using saliva biomarkers and AI, we identify the optimal biological time for treatment to improve outcomes, reduce toxicity, and personalize healthcare 

Twente Medical Optics (Netherlands) is creating a handheld device that helps doctors evaluate tissue health without surgery or injections, improving care and reducing complications. 

XO Life (Germany) has built brite™ – the first end-to-end platform guiding patients from activation to therapy, integrating doctors and pharma. Market leader in Germany, expanding globally. 

The selected ventures are tackling some of today’s most pressing healthcare challenges, including earlier disease detection, personalised medicine, digital diagnostics, medical devices, AI-powered healthcare solutions and advanced therapeutics. 

Building the next generation of healthcare leaders 

Throughout the programme, participants will receive intensive coaching and mentoring from experienced entrepreneurs, investors, and healthcare experts. They will also gain access to EIT Health’s extensive network of stakeholders including industry leaders, healthcare providers, and investors. 

As Tim Jürgens, Co-founder of SeedLink and Partner at CRB Health Tech, and a long-time supporter of the EIT Health Catapult programme as a Supermentor and jury member across several editions, explains: “One of the strengths of the EIT Health Catapult programme is that it brings together founders and investors in an authentic way. Mentoring conversations often become the starting point for deeper collaborations. In my own experience, supporting Catapult companies has even led to investments in ventures such as deepeye and Amara Therapeutics. That says a lot about the calibre of the entrepreneurs coming through this programme”  

After months of training, all semifinalists will participate in October in category-specific pitch selection sessions before a jury panel of investors, which will select the nine companies that will advance to the final stages of the competition. The top nine start-ups will be announced in early November at the Get-Together event hosted by a Catapult sponsor (TBA), bringing together industry players, investors, and the 30 participating start-ups. 

Lastly, the finalists will earn the opportunity to present their cutting-edge innovations at the finals during the EIT Health Flagship Event end November early December (TBC) to an international audience of investors and healthcare stakeholders. They will go head-to-head for a share of the €30,000 cash prize and a range of industry in-kind prizes provided by the Catapult Edition 10 Sponsors, including leading industry players such as AstraZeneca. They will also compete for the prestigious “EIT Health Catapult Audience Alex Casta Award”, which recognises the start-up considered by the audience to have the greatest potential impact on the patient journey. The winner of this award will earn the unique opportunity to have their company logo displayed on the iconic Nasdaq Tower in New York’s Times Square, providing international visibility for their innovation. 

Alumni success stories 

The impact of EIT Health Catapult extends far beyond the competition itself. Many former participants have gone to secure significant investment and commercial success. 

Amongst them is NeuroClues (Belgium), a Catapult Edition 8 semifinalist that recently announced a €10 million funding round to industrialise its AI-powered neurological biomarkers and accelerate its international expansion. The company is helping clinicians detect neurological disorders earlier and more objectively, illustrating how Catapult participants can translate breakthrough innovation into real-world healthcare impact. 

We are thrilled to celebrate even more success stories from our past participants and the newly announced start-ups. Read more about previous Catapult startups  

As EIT Health Catapult celebrates its 10th edition, the programme continues its mission of identifying and supporting the next generation of European healthcare champions. We look forward to seeing how these thirty start-ups perform in the semifinals. Stay tuned to learn more and join our newsletter to be notified about the next relevant phases of the programme.