EIT Health Catapult 2024-25 selects 30 semi-finalists

We are excited to announce that thirty promising start-ups will participate in the semi-finals of the 9^th edition of EIT Health Catapult. Each year, the competition showcases Europe’s most promising life science and healthtech start-ups to leading experts and investors. 

The Catapult programme has supported over 330 companies in the eight editions so far, with many closing multi-million investment rounds of euros after participating. Participants often highlight that the EIT Health Catapult flagship programme, where European partners and industry leaders assess all critical aspects of businesses, has been invaluable to start-ups.

In recognition of their outstanding potential, twenty Catapult alumni, to date, have also received prestigious European Innovation Council funding. Dive into the stories of our inspiring alumni from 2021 and 2022.

Recently, Luminate Medical, who received EIT Health Catapult Audience Alex Casta Award in 2022, has secured $15m to accelerate innovative cancer care technology. Read more about it here.

Additionally, Pan Cancer T, a standout winner from Edition 8, has achieved significant success with its Seed Extension round, securing €4M funding. Get more insights here.

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

How the semi-finalists of the 9^th edition of Catapult were selected

Each of the thirty start-ups selected to progress to the semi-finals in the 2024-25 competition have passed a comprehensive pre-selection process in their region and category. They will now receive high-quality mentorship and training from experienced entrepreneurs, investors, and experts, which will be tailored to each start-up’s individual needs for them to strengthen and optimise their business plans and pitches.

What will happen at the semi-finals

During the semi-finals, start-ups from both categories – ten from life sciences and twenty from healthtech – will present their solutions to a public audience of healthcare professionals, industry experts, investors and more.

Get ready for the big reveal!

The top nine start-ups will be announced in April 2025 at a networking event in Cambridge (UK) bringing together Industry players, investors and the thirty start-ups. Among the nine finalists, three start-ups from life sciences and six start-ups from healthtech will earn the chance to pitch their cutting-edge innovation at the finals of a major European healthcare event later that year.

They will go head-to-head for their share of the €30,000 cash prize, as well as for the Catapult industry in-kind prizes worth over €800,000 awarded by leading industry players like Amazon Web Services (AWS), e.g., technology, Lusíadas Saúde and AstraZeneca. They will also compete for the “EIT Health Catapult Audience Alex Casta Award” and the chance for their logo to be displayed on the New York Nasdaq Tower.

Meet the 30 semi-finalists

Life sciences

Aptadel Therapeutics (Spain) develops RNA-based therapies for the treatment of cancer with a special focus on paediatric indications.

ArrayPatch Ltd (Ireland) is a BioTech spinout that is leveraging its patent microneedle technology (DerMap) to develop therapeutics which are more efficacious & easier to administer. The first product is for the treatment of nail fungal infection.

Cellectric Biosciences (Austria) has discovered a new way for biologists to work with cells. Using electric fields, standard laboratory processes can be fully automated, with increased precision and without the use of chemicals.

Fusix Biotech (Germany) is developing a revolutionary cancer immunotherapy platform for a safe, effective, and non-invasive therapeutic solution for solid cancers.

Immunofusion’s (Lithuania) first-in-class CAR T-cell therapy combines precise tumour-specific targeting and T-cell signalling rewiring to cure chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) safely, designed to achieve lasting remission with fewer risks.

Nūmi (France) is the first European biotech developing a breakthrough cell culture technology to produce human breast milk ex vivo, ensuring ideal nutrition for infants when breastfeeding isn’t possible/desired/sustained over time.

PepKon (France) develops first-in-class therapeutic peptides for refractory or relapsed cancers with no remaining treatment options. This novel mechanism selectively targets cancer cells while reducing toxicity.

PoliRNA (Italy) is an innovative startup company developing novel nanoparticles for a new generation of safe, efficient and precise RNA therapies for cardiac regenerative medicine and other custom-designed applications.

Rejuversen (Spain) is developing an innovative therapy to treat the life-threatening disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Our therapy succeeds where previous treatments have failed by targeting the root cause: senescent cells.

URIMON (Netherlands) develops a urine test for the early detection of life-threatening diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. In this way URIMON enhances the chances of cure and changes the healthcare system from reactive to proactive.

Healthtech 

Antegenes (Estonia) offers innovative clinical grade breast, prostate, colorectal cancer and melanoma genetic risk tests based on polygenic risk score technology for personalised cancer prevention and screening.

BrightComSol (Austria) are using flash radiotherapy as a new treatment that reduces therapy duration from 15 sessions to one. To be clinically approved, a reliable dosimetry system is required, and they are building this system.

Brightmind.AI (Austria) is developing a headset enabling personalised, at-home brain stimulation through electromagnetic pulses and AI. The first use case is migraines, where they can reduce attacks by over 50% in up to 90% of patients

CC Diagnostics (Netherlands) improves cervical cancer screening with a test that detects early DNA damage. It offers 97% sensitivity, allows self-sampling, and cuts processing time 6x for faster, more accurate results.

CheckEye (Ukraine) is an AI-driven platform for mass screening of chronic diseases, enhancing preventive healthcare by enabling early detection and diagnosis, making healthcare accessible to all.

CureVision (Germany) AI-based wound diagnostics with cutting-edge sensors delivers assessment 10x faster, with 98% accuracy. Hospitals, wound centres & care providers use CureVision’s Medical Device Regulation (MDR) certified solution.

Custom Surgical (Germany) empowers eye care professionals with advanced digitalisation and AI tools. Through its platform and optical tools, it has built the largest database of eye care images and surgical videos globally.

DigestAid (Portugal) offers personalized nutrition guidance to support healthy digestion, using AI-driven insights to address common gastrointestinal challenges and improve gut health.

FindAir (Poland) is a Med-Tech company that develops smart inhaler solutions that support people suffering from asthma & COPD

Galenband (Ireland) is a 90-day continuous ECG armband that provides reliable, non-invasive diagnosis of intermittent heart rhythm problems.

Healshape (France) is a global regenerative medicine company having developed a 100% natural and resorbable breast bioprosthesis to regenerate tissues of women who have been subjected to a mastectomy following breast cancer.

Kinetic Cortex (Poland) uses advanced AI technology to detect signs of Cerebral Palsy in infants as early as 12-15 weeks, enabling faster diagnosis and timely support to improve long-term outcomes.

Lifebloom (France) enables people in wheelchairs to walk on their own and live on their feet.

mjn-neuro (Spain) is a technological platform focused on creating digital solutions aimed at enhancing the quality of life for patients with neurological diseases, particularly epilepsy and Alzheimer.

NimBio (Israel) is addressing the holy grail in treating inflammatory diseases that affect 20% of the Western population with the world’s first non-invasive inflammometer for early detection of inflammatory flares.

NIMBLE Diagnostics (Spain) brings a breakthrough in cardiac care: a safe, non-invasive way to monitor stents in real-time, empowering doctors to detect issues early on and keep patients healthier, longer.

Psycurio (Germany) is a mental health platform combining VR, bodydata feedback and AI to offer an effective, data-driven treatment of diseases like depression, PTSD, addictions and anxieties.

The Blue Box (Spain) offers early-stage breast cancer detection from urine: pain-free, radiation-free

Tympany Medical will deliver Solascope the world’s first variable angle and self-cleaning imaging technology to enable a reimagined sustainable surgical visualisation experience. Led by CEO Dr Liz McGloughlin, Tympany is based in Ireland and will disrupt the surgical visualisation market.

VitalSigns (Finland) Healthcare is in crisis; doctors are on their limit. VitalSigns brings the stethoscope to the digital age saving physicians 5 minutes in a 15-minute exam and increasing diagnostic accuracy.

We look forward to seeing how these thirty start-ups perform in the semifinals. Stay tuned to learn when the Catapult on-demand video platform showcasing the semi-finalist’s pitches goes live!

Learn more about EIT Health Catapult, a programme that fast-tracks Europe’s best health start-ups.