Three Irish Start-ups Secure Spots in EIT Health Catapult Semi-Finals

Galenband, Tympany Medical, and ArrayPatch Set to Compete Among Europe’s Leading Health Innovators.

EIT Health Ireland-UK, a co-location centre of EIT Health and part of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, proudly announces that three Ireland-UK-based start-ups – Galenband, Tympany Medical, and ArrayPatch – have advanced to the semi-finals of the prestigious EIT Health Catapult 2024-25 competition. These promising start-ups represent some of the most innovative solutions in healthcare, positioning them to showcase their work on an international stage and engage with industry leaders and investors from across Europe.

In its ninth edition, EIT Health Catapult has become a launchpad for Europe’s top life sciences and healthtech start-ups. Each year, it provides a unique opportunity for growth and visibility, pairing innovative start-ups with expert mentorship and investors to support their development and future funding needs. EIT Health Catapult has supported over 330 companies over the years, many of which have achieved multi-million-euro funding rounds post-competition.

This year’s Ireland-UK semi-finalists bring forward ground-breaking technologies designed to advance diagnostics, medical devices, and patient care:

Galenband (Healthtech): Developed as a wearable device, Galenband provides 90-day continuous ECG monitoring, offering reliable, non-invasive diagnosis for intermittent heart rhythm issues.

Tympany Medical (Healthtech): Tympany Medical’s Solascope technology is the world’s first variable angle and self-cleaning imaging tool, creating a more sustainable and advanced approach to surgical visualisation.

ArrayPatch Ltd (Life Science): ArrayPatch, a BioTech spinout, leverages its patented microneedle technology, DerMap, to create therapeutics that are more effective and user-friendly, beginning with solutions for nail fungal infections.

These start-ups are now part of the 30 semi-finalists in the EIT Health Catapult 2024-25 competition. Each has passed a rigorous pre-selection process and will gain tailored mentoring from seasoned investors, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs to optimise their business plans and presentation skills.

Shona D’Arcy, Entrepreneurship Lead at EIT Health Ireland-UK, said, “This year’s semi-finalists represent some of the best innovation in health tech in the market today. The catapult programme is aimed at helping these companies to scale and it’s important to see these innovations make it into our healthcare systems. I’m excited for the final pitching competition in April.”

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.  These finalists – three from life sciences and six from healthtech – who will then advance to the EIT Health Catapult Finals at a major European healthcare event later in the year.

The finalists will compete for a €30,000 cash prize in each category, along with industry in-kind prizes valued at over €800,000 from major supporters, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), eg technology, Lusíadas Saúde, and AstraZeneca. The Alex Casta Audience Award will also return this year, offering the winner a unique opportunity to have their logo displayed on the Nasdaq Tower in New York’s Times Square.

The EIT Health Catapult 2024-25 programme continues to support and inspire innovation in Europe, driving start-up success and healthcare advancement.

For more details on this year’s semi-finalists and the Catapult programme, click here.