Munich, October 15, 2026
The 18th Healthcare Innovation World Cup® has attracted a vibrant mix of innovators from more than 60 countries, with over 300 submissions highlighting groundbreaking healthcare solutions. These Health Techpreneurs are driving the future of healthcare with innovations such as smart wearables, cutting-edge diagnostics, and remote patient monitoring technologies.
The Top 12 Health Techpreneurs of 2026 are (in alphabetical order):
- Allow Motion – AI-powered prosthetic hands that understand intent (Belgium)
- BlueAid Innovations Corp – Blue-light bandage that kills bacteria without antibiotics (United States)
- Dotplot – At-home breast health monitoring with guided ultrasound (United Kingdom)
- Kluba Medical GmbH– Smart hammock for premature babies with built-in monitoring (Germany)
- .lumen – AI-powered glasses that guide blind people independently (Romania)
- MiWEndo Solutions – Microwave sensing that detects abnormal tissue in real time during colonoscopy (Spain)
- ROPHAI – Autonomous robotic blood draws powered by AI and ultrasound (United States)
- Sencilia B.V. – Measures the actual flow rate of slow infusions and detects problems within one minute (Netherlands)
- SmartResQ GmbH – Improves CPR quality with real-time feedback via sensor and app (Germany)
- Soterya – Physical AI bed that autonomously repositions immobile patients (United States)
- Virtuoptica – Autonomous VR-based eye testing in under 5 minutes (Germany)
- Zura Health – AI health companion with a smart earring for women (Germany)
CONGRATULATIONS!
The pitch and award ceremony will be held at the MEDICA INNOVATION FORUM (Hall 11) on November 16th from 15:00 to 17:00 CET. Exciting prizes will be awarded, including one-on-one introductions with investors, business partners, and health tech experts, extensive media coverage, a spot on the Hall of Fame, and more.
The Top 12 will be evaluated live by our esteemed expert jury during the event:
- Oriana di Marco, Global Segment Marketing and System Architecture for Healthcare & Robotics, STMicroelectronics
- Thomas Waldmann, Start-Up & Venture Manager, Würth Elektronik
- Dr. Emily Jordan, Innovation to Market Manager, EIT Health
- Borut Kastelic, Senior Segment Manager Living & Infrastructure, EBV Elektronik
- Dagi Walden-Gajcy, Managing Healthcare Industry Engagement, GS1 Germany GmbH
- Simon Baumann, Global Industry Manager Healthcare, Würth Elektronik
- Jutta Klauer, Strategic Digital Partnerships, MSD Idea Stuido Europe
- Lucanus Polagnoli, Founding Partner, Calm Storm Ventures
- Dr. Lucas Mittelmeier, Investor, HealCapital
- Katja Pietzak, CEO, K. P. Beteiligung
- Andrew Round, Investment Director, Deepbridge Capital
- Dr. Christopher Jahn, Investment Manager, DeepTech & Climate Fonds (DTCF)
- Dr. Carina Ruwolt, Director Strategy & Business Angel, Bayer Aktiengesellschaft Pharmaceuticals
The 19th Healthcare Innovation World Cup® is now open for submissions, and participation is free. For more details, visit www.innovationworldcup.com/categories/healthcare/.
Behind the scenes – The Innovation World Cup® Series
The Innovation World Cup® Series is the global open innovation platform that connects corporates and techpreneurs. It acts as a catalyst for future innovations. The Innovation World Cup® Series powered by Techpreneurs Gmbh a Navispace company was initiated in 2003. Partners include STMicroelectronics, HTC VIVE, Google Cloud, Ericsson, Intel, EBV Elektronik, Swisscom, Würth Elektronik, Samsung, Telefonica, Telit, VARTA Microbattery and more.
Further partners include MEDICA, Hannover Messe, BIM World MUNICH, CSEM, HTGF, VDMA, WT | Wearable Technologies, AlpICT, BioAlps Association, ACCIO, Business OULU, Business France, Business Finland, G2 Startups, Gate Garching, Wolves Summit, The Trade Council Denmark, Medical Valley, UnternehmerTUM, IoTWeek, Innovability, WMF We Make Future, Werk1, Stanford University, Innosuisse, CENSIS, Invest in Bavaria, Technoport, THINGS Stockholm, Health Capital Helsinki, InfoShare, ITRI, TechBBQ, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, and many more.
More information: www.innovationworldcup.com, www.techprnrs.com
Press Contact
Hanna Sterzik | Project Manager
h.sterzik@techprnrs.com
