Munich/Düsseldorf, October 16, 2025
From more than 230 submissions, the most forward-thinking medical start-ups have been chosen to compete in the 14th MEDICA Start-up COMPETITION. Their solutions cover a wide range of fields – from AI in healthcare, health apps and lab diagnostics to robotics and beyond – and were evaluated by an international jury against criteria such as innovation, technological feasibility, market strategy, time to market, commercial potential, and sustainability.
The Top 15 Medical Start-ups of 2025 are (in alphabetical order per category):
AI in Healthcare
- Aisthesis Medical – Develops digital twins for early sepsis care (United Kingdom)
- Prometheus MedTech.AI – Intergrates explainable AI with standard ultrasound devices (Poland)
- Virtuosis AI – Analyzes health insights from the voice (Switzerland)
Health apps
- Dr. Ferrer BioPharma – Develops an operational platform to enhance diagnosis and personalize care (United States)
- Oska Health – Combines an app and personal counseling to create a hybrid care model (Germany)
- Pink Brustkrebs – Supports women with breast cancer from diagnosis through treatment and long-term after care via an app (Germany)
Lab Diagnostics
- AcroCyte Therapeutics – Engineers a comprehensive 3D cell culture technology for patient-derived tumor models (Taiwan)
- ADmit Therapeutics – Forecasts progression to Alzheimer’s disease in patients with early memory complaints (Spain)
- NADMED – Offers a test to measure NAD+ and NADH from blood (Finland)
Robotics
- Healthtech Innovations – Redefines surgical nursing through intelligent robotics (Spain)
- MicroSteer – Enables precise, joystick-guided movement of surgical tools on standard endoscopes (Israel)
- Rovex – Develops autonomous hospital robots that transport patients using existing stretchers (United States)
Others
- Aghetto – Enables safe, one-handed needle and cap removal for syringes (Italy)
- GO-Pen ApS – Allows patients to inject insulin from any vial with a reusable pen (Denmark)
- SVAN Medical – Develops a surgical drill for neonates that automatically stops at target (Austria)
CONGRATULATIONS!
The pitch and award ceremony will be held at the MEDICA INNOVATION FORUM (Hall 12) on November 18th from 15:00 to 17:00 CET. Participants will have the chance to win exciting cash prizes of up to 3,500 euros and gain exposure to MEDICA’s vast network of health tech experts, corporates, investors, business partners, and media representatives from over 170 countries.
The Top 15 will be evaluated live by our esteemed expert jury during the event:
- Inga Bergen, Founder, Visionaries of Healthcare/ InBergen Ventures
- Caroline Fichtner, Principal, HTGF
- Prof. Claudio Castellini, Professor for Robotics, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
- Prof. Dr. Paul Lukowicz, Scientific Director, German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI)
- Dr. Emily Jordan, Angel Investor, former VC & Portfolio Manager EIT Health
- Timo Runge, Senior Partner Solution Architect, AWS
- Dr. Andreas Keibel, Business Development Manager Medical Robotics, KUKA
- Harvey Castro, Chief AI Officer, Phantom Space
The 15th MEDICA Start-Up COMPETITION is now open for submissions, and participation is free. For more details, visit www.innovationworldcup.com/medica-startup-competition/.
Behind the scenes – MEDICA Start-up COMPETITION
The MEDICA Start-up COMPETITION initiated by Messe Düsseldorf and organized by Navispace GmbH is the international leading competition in healthcare innovations. The objective is to drive innovation for use in the daily routine of patients and doctors around the globe. Participation is free of charge.
Press Contact
Hanna Sterzik | Project Manager
h.sterzik@techprnrs.com
