Five EIT Health Startup Programmes to join in Spring 2020

1. Jumpstarter is a pre-accelerator programme for innovators in the healthcare, agri-food, raw materials, energy, urban mobility and manufacturing industries. 

You will learn how to get started on building a business in a unique cross-industry environment: how to build a team, business processes, organizational design. The primary focus is on quantitative business model building. At the end of the program, graduates will prepare their pitch deck, business model canvas, competitive landscape, go-to-market strategy, roadmap.

If you have an idea but do not have an MVP/prototype, registered company and revenue, Jumpstarter is here for you.

Apply by March 15th at www.lyyti.fi/reg/Jumpstarter-202

2. InnoStars Awards is suitable for micro- and small enterprises, spin-offs and start-ups that already have a prototype or minimum viable product but do not have a product or service on the market yet.

The journey begins when start-ups submit a competitive application to enter the InnoStars Awards programme. Those accepted will receive €25,000 in “smart money” for training costs, four months of mentoring from one individual and training at two European Bootcamps. Participants also take part in three interviews with potential customers, investors or partners in order to verify the need for their idea and make valuable connections.

Apply by March 27th at https://eithealth.eu/project/innostars-awards/

3. Startups Meet Pharma targets start-ups with functioning products or prototypes that have already entered the market or are about to enter the market. Companies are assessed on the quality of their business idea, their fit for a specific challenge set by pharma partners, and their motivation and level of commitment.

The programme begins with challenges. In 2020, five challenges have been released in collaboration with four EIT Health Partners – Amgen, Bayer, Beiersdorf and Boehringer Ingelheim:

• Encourage continuity in treatment strategy and treatment optimization for postmyocardial infarction patients
• Choose the right treatment for Multiple Myeloma patients
• Disruptive Gene therapies, cell therapies and delivery technologies for different therapeutic areas
• Improve the condition of diabetic skin
• Portable Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) Diagnostic Tool

Start-ups that have potential solutions to these challenges will then participate in four modules of business training to prepare them for collaboration with pharma companies.

• Module 1 (15 -19 June 2020, in Heidelberg, Germany): Innovation and entrepreneurship training. Pharma experts will run tailored workshops for start-ups focused on the tools and methods needed to successfully build a business.
• Module 2 (29 June-3 July 2020, in Heidelberg, Germany): How to collaborate with big players in the market.
• Module 3 (September 2020): Start-ups visit pharma companies to discuss collaboration opportunities.
• Module 4 (November 2020, in Heidelberg, Germany): During Demo Day, start-ups pitch in front of investors and EIT Health stakeholders.

Apply by March 30th at https://eithealth.eu/project/start-ups-meet-pharma/

4. Bridgehead programme operates within two distinct tracks to meet the start-ups’ demands: Bridgehead Europe and Bridgehead Global. Both programmes are similar in structure but differ in the organisation. Bridgehead Europe aims at helping start-ups expand their business beyond their home market into a different European country, and Bridgehead Global aims at internationalisation beyond Europe. Depending on their internalisation needs, start-ups can apply to either one or another in a given year.

The programme provides European start-ups and scale-ups with individualised support in growing their validated businesses beyond their home markets. During this process, start-ups are guided by members of EIT Health’s vetted European network of top-notch accelerators, who open the right doors to establish and grow a cross-border business.

Apply by March 16th (Bridgehead Global) or May 10th (Bridgehead Europe) at https://eithealth.eu/project/bridgehead/

5. European Health Catapult is open to micro and small enterprises (<50 employees), spin-offs and start-ups that are:

• already incorporated, looking for seed or Series A funding of a minimum of €500,000 and have a self-valuation of more than €1 million
• either in possession of least €500,000 funding (private or public) or had at least €500,000 of revenue last year
• active in the fields of MedTech, biotech or digital health
• operating in the EU
• working with innovative business concepts

Through intensive involvement of the whole EIT Health community, the European Health Catapult gives participants early access to an international network of investors, venture capitalists (VCs), corporate VCs, business angels and crowd investors.