FemTech is rising in importance as Tech4Eva enters its fourth edition
The only Swiss-based FemTech accelerator, Tech4Eva, is entering its fourth edition with another record number of applications. In its 2024 edition, the start-up acceleration programme of Groupe Mutuel and the EPFL Innovation Park will be supporting 17 start-ups from a wide range of fields, such as menstrual & maternal health, reproductive medicine, and wellbeing or oncology for women. Among them are two start-ups from Switzerland.
A total of 189 companies from 45 countries applied for the fourth edition of the only FemTech acceleration programme for start-ups in Switzerland. This is a new record and almost 29% more than for the previous year! Among the innovative companies offering solutions for women's health, 17 participants from 11 countries were selected.
“We are very proud to be co-hosting the fourth edition of Tech4Eva. The importance of the FemTech sector is growing, but in many areas women's health is still underestimated or under-researched,” said Jérôme Mariéthoz, Head of Health and Pensions for Private Individuals at Groupe Mutuel. “By partnering with these innovative companies, we are emphasizing our commitment to raising awareness and adding value for our female customers.”
Participating companies follow the equity-free program for six months and are closely supported by 40+ mentors who help them develop their business plan and go-to-market strategy, and meet investors. They also become part of the growing Tech4Eva-FemTech-community.
“This year, we have chosen to support more mature high-tech FemTech start-ups from developed healthcare systems, drawing on the extensive business network and industrial expertise of the EPFL Innovation Park. We encourage more forward-thinking companies and foundations to join our initiative as partners to support numerous high-potential projects from countries in the Global South to make a global impact on healthcare”, said Lan Zuo Gillet, Director of Tech4Eva and Deputy Managing Director of the EPFL Innovation Park.
This year's participants will present solutions for general women's health, reproductive medicine, pregnancy, postpartum, menopause and menstruation. Two of them are from Switzerland and both active in the field of prevention and oncology for women:
Calico Biosystems is a drug testing platform that reliably predicts the efficacy of anti-cancer drugs at the pre-clinical stage in cancer patients. The aim is to make effective and affordable drugs available to women with cancer.
HeroSupport SA is advancing radiation therapy treatment through the integration of 3D printing and surface scanning technology, a fast-growing new market. The company provides comprehensive solutions for radiation oncology professionals that enable precise and personalised treatments while enhancing patient experience.
This year's edition will also feature a novelty: Debiotech, a new partner of Tech4Eva, is offering technical support in kind worth CHF 100,000 to a Tech4Eva start-up company so that it can develop its solution together with the company. The award has been offered to Ablatus Therapeutics – Luna. “The project by Ablatus impressed us with the elegance of its solution and the real benefit for patients suffering from a very disabling condition. This project is perfectly in line with what has driven us for over 30 years: patient-centered innovation. Selecting only one project was difficult, as quality among all Tech4Eva start-ups is very high”, says Laurent-Dominique Piveteau from Debiotech.
On 13 May 2024, the fourth edition of Tech4Eva kicked off with a public event in Bern on the topic “Innovation with Impact”. The keynote speech was given by Laura Santos Carreras, Team Section Lead in Medical Technology at Helbling. She explained why strategic partnerships and the creation of a development roadmap are crucial for taking FemTech projects from research to market launch.
Selected international start-ups:
Ablatus Therapeutics; Babyndex; CareNX Innovations; CC Diagnostics; Cosm Medical; DeepLook Medical; EndoCure ; Galena Innovations; Harmonia Healthcare; Hormona; Mamotest; Namida; SinReglas; Vital Start Health; and VivoSensMedical.
For more information visit Tech4Eva.