Estonia’s health technology ecosystem has taken a big leap over the past year. The first cohort of Health Founders Estonia brought 34 companies to the accelerator programme, and the Startup Bootcamp in March brought together nearly 100 participants and 27 new health tech ideas. The programme is now looking for teams interested in reaching the market and growing internationally for its second cohort.

Tõnu Esko, Vice Rector for Development, genomics researcher and investor at the University of Tartu, points out that health technology is no longer a narrow niche area. “Since 2020, early-stage investment in health technology companies has grown significantly, by 800% between 2020 and 2025, reflecting both the rapid development of biomedicine and digital health and the growing confidence in the commercialisation of science-based solutions,” notes Esko. This trend suggests that health technology is emerging as one of the key drivers of innovation, where academic science and business meet.

Siim Saare, Programme Manager of Health Founders Estonia and founder of Lifeyear, encourages even those who are not sure if they are ready to join. “You don’t need to know everything in advance to get started. Health Founders Estonia helps you step by step to understand what really works,” says Saare. He stresses that health is a complex and slow-moving field, but there is an opportunity to make a real impact through innovation. “Once you solve a real problem, the rest is learnable. Health Founders Estonia is a place where learning happens fast and with others.”

The Accelerator programme offers healthcare professionals, researchers, engineers and entrepreneurs practical support along the whole journey – from workshops, mentoring, roadmapping sessions and community events to investor readiness. The founders’ journey will be supported in three programmes according to the stage of development: DEFINE will help start-up teams move from an idea to a validated business model, DEVELOP will focus on product development, clinical validation and regulatory readiness, and GROW will support companies in launching international growth and exports. Participants in all programmes receive access to community events and office space in Tallinn or Tartu Science Park.

The programme will incorporate ideas from life sciences, biotechnology and digital health. Areas of focus include genetic engineering, personalised medicine, drug development, software-based medical devices, digital diagnostics and therapeutics, and ICT solutions for healthcare.

The deadline for applications is 4 May. Find out more and apply here.

The Startup Estonia programme of the Estonian Foundation for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, in cooperation with Health Founders Estonia, supports the establishment of knowledge-based health technology startups in Estonia, contributing to the growth of startups both nationally and globally, and developing the entire Estonian health technology ecosystem and network.

All participants worked either on a specific partner challenge or on their own ideas connected to health innovation. To support this development, 23 mentors provided technical and strategic guidance. This group brought together clinical leaders, health system innovators, founders, and researchers, including Daren Wilson, Dr. Katrin Kaarna, Dr. Kristel Amjärv, Tõnu Esko, Jüri Kaljundi, Kerli Luks, Andres Salumets, Harri Tallinn, Philipp Koch, Dace Dimza-Jones, and many others.

Tracks and challenges overview

The bootcamp was organised into three distinct tracks to address different sectors of health innovation:

• Digital Health Track (12 teams): Focused on digital solutions and software integration. This track included participants working on the Medicum, Tartu University Hospital, and Pihlakodu challenges.
• Biotech Track (5 teams): Focused on biological and medical research applications, including the Celvia and University of Tartu challenges.
• Open Innovation Track (10 teams): Dedicated to teams developing their own independent ideas and startups.

Summary of winning solutions

The competition was divided into partner challenges provided by leading Estonian health organisations and an Open Innovation track for teams developing their own independent concepts.

Partner challenge winners:

• Vaxi Sense (University of Tartu Challenge): Developed a rapid diagnostic test designed to predict vaccine efficacy by analyzing individual biological responses.
• Pathogora (Medicum Challenge): Created Tervik, an AI-powered Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) aimed at reducing the administrative documentation burden on physicians.
• EmaRahu & MaternaFlow (Tartu University Hospital Challenge): Two teams shared the win as they developed a communication platform to connect midwives and patients, and built a digital operating system to automate national pregnancy guidelines.
• BVFree (Celvia Challenge): Established a clinical pathway using microbial profiling and resistance markers to improve treatment accuracy for bacterial vaginosis.
• Guardian (Pihlakodu Challenge): Developed an Estonian-language voice assistant designed to assist in elderly care and monitoring within residential facilities.

Open Innovation track winners:

• Smart Flutter: An AI-integrated system for monitoring mucus location, providing real-time feedback through a mobile application and a clinical dashboard for respiratory care.
• NGO Kunda: A wearable digital triage solution for mass casualty incidents. The system uses NFC/QR-coded bracelets to store unique IDs and triage status, allowing hospitals to track patient location and status in real-time.
• Aptomix: Developed next-generation bioassays intended to optimize drug discovery processes and diagnostic precision.

The winners received a combination of monetary prizes, pilot opportunities with challenge partners, and tickets to Latitude59 and sTARTUp Day. All winning teams were granted fast-track access to Health Founders Estonia’s upcoming accelerator programs.

Next steps

To support the continued development of these and other health-tech startups, Health Founders Estonia has opened applications for three new specialised programs. Teams at various stages of development are invited to apply by May 4th: https://hfe.ee/programs/startups/

What Was on Stage

The breadth of the batch was visible from the pitches themselves. Teams tackled chronic disease management, early diagnostics, hospital efficiency, and tools for healthcare professionals. Some were helping children find their voice — MILO is building an AI-powered speech therapy app for kids aged 3 to 10, while Helli is developing AAC software for non-verbal children to express their needs and emotions. Others were working at the frontier of diagnostics: LSMedical is developing materials for earlier disease detection, Pathogora connects pathologists across borders through tele-pathology, and one team is even working on a device to detect microplastics in blood samples.

The clinical ambitions ran deep. Padakonn Pharma has developed monoclonal antibodies targeting fibrosis in chronic kidney disease and preeclampsia. SPADAwaves is building a low-cost device for malaria treatment. CogniFlow is making strain engineering dramatically faster and cheaper with droplet biotech instrumentation. Meanwhile, teams like Glurry, AVARA, and NeuralBiome are working on the quieter but pervasive challenges of diabetes management, recovery and microcirculation, and gut-brain health.

Patient safety and caregiver support also featured prominently. CareHand is developing a robotic lateral transfer solution to reduce strain on care staff. Boundee is helping hospitals stabilise nurse staffing. Evie offers personalised pelvic floor care for pregnancy and postpartum. Auraguard monitors elderly or chronically ill people at home using AI. And Priotech and PropsAid are both focused on improving medical training quality.

Several startups had already built working prototypes and were moving toward market entry. Many of the solutions drew on data and AI to support clinical decision-making, streamline workflows, and improve patient outcomes — reflecting broader trends shaping healthtech innovation today.

“The six-month programme has been intense and very hands-on. Demo Day was an important milestone where teams could test their solutions and receive feedback from investors.”

— Siim Saare, Programme Lead

The Conversations That Stayed

For the founders, the real value of the day was often found not on stage but in the exchanges that followed. Investor follow-ups, unexpected connections, and questions that had been sitting unanswered for months.

“What made this experience truly valuable was the people. Being among founders who are going through similar challenges creates a rare sense of understanding and calm. You realise that the stress, doubts, and pressure are not signs of weakness, but they are simply part of the journey.”

— Khrystyna Didukh, Founder, AVARA

“Demo Day was extremely valuable for us as an early-stage startup. It gave us the opportunity to present our idea, our vision, and the progress we have made. That visibility is important for building investor trust — when we pitch again, they will already know where we started and where we are now. We met many interesting people and built connections that will be very useful for our next steps. We also received answers to some questions we had been struggling with for a long time, and we learned about potential collaborations that opened new doors and opportunities for us.”

— Harleen, CareHand

The momentum did not stop at the venue doors. Some conversations had already reached well beyond Tartu — one team is now in discussions around potential pilots with University of Cambridge Hospital, a significant signal for what early-stage healthtech from Estonia can achieve.

Watch the Demo Day aftermovie here  and catch up on all the team presentations on the Health Founders Estonia LinkedIn page.

Explore the recording and materials shared at the event here.

Turning Regulation into a Strategic Advantage

At Health Founders Estonia, we believe that progress in health innovation happens when founders learn directly from other practitioners: those who have faced the same regulatory hurdles and turned them into strengths. Our Regulatory Session II once again brought this philosophy to life.

The agenda combined expert presentations, interactive sparring, 1:1 office hours, open discussions, and networking, ensuring that participants could apply lessons directly to their own regulatory journey.

Our speaker, Matthew DiFranco, with 15 years of experience in the healthtech sector, set the tone with a clear message about the value of understanding regulations early.

“Regulatory requirements for medical devices can seem complicated and overwhelming to newcomers in MedTech. Many founders and start-up teams view them as a roadblock to innovation, something to get around rather than the guardrails and signposts that guide them. Setting up your quality management system and understanding how to develop a regulatory strategy is a critical step in bringing MedTech innovations into use for the benefit of hospitals, clinicians, and patients.”

Key Topics Covered

The session addressed several crucial areas of regulatory readiness, on topics such as:

• Introduction and critical aspects of QMS under MDR/IVDR
• Practical implementation considerations for QMS (ISO 13485) and risk management (ISO 14971)
• Technical documentation and audit readiness

Through this blend of structured content and open discussion, founders gained clarity on how to incorporate compliance principles into their operations from the beginning by turning regulatory planning into a foundation for sustainable growth.

Founder Perspective: Learning from Real-World Experience

Adding a real-world dimension, Helena Ije, COO at Better Medicine, shared her company’s journey to CE marking and the lessons learned along the way.

“Getting CE marking was a massive milestone for us, but the real takeaway is that you shouldn’t wait too long to think about regulations. If you push compliance aside, it can quickly turn into a very expensive blocker. Embedding quality and regulatory thinking into your culture early — rather than treating it as a side project — makes all the difference later. It’s not a box-ticking exercise; it’s part of how you build a product that lasts.”

A Stronger Ecosystem Through Shared Learning

By combining expert insight with founder experience, the Regulatory Session II reinforced a key principle of the Health Founders Estonia community: when founders learn from founders, innovation accelerates. These peer-led exchanges don’t just help companies achieve compliance; they build stronger, more resilient MedTech ventures capable of scaling safely and sustainably.

The HFE program is funded by the EU through Enterprise Estonia, in collaboration with Startup Estonia, to build a strong, globally competitive health tech ecosystem in Estonia.

Together with our partners and 17 HealthTech startups and research organisations, we spent three inspiring days in London and Cambridge, exploring new opportunities for cooperation with some of the UK’s leading institutions, including King’s College London, UCLPartners, NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research), Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge University Health Partners, and Innovate Cambridge.

Each meeting reaffirmed how much our ecosystems have in common: a shared ambition to turn innovation into meaningful impact and a belief that collaboration between research, technology, and healthcare can transform lives. Throughout the visit, one theme stood out — the potential for Estonian–British partnership in HealthTech has never been stronger. The UK’s world-class research landscape and the NHS’s drive for innovation align naturally with Estonia’s experience in building digital-first, trust-based healthcare systems.

“We’re committed to advancing a healthcare future that’s powered by technology, grounded in trust, and designed to truly improve lives,” said Merit Vislapu, Project Lead at Health Founders Estonia. “Meeting inspiring people, potential partners, and mentors in London and Cambridge reinforced the strong connection between our ecosystems and the shared ambition to drive innovation in healthcare. Together, we’re building a future where technology empowers better health for all.”

The Estonian delegation brought together a diverse mix of innovators shaping the future of care from digital health pioneers to biotechnology leaders and research institutions. Participating organisations included: Antegenes, Better Medicine, Chemestmed, Health Founders Estonia, Kodality, Lifeyear, Menken Trials, Mentastic, Migrevention, Mu-ray.tech, Muun Health, Power Algae, Solis BioDyne, Tallinna Tervishoiu Kõrgkool / Tallinn Health University of Applied Sciences, TBD Pharmatech, Tehnopol HealthTech, and Thorgate.

Across every conversation, one message resonated clearly — innovation travels best through collaboration. The bridges built between Estonia and the UK during this visit highlight our shared drive to advance health technologies that are smarter, more connected, and focused on prevention and patient trust.

The visit was co-organised by Enterprise Estonia’s investment and trade departments and the Estonian Embassy in London, with collaborators from Health Founders Estonia and Tehnopol Science and Business Park. The visit was funded by the European Union NextGenerationEU.

The HFE program is funded by the EU through Enterprise Estonia, in collaboration with Startup Estonia, to build a strong, globally competitive health tech ecosystem in Estonia.

This marks the launch of a coordinated plan to bring together the many pieces in Estonia’s health-innovation puzzle, to not only support innovation, but to shape a healthcare system centred around people.

The key parties of the MoU include the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, Enterprise Estonia (EIS), Health Founders Estonia, Tehnopol, the Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications, Metrosert, Tartu Biotechnology Park, and AIRE – AI & Robotics Estonia. 

“2025 marks a new era for Estonia’s health technologies – for the first time, we are taking a systematic approach, linking development, implementation, and export. With strong cooperation and the Health Founders Estonia model, we aim to make Estonian health innovation not just a local success story, but a driver of international growth,” said Erki Mölder, Member of the Board and Founder of the Estonian Health Economy Association.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on September 12 represents a commitment by all relevant stakeholders to align their efforts. This is about going from “everyone has plans for the next two years” to “we glue it all together.” The roadmap is intended to do more than coordinate; it aims to drive progress. The MoU will be followed later this month by a joint roadmap of concrete actions, including simplifying the introduction of new healthcare solutions to the market, supporting the adoption of innovative products by doctors and patients, and facilitating the export of proven technologies.

This agreement demonstrates our shared commitment to developing more effective, accessible, and personalized healthcare solutions through a collaborative approach that combines science, business, and policy. It marks a significant milestone in supporting the national roadmap for health technologies and services, with a focus on health data, personalized medicine, human-centered solutions, and ecosystem cooperation. The progress made so far will not remain isolated; instead, it will be integrated, refined, and scaled up.

We participated in two panel discussions about the future of health technology in Estonia, which centered on a single key theme: collaboration among scientists, entrepreneurs, and the broader ecosystem is essential for growth. Both panels reached the same conclusion: Estonia has the talent, ambition, and environment to create world-class health technology, but its success relies on integrating research, entrepreneurs, partners, and healthcare into a unified ecosystem. 

Panel Discussion: How Can Research and Industry Jointly Drive Healthtech Growth? 

During the first panel discussion, Tõnu Esko from the University of Tartu, Indrek Tulp from AS Metrosert, Jana Holmar from TalTech, and Jekaterina Kazantseva from TFTAK discussed ways to bridge the gap between science and society. The panel was moderated by Martin Gorosko from Tehnopol.

Key takeaways:

• Doctoral training programs, such as Tartu University’s Winter School, help young researchers view entrepreneurship as a viable career path.
• Health and medical sciences often produce research with strong application potential, from diagnostics to data-driven solutions.
• The mission is not just to publish, but to shape how scientists see the impact of their work on society.
• Bringing together science, acceleration, and business development is the way to unlock the full potential of our innovation ecosystem.

Panel Discussion: How Co-Creation Across the Ecosystem Can Accelerate Innovation?

At the second panel discussion, Siim Saare from Health Founders Estonia, Sven Parkel from Tartu Biotechnology Park, and Helen Staak from Tehnopol, led by moderator Kristiina Sepp from Enterprise Estonia, discussed how co-creation across the ecosystem can speed up innovation and took a look at the current state and future of Estonia’s healthtech ecosystem.

Key takeaways:

• A new generation of founders is emerging, with a record level of interest in Health Founders Estonia accelerators.
• Estonia must dare to take a leadership role and build its own model – learning from the best, but carving its own path.
• Global ambitions are natural, but local reference clients are critical for building credibility before scaling abroad.
• Aligning the entire ecosystem around the innovation journey will ensure that validated solutions reach not only international markets but also improve Estonia’s own healthcare system.

The HFE program is funded by the EU through Enterprise Estonia, in collaboration with Startup Estonia, to build a strong, globally competitive health tech ecosystem in Estonia.

Why This Matters

The global health tech market is projected to reach $974.5 billion by 2030, growing at nearly a 20% annual rate. Rapid technological innovation and demand for more accessible, efficient, and personalized care make this the perfect moment for founders to act. There has never been a better time to launch a health tech startup! 

Estonia, with its digital-first identity and thriving startup culture, is uniquely positioned to become more than a testing ground—it can emerge as a global leader in health technology by 2035. Health Founders Estonia is here to make that leap possible.

From Applications to Acceptance

When applications opened for HFE Batch #1, the response was nothing short of inspiring: 47 companies stepped forward to take the leap with ideas ranging from AI-driven diagnostic tools to therapeutic platforms serving non-verbal children, postpartum women, and the elderly.

With a strong trend of software and hardware integration, the digital health and life science startups showcase a balanced and evolving ecosystem. In the DEFINE stage, applications were nearly evenly divided (54.8% digital, 45.2% life science), with accepted teams reflecting this mix, indicating that both digital solutions and research-driven ventures find success in Estonia. During the DEVELOP stage, digital health led with 64.3% of accepted teams, aligning with global trends favoring lower-capital digital solutions for faster development. Although fewer in number, life science startups make significant contributions to long-term scientific innovation. In GROW, the only accepted company was digital, consistent with Estonia’s digital-first identity. 

These figures demonstrate a vibrant ecosystem where digital health benefits from Estonia’s tech culture, and the life sciences gain momentum, striking a balance between speed and scientific depth. Many new players are now ready to plug into structured programs like ours. Even better, we’re observing a positive trend of growth within the six months of Health Founders Estonia, as several startups have already gone through our “chain of events,” moving from KIIP events to the DISCOVER Startup Bootcamp and then to the DEFINE program. If this trajectory continues, Estonia is well-positioned to become not just a testing ground but a global launchpad for healthtech innovations by 2035.

Through a rigorous multi-step selection process, including Dealum submissions, interviews, CIMIT self-assessments, and video pitches. Finally, decisions were made by an Assessment Committee composed of Health Founders Estonia consortium partners and ecosystem experts, including EIS | Enterprise Estonia (Kristiina Sepp), Tartu University Hospital (Katrin Kaarna), TalTech (Kadi Lubi), Tehnopol Science Park (Helen Staak), EstBAN (Jana Budkovskaja), and EstVCA (Madis Lehtmets). By opening up this process, we’re not just lifting the curtain; we’re demonstrating that the journey into HFE is fair and guided by some of the best minds in Estonia’s health tech and startup ecosystem. 

Spotlight on the Cohort

A green light was given for 34 teams, with 21 teams continuing their journey in the DEFINE program, 12 teams in the DEVELOP program, and one team in the GROW program. The themes shaping this year’s cohort include digital health and AI, women’s health and aging, life sciences and diagnostics, robotics, biotechnology, workforce management, and preventive health. 

The DEFINE program: 

• AnESTesia: an app for anesthesia nurses that gathers and organizes information.
• AURAGUARD: an AI-based home monitoring and communication device for elderly or chronically ill people.
• CareBridge: a platform that connects people in need with trusted human helpers such as nurses, nannies, mentors, or coaches.
• CareHand: robotic lateral transfer enhances patient safety and efficiency, alleviating caregiver strain and addressing key care challenges.
• CogniFlow: a droplet biotech instrumentation to make strain engineering >3x faster and >100x cheaper
• DOSEIT: a pre-portioned food supplement delivery system to help individuals with specific health issues.
• Food Filter: a mobile app that gives full nutritional and ingredient information of a food by barcode scanning.
• Glurry: a diabetes app that helps patients manage their health with AI-tailored insights and goals.
• Lunara: a smart app that supports women during menopause by tracking nutrition, mood, symptoms, and supplements.
• Milo: an AI-powered speech therapy app to help children aged 3–10 improve their pronunciation. 
• NeuralBiome: an AI-powered stool test and care platform for early cancer detection and personalised patient support.
• NM Patsol: a low-cost noble metal nanoparticles to help health and high-tech companies.
• Padakonn Pharma: monoclonal antibodies that target fibrosis in chronic kidney disease and preeclampsia. 
• Pathogora: a platform that connects pathologists and healthcare providers globally. 
• Priotech: our mission is to save more lives by improving the quality and efficiency of medical training through digital tools.
• PropsAid: creating ultra-realistic fake wound training aids for medical and military simulation.
• SkipEat: a wearable nutrient device to help frontline workers stay energized without food.
• SPADAwaves: a low-cost, innovative device for malaria treatment using microwaves. 
• Supercharger Labs: functional ingredients for organic sunscreens that help to prevent skin cancer.
• Verdandi: an app to increase healthy lifespan by combining personalized lifestyle tracking with science-based recommendations. 
• Vocametrix: Speech Analysis API & Interactive Games for Speech Therapy. 

The DEVELOP program: 

• AVARA: a science-driven healthtech company enhancing the body’s natural recovery by improving microcirculation
• Boundee: helping hospitals stabilize staffing by starting with nurse hiring and expanding into full workforce management. 
• EdiLabs: the first edible immunotherapy drug designed to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
• Evie: an AI-powered app for personalized pregnancy & postpartum pelvic floor care, with tailored workouts and expert support. 
• Fysiolink: a web-based platform to help therapists and clients manage communication, share equipment, and videos. 
• Helli: the AAC software to help non-verbal children express their needs and emotions through symbols and voice. 
• Microplastic Diagnostics: Blood sample Microplastic detector. 
• LS Medical: materials to help find methods for the early diagnosis and monitoring of diseases.
• Lyfery: Next-Gen Life Insurance: Rewarding Prevention and a Healthy Lifestyle. 
• Poshear: an innovative product with a new technical and design solution for people with mild hearing loss.
• Soundfr: striving to give equal opportunities to hard-of-hearing people thanks to technology and AI. 
• Vectiopep: enabling cancer vaccine delivery to the patients. 

The GROW program: 

• Better Medicine: utilising AI to transform cancer diagnostics and radiology workflows for improved patient outcomes. 

What’s Next

On August 24 and 25, we organized a kick-off event for the first cohort of our accelerator programs. A bunch of excited and curious health tech founders joined us at Kääriku Sports Centre, a lively sports complex nestled beside Lake Kääriku in southern Estonia, surrounded by rolling hills and lush nature, with a glimmer in their eyes, eager to start and elevate their startup journeys. 

But that was just the beginning. Over the coming months, these 34 startups will receive mentorship and guidance from top ecosystem leaders and build their solutions through structured programs. The finale? A Demo Day on January 28, 2026, in Tartu, right before the sTARTUp Day 2026! 

Together, we’re building a globally competitive health tech ecosystem in Estonia! 

The HFE program is funded by the EU through Enterprise Estonia, in collaboration with Startup Estonia, to build a strong, globally competitive health tech ecosystem in Estonia.

Innovation Seminar with Tartu University Hospital

In collaboration with Tartu University Hospital, we hosted an inspiring seminar that highlighted how hospitals can become true hubs of innovation. The event brought together clinicians, researchers, entrepreneurs, and international partners to exchange ideas on accelerating the development of health technology. We heard thought-provoking insights from Prof. Pilvi Ilves, Dr. Sander Pajusalu, and Siim Saare, as well as stories of inside-out innovation from startups AnESTesia and Vectiopep, both emerging from Tartu University Hospital.

The day ended with a forward-looking panel, “How to Grow Innovation Beyond the Hospital?”, featuring Dr. Henry Ho from NHIC Singapore, Prof. Joel Starkopf, and Dr. Sander Pajusalu, moderated by Katrina Laks (Health Founders Estonia).

Key takeaways:

• Hospitals as innovation hubs: Prof. Joel Starkopf emphasized the importance of creating a culture of innovation at Tartu University Hospital by opening doors to startups and Health Founders initiatives.
• AI in diagnostics: Prof. Pilvi Ilves showcased how AI-driven radiology can accelerate diagnoses and improve treatment outcomes.
• Collaboration is essential: As Siim Saare highlighted, health tech innovation thrives when clinicians, hospitals, ecosystem partners, and companies work hand-in-hand.
• From practice to product: AnESTesia introduced their anesthesia nurse support app, while Vectiopep presented their pioneering work in RNA delivery for cancer immunotherapy.

Deep Tech Pub: Health Tech Edition

In the evening, the conversation continued at Deep Tech Pub, co-hosted with Enterprise Estonia, EstBAN, and Tartu Biotechnology Park. The fireside chat between Jaanika Merilo (Ministry of Social Affairs of Estonia) and Tõnu Esko (University of Tartu) offered an honest look at where Estonian health tech stands today—and what needs to happen next.

Highlights from the discussion:

• From policy to pilots: Estonia’s global reputation as a digital health pioneer is strong, but at home, regulation and EU processes sometimes slow innovation. The challenge is creating fast-track sandboxes where startups can test solutions in real healthcare settings.
• Beyond regulation: The lack of a notified body is often blamed for bottlenecks, but the bigger hurdle comes earlier—proving MVPs and piloting fast enough before startups lose momentum.
• European Health Data Space (EHDS): Centralized data access could be transformative, but only if combined with the right skills and infrastructure. Estonia and Finland are working closely to ensure research access is fair and innovation-friendly.
• Keeping our edge: Genomics, AI, and advanced therapies are costly, but Estonia can stay ahead by providing early-stage testing environments, smarter data access, and cross-border collaboration.

The consensus: Estonia can remain the Northern Star of digital health—but only if we move faster from regulation to real-world testing.

A huge thank you to all partners, speakers, and participants who joined us in Tartu. From the seminar halls of Tartu University Hospital to the lively discussions at Deep Tech Pub, the message was clear: collaboration, speed, and openness are key to making Estonia a global leader in health tech.

Kursus tugineb Massachussettsi Tehnoloogiainstituudi professori Bill Auleti loodud raamistikul Disciplined Entrepreneurship. Seda juhendavad arendusprorektor Tõnu Esko ning süvatehnoloogia ettevõtja, füüsik ja iduettevõtluse uurija Heli Valtna. Lisaks jagavad oma kogemusi ja õppetunde külalisesinejad iduettevõtluse sektorist.

„Kiireim viis teadustöö tulemuste rakendamiseks on sageli ettevõtlus,“ ütles Tõnu Esko. „See kursus aitab doktorantidel ja magistrantidel mõelda oma töö praktilise rakenduse peale olenemata sellest, kas neil on juba äriidee või mitte. Kursuse lõpetanud näevad oma uurimisvaldkonda hoopis uue nurga alt ning on seeläbi tulevikus tõhusamad töötajad, spetsialistid, juhid ja ettevõtete asutajad.“

Osalejad õpivad ära tundma ja analüüsima äriideid: mõistma klientide vajadusi, hindama turupotentsiaali ning uurima intellektuaalomandi strateegiaid. Lisaks saavad nad teadmisi idufirmade otsustusprotsessidest ja varajase faasi investeeringute põhimõtetest.

Kursus toimub 9. septembrist 2. detsembrini hübriidvormis. Osalema on oodatud doktori- ja magistriõppe üliõpilased kõikidest valdkondadest, sh kõigist Eesti ülikoolidest.

Registreeruda on võimalik ÕIS2-s (LTGI.00.005) 31. augustini. Esimese kursuse üliõpilased saavad registreeruda 15. septembrini. Teiste ülikoolide üliõpilased peavad kursusel osalemiseks täitma külalisüliõpilase avalduse. Koduülikooli esindajate allkirjadega avaldus tuleb saata loodus- ja täppisteaduste valdkonna dekanaadile meiliaadressil ltt@ut.ee.

Lisateavet külalisüliõpilaseks saamise kohta leiad kodulehelt.

“Health Founders Estonia is the place to be as an early-stage founder building your health tech company. The core strength of our community lies in bringing together different experts and founders from both digital and life science fields.” – Andrus Kurvits, Board Member at Tartu Science Park.

During the session, the format, content, and goals of three accelerator programs —DEFINE, DEVELOP, and GROW —were presented. Also, Anna-Liisa Kubo from Nanordica Medical and Kerli Luks from Muun Health shared their journeys and how various accelerator programs have helped them scale and achieve success.

Anna-Liisa Kubo, Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Nanordica Medical, is developing an antibacterial wound dressing for diabetes patients with ulcers. During her presentation, Anna-Liisa shared that over the years, they had participated in several accelerator or incubator programs that had helped them gain knowledge in business development, as the whole team had backgrounds in science and limited experience with entrepreneurship. 

She mentioned that because healthcare is a highly specialized field with its regulations, complex clinical trials, and many stakeholders, they chose to join the Health Founders accelerator, which is specifically designed to meet the needs of a health tech company. During the program, they were introduced to the CIMIT model, which they found to be very clear and useful for achieving product-market fit and tracking their progress. They also achieved investor readiness for the first time and doubled that amount with grant funding.

Anna-Liisa also shared a few tips to help you thrive during your accelerator experience:

• One of the biggest advantages of an accelerator is the ability to sharpen your focus. Use the mentorship and feedback you receive to concentrate on what truly matters. Resist the temptation to pursue every opportunity and remain disciplined and strategic.

• The network you gain through an accelerator is invaluable. Engage actively, ask for help, and offer support. A strong community can accelerate your growth far beyond the length of the program.

• Before you join, be clear about what you want to achieve. Whether it’s finding product-market fit or preparing for investment, having your own goals will help you make the most of the program. Remember, the accelerator provides guidance and resources, but the drive and execution need to come from you.

Kerli Luks, founder of Muun Health, is developing a sensor for accessible female hormone monitoring. During her presentation, Kerli shared that they participated in the Health Founders pre-accelerator and accelerator programs, which helped them get on the right track. She mentioned they wouldn’t have advanced as far on their own. 

Kerli also pointed out that healthtech-specific accelerator programs are very important due to the complexity of the field. These accelerators will connect you with mentors who have in-depth knowledge of the field and with whom you’ll be working in the future. You can also meet founders from different backgrounds and companies at various stages of development who can teach and inspire you. She also pointed out that accelerators will provide the visibility you need as an early-stage startup, especially to investors, by offering investor contacts and providing pitching opportunities at various conferences. 

Kerli also shared a few tips to help you thrive during your accelerator experience:

• While general accelerators offer great support, healthtech programs provide tailored expertise, regulatory guidance, and connections within the healthcare ecosystem. You’ll gain more relevant insights and meet mentors who truly understand the unique challenges of building in this space.
• Don’t be a passive participant. Ask questions, join discussions, and seek feedback at every opportunity. The more you engage, the more you’ll learn, and the more value you’ll bring back to your startup.

Let’s build the future of health tech! The deadline to apply for the Health Founders Estonia programs is June 30: hfe.ee/programs/startups 

Please find all the materials and the recording of the event here.

The HFE program is funded by the EU through Enterprise Estonia, in collaboration with Startup Estonia, to build a strong, globally competitive health tech ecosystem in Estonia.

Seminar tutvustab UK tervise- ja biotehnoloogia maastikku, räägib turule sisenemise barjääridest ja eeldustest ning annab ülevaate UK ärikultuurilistest eripäradest.

Seminari keynote’i annab Konrad Dobschuetz – Leap Advisory and Intelligence asutaja ja rahvusvaheliselt tunnustatud tervisetehnoloogiate valdkonna ekspert, kellel on rohkem kui 20 aastat kogemust nii NHSis kui rahvusvahelistes farmaatsiaettevõtetes nagu Novartis ja Pfizer.Seminaril jagab oma kogemust UKs biotehnoloogiaettevõtte ehitamisel CoSyne Therapeutics CSO ja kaasasutaja Liisi Laaniste. Samuti räägivad turul juba toimetavad Eesti ettevõtted paneelis oma kogemustest.

Seminar toimub inglise keeles.

Ajakava (täpsustumisel)

10:00 – 10:30 Saabumine ja hommikukohv

10:30 – 10:40 Tervitussõnad EISilt

10:40 – 11:30 Turuülevaade + Q&A Konrad Dobschuetz, Leap Advisory and Intelligence

11:30 – 11:50 Biotehnoloogia ettevõtte ehitamine UKs Liisi Laaniste, CoSyne Therapeutics

11:50 – 12:10 UK turule sisenemise üldpõhimõtted, Andreas Heiki Pant, EIS

12:10 – 13:00 Lõunapaus

13:00 – 13:45 Kogemuslugude paneel

13:45 – 14:00 Healthfounders Estonia, Katrina Laks

14.00 – 14:15 Tehnopol Health Tech Community, Madli Rahuvarm

14:15 – 14:30 Investeeringute kaasamine UKs, Maarja Pehk

14:30 – 14:40 Kokkuvõtted ning oktoobris toimuva visiidi tutvustamine

Pärastlõunal on valitud ettevõtetel võimalus teha 1-1 kohtumisi Konrad Dobschuetz’iga

Registreeri sihtturu seminarile siin

The core program, DEFINE, is a 24-week accelerator for ambitious health tech startups aiming to move from an idea to a validated value proposition and achieve initial investor readiness. DEVELOP focuses on product development, clinical validation, and regulatory certification to bring solutions to market readiness. The growth and export program, GROW, supports scaling companies by enhancing their sales and export capabilities.

“If you want investors to take you seriously, start with a strong foundation,” urged Erki Mölder, investor and founding partner of Health Founders Estonia, encouraging health tech companies to join the program. He emphasised that doing business in health technology requires staying on top of regulatory, clinical, and business issues, which the accelerator programs address.

“Science without application is a beautiful wasted thought. To turn a world-changing discovery into something that actually improves lives, promotes healthier lifestyles, or encourages smarter behaviour, it must be transformed into a product or service,” said Tõnu Esko, Vice-Rector for Development at the University of Tartu and a leading genomics scientist, encouraging health tech researchers to venture into entrepreneurship.

Health Founders Estonia welcomes project ideas from both life sciences and digital healthcare. Focus areas include gene technology, personalized medicine, drug development, bioinformatics, medical technology, software-based medical devices, digital diagnostics and treatment services, and healthcare ICT solutions.

Applications are open until June 16. Learn more here.

Enterprise Estonia and Startup Estonia, in collaboration with Health Founders Estonia, will support the establishment of knowledge-based health tech startups in Estonia over the next four years, fostering the growth of early-stage and scaling companies both domestically and globally, while developing Estonia’s health tech ecosystem and network.

Have an idea for a game-changing healthcare innovation? Join HFE Startup Bootcamp, find team mates and take your idea to a next level!

The Health Founders Estonia Startup Bootcamp (HFE Startup Bootcamp) brings together science, medicine, and business to tackle the most pressing healthcare challenges. 

When: May 16-17

Location: Tartu

This 2-days event offers participants the chance to work side by side with experienced mentors and industry experts, expand their professional network, and develop innovative healthcare solutions — or enhance existing ones. Participants will take part in hands-on workshops, and gain immediate feedback on their solutions. Plus, the event offers valuable networking opportunities, helping innovators find like-minded collaborators and potential co-founders.

The key challenges for teams lie in Healthcare Data Management, Screening & Early Diagnosis, and Digital Therapeutics & Disease Management. The best solutions receive further support, including tickets to conferences, additional mentorship, and exclusive access to HFE programs.

Who Can Apply?

Aspiring healthtech entrepreneurs and innovators with groundbreaking ideas.

Teams with existing prototypes or early-stage healthtech concepts.

Researchers with discoveries ready to make a real-world impact.

Anyone passionate about transforming healthcare with technology.

Register as an individual or as a team creating an account on the TAIKAI platform by May 7th, 00:00 CET and secure your spot!

A Foundation Built on Collaboration

Erki Mölder, Chair of the HFE Advisory Board, opened the event by outlining four core principles that guide Health Founders Estonia’s approach. He emphasized that technology development must always go hand-in-hand with business strategy and real market potential. Equally important is co-creation, as tangible progress in health innovation requires every player in the ecosystem to work together. Startups, he noted, need stage-specific, structured, and combined support to grow successfully. Finally, he highlighted that open information sharing and peer-to-peer learning are critical for accelerating innovation across the sector.

The Future of Estonia’s HealthTech Sector – Four Key Challenges

Sandra Särav-Tammus, Deputy Secretary General for Economy and Innovation at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, emphasized that Estonia has the potential to achieve the highest number of HealthTech unicorns per capita by 2035. To reach this ambitious goal, she outlined four pressing challenges. The first is a looming workforce shortage, as half of Estonia’s healthcare professionals are expected to retire within the next decade, while the inflow of new talent remains too slow. The second challenge is community cohesion, since the HealthTech sector needs stronger collaboration and a shared vision to grow sustainably. Third, she highlighted the importance of access to capital, stressing that Estonia must attract more investment and focus on developing exportable technologies and services. Finally, she pointed to regulatory barriers, urging the state to act as a partner that helps companies overcome obstacles rather than getting stuck behind them.

Designing the Future, Not Reacting to the Past

Building on this perspective, Tõnu Esko, Vice Rector for Development at the University of Tartu, spoke about Estonia’s unique global advantage: its highly integrated data, systems, and services. He noted that while other countries are still catching up with yesterday’s challenges, Estonia is already designing the future. For the ecosystem to truly thrive, he emphasized, all players must understand its full complexity and co-design solutions with international growth potential.

Panel Discussion: The Future of Estonian HealthTech

In the panel “The Future of Estonian HealthTech,” experts from across the ecosystem shared their perspectives on the sector’s bottlenecks and opportunities. The discussion brought together Erki Mölder (Health Founders Estonia), Kristiina Sepp (Estonian Business and Innovation Agency), Dr. Katrin Kaarna (University of Tartu, Institute of Clinical Medicine), and Ergo Sooru (Co-founder and CEO of DrHouse).

The panelists emphasized the need for more substantial alignment between research and business, stressing that scientific discoveries must be linked to real-world applications to create meaningful impact. They also pointed out that bureaucracy often hinders innovation and called for regulatory frameworks that support, rather than hinder, technological progress. Startups, they agreed, require structured support, including reliable access to funding and clear pathways toward clinical validation.

Another key point was the need to shift the academic mindset: entrepreneurship should be seen as a valuable path for scientists, not as a failure to remain in academia. Finally, the panel called for greater expertise within the public sector and closer cooperation between universities and private companies to ensure that promising ideas can reach patients faster.

Health Founders Estonia Calls for Bold Innovators

Health Founders Estonia encourages researchers, startups, and entrepreneurs to bring forward bold and ambitious ideas with the aim of co-creating the future of HealthTech in Estonia. The team is actively seeking visionary concepts and early-stage companies that are ready to grow, driven by their vision of making Estonia the most valued early-stage HealthTech growth environment in Europe.

Estonia is globally renowned as a leader in innovative health technologies. We have a rapidly growing health technology industry with high economic value, deep societal impact and significant export volume. Built on an efficient and globally integrated health technology ecosystem that gives birth to multiple startup success stories each year.

Global Challenge

Healthcare systems worldwide are under increasing pressure. Aging population, growing waiting lists, and a deepening shortage of clinicians are putting the accessibility and quality of healthcare services at risk. It is clear that addressing the structural problems in healthcare requires both bold political decisions as well as innovative practical solutions to make the entire system more efficient, effective, and patient-centred.

Opportunity for Estonia

Due to Estonia’s unique experience in digitising healthcare, as well as its dynamic deep tech ecosystem, there is an opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind growth environment for building new science-based health technology companies.

However, looking back at the sector’s development in Estonia over the last 20 years, it is evident that existing technology transfer models have only been able to create a few isolated success stories. Since Estonia has limited experience in commercialising research results and only a limited number of people with the necessary competencies, the sector’s international competitiveness and export capacity are significantly lower compared to neighbouring countries.

For example, compared to Finland, the approximately 2- to 3-fold difference in creating new health technology companies becomes a 15- to 20-fold difference in raising venture capital and nearly a 50-fold difference in export turnover.

Taking Estonian healthtech to the next level

Creating the next generation of Estonian healthtech success stories requires a new operating model for the ecosystem together with programs and support services that address the industry-specific needs of the companies within it.

Instead of focusing only on top-down policies and project-based community initiatives, we need to build a long-term support system for the founders and operators who are bold (and crazy) enough to tackle wicked challenges in the world’s most complex industry.

To accelerate the growth of the Estonian healthtech ecosystem, we are bringing together a broad-based alliance of industry experts, entrepreneurs and practitioners under the name Health Founders Estonia (HFE). The founding members of HFE include the Estonian Health Economy Association (Health Founders and DTx Estonia), the University of Tartu, Tartu University Hospital, Tartu Science Park, and CIVITTA.

We invite all stakeholders in the ecosystem – startups, policy makers, healthcare providers, patient organisations, universities and research institutions, accelerators, incubators, investors – to join Health Founders Estonia and contribute to taking Estonian healthtech community to the next level!

Join the community and get involved!

But turning bold ideas into game-changing health technologies takes more than vision. It requires support, expertise, and the right connections. That’s where we come in.

Welcome to Health Founders Estonia – the world’s first country-level accelerator dedicated to early-stage health tech startups.

We believe that the next generation of healthcare solutions will come from collaboration – where cutting-edge science meets entrepreneurial drive. Our mission is to help innovators transform ideas into impact by providing a launchpad for success, including:

World-class mentorship from top industry experts
Access to investors who believe in the power of health tech
Connections with healthcare leaders ready to adopt new solutions

Weather you’re a scientist with a groundbreaking discovery, a doctor with an idea for improvement, or a founder with a bold vision, this is your chance to shape the future of healthcare.

Are you ready?

Join us at Health Founders Estonia and let’s build the future of health—together.

Join the community