The second day of the HealthTech Adria Conference was dedicated to the development of the startup ecosystem and marked by a competition that represented the finale of the NetHub Catalyst pre-acceleration program. Through the Demo Day, five startup teams were given the opportunity to present their innovative ideas in front of international investors and an expert jury, culminating months of work and preparation as part of the program conducted in collaboration with EIT Health. This event was the culmination of several months of education, mentoring and idea development, and the startups successfully presented how innovative solutions can respond to key challenges in the health sector.
The program started with an inspiring lecture by Ákos Wetters, co-founder of Kimitisik. In his presentation titled Go with the flow, Wetters shared his rich experience, showing how mentorship, openness to new perspectives and adaptability can foster innovative thinking in the startup world. His performance was extremely inspiring and provided an opportunity for everyone to draw useful messages from it for their professional and personal development.
The central part of the program was the Demo Day, in the form of a pitch presentation, in which the teams Doct, Apiotix Technologies, Xiphoid, Dokto, and Waveform. Each team had five minutes to present their innovation to the expert jury, followed by questions and comments. The jury, composed of international investors and experts, evaluated the projects based on innovation, market potential and feasibility.
The victory was won by the Xiphoid team with the BoneSense Smart Drill project, an innovative smart medical device for orthopedic surgery. Second place was won by the Apiotix Technologies team, whose Apinol360 project presented an innovative approach to developing an anti-inflammatory ingredient for dermocosmetics, while third place went to the Waveform team, which is developing SomnoShield, a smart bracelet based on artificial intelligence for prevention in the field of sleep medicine.
The competition was the result of months of collaboration with teams through the NetHub Catalyst pre-acceleration program, which provided support in the development of ideas and preparation for market launch. The pitch competition was not only an opportunity for presentations, but also for receiving feedback, connecting with investors and further developing their projects.
Along with the exciting competition, participants were able to follow extremely interesting lectures by domestic and international experts. Emina Kapetanović highlighted the challenges and opportunities that accompanied her during the construction of a healthcare startup and how international success can be achieved with a strategic approach and perseverance. Tihana Petričevic presented how data and analytics can be used to develop solutions that improve the quality of life of the elderly, enabling them to be more independent and secure in their daily lives.
In the continuation of the program, Filip Ivančić held a motivating lecture about his professional journey from failure to successful exit. Through personal examples, he emphasized the importance of teamwork as the basis of every success, emphasizing that the greatest value is created by the people behind the product and who bring results.
In addition, participants had the opportunity to hear lectures by international experts. Daniele Conti spoke about the application of artificial intelligence in the prevention of gynecological cancers, while Marion Lepmets presented startup development guide that helps young entrepreneurs face regulatory challenges. Jovan Stevović shared his knowledge about the importance of security and digital therapeutics in the development of innovations in healthcare. He stressed the importance of regulatory requirements, data security and certifications, highlighting how startups can ensure compliance and build trust in the healthcare market.
The official program of the second day of the conference concluded with a panel discussion on the role of investors in the healthtech sector, which included Carl Härtlein, Aleksandra Love and Karin Ostermann. The panelists emphasized the key role of investors in encouraging the development of health technologies and the importance of cooperation between innovators and financial partners in order to ensure a faster path to the market and create a real social impact.
The two-day program of the first edition of the HealthTech Adria conference was concluded with the closing address of Marko Mimica, the founder of the NetHub accelerator, who thanked all participants, partners and guests. He announced a new edition of the conference for 2025, expressing his excitement and desire to gather in even greater numbers with even richer content next year.
The realization of this event would not be possible without the support of organizational partners, among which are Medical Faculty in Split, PR agency Vrh Komunikacije, digital marketing agency SeekandHit and technical production Hypermedia plus. The sponsors also contributed – Moralis and Bobis, who provided coffee breaks, while Plan B prepared lunch for both days, and Kairos vina took care of the informal part of the socializing after the conference. Participants were hydrated by Leda water, and all participants went home with gift bags that contained, among other things, natural products from the company Apimel.
HealthTech Adria conference proved with its first edition that through cooperation, connection and mentoring we can build a strong innovation ecosystem that has the potential to improve the health industry in the region. We are excited about what the future holds and believe that the next edition of the conference will be even bigger, richer and more inspiring. See you 2025!