Healthtech is one of the fastest growing technology sectors. For example, fourteen healthtechs feature in the Sifted 100, a ranking of the fastest-growing tech companies in the UK and Ireland by historical revenue figures. The global healthtech startups sector is particularly strong in 2025 because it sits at a perfect confluence of several key factors:
- Demographic needs due to aging populations in some economies, and rising chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and mental health disorders;
- Tech breakthroughs in AI, genomics, wearables, and IoT (Internet of Things) enable startups to solve complex healthcare problems faster and cheaper than traditional methods;
- Supportive government and regulator policies are embracing digital health to modernize systems and cut costs;
- Enthusiastic investors see healthtech as a high-return sector amid a $4 trillion global healthcare market (McKinsey, 2024). Fastest growing areas are expected to include cardiovascular health, digital healthcare, and robotics;
- Global scalability, because healthtech solutions—especially digital ones—can scale rapidly across borders with minimal physical infrastructure.
Healthtech startups won four digital industry categories at the recent BOLD Awards VI edition ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal, in March 2025. Their development is aligned to key factors outlined above. Also, five healthtech startup founders took the stage to pitch for investment at the recent Tech.eu Summit in London in March, 2025. Maybe they are BOLD Awards winners of the future?
BOLD Awards VI Healthtech Winners
Boldest AI
Harnessing the power of AI, FundamentalVR has developed simulator surgical training technology. It’s been compared to a flight simulator for surgeons that allows them to practice and train for high level procedures. Using real-time data assessments and data-driven methodology to predict surgical behaviour, FundamentalVR enables immediate intervention and fosters safer training environments. Incorporating haptic technology gives users an added keen sense of feeling what they are doing. AI is transforming surgical training, making it more effective and accessible.
Boldest AR/VR
This was won again by FundamentalVR, this time for a project in collaboration with the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The primary goal was to improve the skills of ophthalmologists and expand their knowledge base through specialized training programs focused on paediatric eye diseases and conditions. By leveraging the power of virtual reality, this program offers a revolutionary, freely accessible simulation platform for ophthalmologists and trainees worldwide.
Boldest IOT (Internet of Things)
Using a neurocognitive approach, NextGenSurgery’s “Surgeon Training 3.0” will elevate existing surgical education and technical skills training with the addition of patented mind-body integration and tuning to develop elite performance in stress resilient surgeons and teams. The exactitude of its robotic haptic feedback is world-leading.
Boldest Healthtech
This category was a tremendous third win for Fundamental VR, on this occasion for a collaboration with electronics giant Philips. This partnership addresses the limitations of conventional medical training methods, such as the prohibitive costs of cadaver labs and haptic simulators, by offering an economical and scalable VR training solution.
This breakthrough not only mitigates financial barriers but also enhances educational experiences across global markets through lifelike, immersive simulations poised to markedly improve learning outcomes. Democratizing access to training reduces learning curves and accelerates adoption of new products and life-saving technology.
Rising Healthtech Startups Seeking Investment
GitLife Biotech
Low digital take-up within medical services is hampering the monetisation of startups. Secure sharing and collaboration through encryption, rights management, and so on, would accelerate development of synthetic biology. However, insufficient information is being shared due to the lack of tools that would facilitate safe and secure crowdsourcing.
GitLife Biotech offers secure sharing among wider, bigger, more diverse groups of contributors to accelerate medical developments. Pilot studies have been funded by Innovate UK. Founder Beatrix Ellis is seeking a seed round investment of £2 million to develop her UK-based global business.
Grizoon
This is a Swiss startup that is tackling the needs of 25% of elderly people in Europe’s aging population who experience loneliness. Grizoon has created an AI companion for elderly care, installed in a tablet. It remembers everything that has been said, and can thus develop various future conversation threads and themes, and prompt recall among forgetful users. It has been proven to slow down the onset of dementia.
It is a B2B business, targeting governments and health services that will need Grizoon, or something similar, to fill gaps due to staff shortages and growing demand. Age clinician shortages are already a real problem.
Co-founder and CEO Rico Castelberg is seeking a pre-seed investment of €1.5 million.
Biostream
Biostream has developed healthtech to help battlefield casualties. The company provides wearable tech for troops that monitors vital signs to enable a rapid response when they are wounded. 80% of fatalities are wounded troops who bleed to death, said co-founder Sophia Metz, so speed is of the essence. Rescuers can also locate wounded troops who are unconscious. Alternatively, when the tech no longer transmits any vital signs then nobody else has to risk their own lives to try and save them.
The data is relayed through the standard radio that each soldier carries. 500 Ukraine troops are currently testing the Biostream technology under real battle conditions. Each set of wearable tech, plus software, costs £300 per soldier. Biostream thus makes it affordable for ordinary troops to receive the benefits, not just elite specialist forces.
Biostream is open for expressions of interest to invest, no particular target or timetable was given at the Tech.eu Summit.
Doctorsa
Getting to see a doctor when travelling abroad can be difficult, time consuming, frustrating, and also perhaps expensive if it is not covered by your insurance. Travellers face language problems, and choosing to delay treatment until returning home can make medical conditions much worse. Doctorsa is a service that puts travellers in touch with an online doctor who can issue prescriptions.
In 2024 it launched in 32 countries, having so far bootstrapped all the way. In keeping with healthtech minimal physical infrastructure, this has been achieved by a team of just nine people.
Mark Kelly, VP of Marketing, explained they are currently raising a target of €2 million to expand globally, sign up partners, and target more markets than travellers. He added that they grew fast initially through using PPC (pay per click), though more business is now coming in in 2025 through optimised content than PPC. This, he said, is a sign that more people know what they are looking for.
THIER
“Diabetes costs UK companies $4 billion,” said co-founder Kofo Mary Are. This was to demonstrate that it is in employers’ best interests to help their key personnel manage their personal wellness and reduce instances of lifestyle diseases through disease prevention before it is apparent.
THIER is an app that tracks behaviour (physical activity) and diet. Its analysis is based on data crowdsourced from 90,000 insurance claims. It has been developed to an MVP stage, and is available direct to B2B customers. The approximate cost works out at an average £50 per month per employee.
The business aims to raise £700,000 to further develop the platform and run more tests. Unfortunately, Kofo Mary Are was unable to explain any USP that would prevent a copy cat competitor from providing a similar service.
Key Takeaways on Healthtech Startups
Healthtech startups is a prolific sector for ingenuity and innovation.
The underlying market conditions of an increasing demand for medical and healthcare services for aging populations, and a shortage of skilled clinicians at the pay levels governments and health providers can afford to pay, are not going to change.
Digital services installed on tablets and phones don’t need time to rest, charge overtime, or ask for pay rises.
Healthtech will therefore remain an attractive sector for early stage investors, and AI will help successful startups to scale quickly.
How about you? Are you active in the healthtech sector, whether as part of a startup, or a more established company, or maybe as an investor. Do you have some insights you can share with us all?
