Over the past few years, the Southeast European region has become home to many healthtech (consumer-facing apps) and medtech (technology used in hospital settings) startups, all with a mission to improve healthcare globally. .
While medtech is the new frontier of innovation, it is also one of the most challenging sectors to work in: the region’s startups and medtech companies are developing new technologies for the healthcare sector , providing solutions to the various problems encountered by hospitals, clinics and healthcare professionals. and patients are confronted.
That being said, the SEE region is now a hotspot for medtech and healthtech startups, and in this article we present our pick of some of the most promising of them along with their solutions.
South East European medtech and healthtech startups
mBrainTrain – Serbia
mBrainTrain is a Serbian technology company that focuses on building mobile and wearable devices that measure brain activity through electroencephalography, EEG, a test that measures the brain’s electrical activity using small metal discs attached to leather hairy.
The Company’s products allow users to control their own brain signals during an entertaining training program to improve overall brain fitness.
Founded in 2012, aims to develop fully mobile wearable devices for recording and using brain activity, and its products are present in 40 countries. According to the company, it is working to make EEG an invisible and transparent piece of technology that will eventually blend into the lives of ordinary people.
Intelligence – Greece
Intelligencia is a Greek AI software platform that helps pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies reduce drug development risks and introduce new drugs to the market faster. The startup is also pioneering the use of machine learning algorithms to assess, quantify and reduce clinical development risks.
With the aim of bringing innovative therapies to patients faster and with reduced risk, Intelligencia offers drug development companies ML-based predictions on the trials they are conducting to help them in their critical decision-making process.
Last year, the company raised $12 million in a Series A round led by European healthtech investor MTIP, using the investment for product development and expansion of its Greek R&D team.
XVision – Romania
XVision is a Romanian startup that uses artificial intelligence algorithms to analyze medical images, to assist radiologists in the diagnostic process.
The startup’s AI software, implemented in the Romanian chain of private clinics Regina Maria and used internationally in more than 60 clinics and hospitals, analyzes more than 26,000 chest X-rays and 10,000 chest CT scans per month .
Founded in 2018 in the city of Timisoara, the company’s platform is operational in more than 60 private hospitals in Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland. At the beginning of this year, the startup raised 1 million euros, which it will use to accelerate its access to Western Europe, develop new products, improve existing ones and hire new people with expertise in AI, software development , medical imaging and business development. .
Zana Technologies – Albania/Germany
Zana Technologies is a German conversational AI technology startup founded by Albanian computer scientist Julia Hoxha. Zana’s digital solutions such as chatbots and voice assistants aim to innovate and improve healthcare using ML and AI technology.
The company works primarily with traditional healthcare organizations and also provides pharmaceutical and medical companies with patient support solutions for remote clinical trials and post-market research.
Zana’s latest project includes the use of digital tools for remote monitoring of patients with respiratory diseases. The in-app companion daily helps the patient track their symptoms and vital signs, as well as capture their voice through dedicated voice tasks combined with appropriate physical exercise.
Healee – Bulgaria/United States
Healing is a digital health platform with telehealth, scheduling and digital recording capabilities. It consists of a web portal and a mobile app where patients can search for providers, schedule appointments and submit their medical history. On the provider side, doctors can provide virtual care using the latest tools like AI, remote patient monitoring, queue management, payments, and more.
Founded in 2018, Healee is offered as a white-label solution, unique in its ability to adapt to diverse use cases with transparent branding and client infrastructure, configurable features and workflows. In May 2020, Healee raised $892,000 in a pre-seed round led by Eleven Ventures.
Joey – Bosnia/United States
Joey is an on-demand marketplace and telehealth platform founded in Bosnia for maternal and child health, connecting parents with various practitioners such as lactation consultants, doulas and sleep consultants.
The platform offers solutions that go from “search” to “talk” with an expert in less than 30 minutes, especially crucial for nursing issues throughout the night.
The app is currently in public beta, as it aims to help practitioners break free from hospitals and health systems to start and run their own private practice.
FindMeCure – Bulgaria
FindMeCure is an online platform to search and compare clinical trials, based on criteria such as trial status (recruiting, completed, inactive, not recruiting), sponsor history, stage of development treatment, knowledge of the placebo, among others.
If users find and apply for a trial they’re interested in, FindMeCure connects them to the trial team on their behalf until they can log in and speak with the appropriate person.
Founded in 2015, the platform claims to have helped more than 370,000 patients search for clinical trials and connect with the team of their chosen studies. In 2017, the startup raised $420,000 in a funding round.
Smart MedBox – Serbia
Smart medical box is a Serbian health technology startup that creates technological solutions to combat medication non-adherence using connected technology, gamification psychology and the “sentinel effect” (the tendency of human performance to improve when participants are aware that their behavior is being evaluated) so that patients begin to accept therapy.
The Serbian startup offers two hardware products that track prescribed treatment as well as pill usage and trigger alarms when it is time to follow treatment: Medical Box, an at-home solution, also ideal for elderly patients as it does not does not interfere with their habits. , and their other product, the Medical Cap, which is a mobile solution for patients.
Silver Technologies – Croatia
Silver Technologies is a Croatian startup that has designed a surveillance smartwatch – a biometric mobile data and voice communication device, in conjunction with a surveillance web application platform enabling remote monitoring of a wide range of data detected in real time.
The product provides an integrated system for seamless data and voice interaction between older adults, caregivers and healthcare professionals.
It also allows users to benefit from 24/7 medical monitoring of their elderly family members. This information can be viewed by users themselves or shared with doctors and other healthcare professionals.
Telios care – Romania
Telios Care is a Romanian startup that provides telemedicine services and connects patients with healthcare professionals. According to the company, through Telios Care, patients can get a diagnosis and treatment options within 30 minutes.
Last year, Telios raised €700K to accelerate its development and expansion projects in the region. The startup aims to add new, faster medical services, like house calls, and hopes to increase usage of its services, estimating a doubling of the number of patients, to 200,000.
