EIC and German Entrepreneurship Healthcare Investor Day in Munich: start-ups, VCs and the work of building a European healthtech ecosystem

Brussels, July 13th 2023

Summary

›The EIC and German Entrepreneurship staged a healthcare investor day in Munich on 19 June that gathered EIC-backed start-ups, top European VCs and ecosystem partners.
›INBRAIN Neuroelectronics, Hemispherian AS and Methinks AI won the event pitches in Medtech, Biotech and eHealth categories respectively.
›More than 30 partner organisations and a long list of European investors attended, with dozens of one-to-one meetings and follow up networking.
›Organisers framed the event as part of the EIC’s Business Acceleration Services and the Ecosystem Partnerships and Co-Investment Support Programme designed to prepare beneficiaries for private investment.
›Speakers praised the quality of companies and the matchmaking but cautioned that exposure alone does not guarantee scale or US parity for European ventures.

EIC & German Entrepreneurship Healthcare Investor Day: Munich, 19 June 2023

On 19 June 2023 the European Innovation Council partnered with German Entrepreneurship to run an in-person healthcare investor day in Munich. The event brought together selected EIC-backed healthcare start-ups, a curated group of European venture investors and ecosystem partners. Organisers described the gathering as an opportunity to accelerate private investment into promising technologies across Biotechnology, Medtech and eHealth. Several founders called the meeting ‘‘probably the best event of the year’’. The event was also positioned as an operational example of the EIC’s Business Acceleration Services and its Ecosystem Partnerships and Co-Investment Support Programme.

What happened and why it matters

Physical, investor-facing events remain a core way for early stage health ventures to demonstrate technology, test commercial narratives and begin the investor relationship process. The Munich event mixed a panel of pitches, one-on-one investor meetings and informal networking. That format is familiar to VCs who emphasise the importance of personal chemistry and first-hand evaluation of teams. The event highlighted the EIC's dual role as a programmatic supporter and a gateway to private capital.

Selected outcomes and awards

Three companies won best-pitch recognition in their categories following jury evaluation. The winners illustrate common European strengths in materials and device engineering, AI-enabled clinical tools and small molecule therapeutics.

Category	Winner	Short technology description
Medtech	INBRAIN Neuroelectronics	Graphene-based brain-computer interfaces and neuromodulation platforms for disorders such as Parkinson and epilepsy
Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals	Hemispherian AS	Preclinical small molecule cancer therapeutics aimed at DNA damage response pathways
eHealth	Methinks AI	AI software that analyses non-contrast CT scans to support fast stroke triage

Companies on the stage and their technologies

INBRAIN Neuroelectronics:INBRAIN is developing graphene-based brain-computer interfaces to increase resolution and reduce invasiveness in neuromodulation. The company pitched neuromodulation applications in movement disorders and epilepsy and won the Medtech pitch. CEO Carolina Aguilar used the platform to underline how EIC support and European service infrastructure help companies prepare for competitive fundraising.

Methinks AI for eHealth:Methinks AI has developed algorithms that detect large vessel occlusions and intracranial haemorrhage on non-contrast CT scans. The company argues that using NCCT makes the solution potentially deployable in many hospitals worldwide where advanced vascular imaging is not available. Methinks won best pitch in the eHealth track and highlighted the investor concentration and matchmaking value of the event.

Hemispherian AS:Hemispherian is a preclinical pharmaceuticals company focused on small molecules that target the DNA damage response. The company emphasised that EIC validation and exposure play a role when seeking private capital for preclinical drug programmes.

Other presenting companies:The event featured an additional 15 selected companies working across Biotechnology, Medtech and eHealth. Those included AI4MedImaging, Aortyx, Arctic Therapeutics, BOYDSense, Dermagnostix, enGenome, GrayMatters Health, humanITcare, iThera Medical GmbH, Ovagen Group Limited, Palobiofarma S.L., Sequentia Biotech, SOMAprobes SL, Theralia AB and Tada Group AB. Each company presented technology at varying readiness levels from clinical pilots to advanced R&D.

Context on selected technologies and technical notes

Graphene-based brain-computer interfaces and neuromodulation:Graphene is a two dimensional form of carbon with favourable electrical and mechanical properties. Companies working with graphene propose thinner, flexible electrodes that can increase contact density and lower impedance. In practice the field faces regulatory, manufacturing and long term biocompatibility challenges. Higher resolution interfaces can improve signal quality for closed loop neuromodulation but moving from promising bench research to safe human implants requires rigorous clinical data and scalable manufacturing.

AI on non-contrast CT for stroke triage:Methinks and similar vendors emphasise that non-contrast CT is available in most hospitals worldwide while CT angiography or perfusion imaging are not. AI models that reliably flag large vessel occlusions or hemorrhage on NCCT can shorten triage times. The caveat is that algorithm performance depends on training data diversity, clinical validation in multiple settings and integration into clinical workflows to avoid false positives or workflow burden.

Germ free eggs for vaccine and biologics manufacturing:Some companies in the event ecosystem, such as Ovagen, are working on germ free egg production intended to reduce microbial contamination in egg‑based vaccine production. The claimed advantages include higher viral yields and fewer batch losses caused by egg borne bacteria. If validated at scale this could reduce supply risks for egg‑dependent vaccine lines but translation to industry requires large scale manufacturing, regulatory acceptance and cost comparisons with alternative cell‑based platforms.

Investors, partners and ecosystem players in Munich

The event attracted a large and diverse VC attendance. A venture capital panel and numerous one-to-one meetings gave founders access to many of Europe’s active life science and deep tech investors. The organisers reported more than 30 partners on the programme and dozens of high quality introductions during the day and in a joint dinner that connected attendees from other concurrent healthcare events in Munich.

Type	Representative organisations mentioned in the programme	Notes
European VCs and investors	APEX Ventures, Armilar Venture Partners, Bullnet Capital, Blue Ribbon Partners, CDP Venture Capital sgr, Coparion, Earlybird, EQT Life Sciences, Hadean Ventures, Heal Capital, High-Tech Gründerfonds, imec.xpand, MIG AG, M-Ventures, Norgine Ventures, Omnes Capital, Panakès Partners, TVM Life Science Management, Wellington Partners, Voima Ventures Oy	Representatives participated in panels and jury duties.
Ecosystem partners and facilitators	German Entrepreneurship, Plug and Play Munich, EIC Business Acceleration Services	German Entrepreneurship hosted the event locally and leveraged its Munich network.

Speakers from funds emphasised that curated, physical events remain important to identify founders and to get a feel for teams early on. Investors present said they valued the pre-selection of technologies and the opportunity for direct meetings. Attendees described the environment as energetic with many follow up conversations initiated during the networking dinner.

German Entrepreneurship’s role and ecosystem leverage

German Entrepreneurship hosted the event at its Munich office. The organisation runs programmes that connect startups, universities, corporates and public organisations and operates several international offices. Andreas Keilhacker, GE Ecosystem Development Lead for Europe, described GE’s work as supporting startups from idea to global scaling and providing access to investors and mentors. In Munich the timing allowed guests attending other healthcare gatherings to join a joint networking dinner.

EIC programmes behind the event

Organisers framed the investor day as part of the EIC Ecosystem Partnerships and Co-Investment Support Programme. That initiative expands the EIC’s Business Acceleration Services by building a network of sector-focused partners to help innovators access bespoke services. The programme also aims to promote co-investment with the EIC Fund by preparing beneficiaries to meet investors and by offering matchmaking and dedicated events. The contact point for event queries listed by organisers was events@eicfund.eu.

Investor perspective and founder feedback

VC representatives praised the quality of pre-selected companies and the value of meeting founders in person. Fei Tian from MIG AG noted the benefit of seeing complementary technologies for potential investment, while Karl Nägler from Wellington Partners stressed the value of meeting the people behind the projects. Founders who pitched called the event well organised and said the jury panels and concentration of investors made it useful for medium to long term fundraising opportunities. Several founders also underlined that programme exposure acts as validation when approaching private investors.

Practical takeaways and a cautious view

The event highlighted several enduring truths for European healthtech: high quality scientific talent, a growing number of specialised funds, and public programmes that de‑risk early stages. At the same time the European ecosystem still faces challenges in scaling companies to later stages where US players dominate market size and capital supply. Physical investor days help but do not substitute for subsequent commercial traction, robust clinical evidence or follow-on funding. Founders should treat exposure as a step in a longer process rather than a guarantee of near term exits.

Next chance to apply: EIC & Euroquity-Bpifrance Healthcare Investor Day, Paris 23 October 2023

Organisers announced a follow up event in Paris on 23 October 2023 in collaboration with Bpifrance. Selected EIC-backed beneficiaries will be able to present to a roster of European investors that includes 50Partners, Debiopharm, Earlybird, EIT Health, HTGF, HV Capital, Invivo Capital, Karista, Kurma Partners, LifeX Ventures, MTIP, Panakès Partners, Sofinnova Partners, Supernova Invest, Swisscom Ventures, Truffle Capital, Verve Ventures and others. Applications for the Paris investor day were open until 1 September 2023.

Contact, practical information and disclaimer

Questions about the Munich event and the EIC co-investment programme were routed to events@eicfund.eu. The EIC described the information around the event as knowledge sharing and explicitly asked readers not to treat the content as the official view of the European Commission or any other organisation. Note that founders quoted at the event expressed enthusiasm and optimism. Those are valid first order indicators but independent due diligence, product validation and follow‑on financing remain necessary to scale companies and to deliver clinical benefit at population scale.

Selected investor list (representative, not exhaustive)

Investor / Partner	Type
APEX Ventures	Venture capital
Armilar Venture Partners	Venture capital
Bullnet Capital	Venture capital
Blue Ribbon Partners	Company creation and venture support
CDP Venture Capital sgr	Investor
Coparion	Growth investor
Earlybird Venture Capital	Venture capital
EQT Life Sciences	Life science investor
Hadean Ventures	Life science VC
Heal Capital	Healthtech VC
High-Tech Gründerfonds	Early stage investor
imec.xpand	Deep tech investor
MIG AG	Venture capital
Omnes Capital	Private equity
Panakès Partners	Life science investor
Wellington Partners	Life science VC
Voima Ventures	Deep tech VC

This list reflects investors and partners named during the event. It is not an exhaustive directory of all attendees.

Final note on European funding and the role of programmes like the EIC

European public programmes such as the EIC can provide non‑dilutive grants, matching and co-investment support that mitigate early stage risk. They are most useful when combined with credible clinical plans, rigorous regulatory strategies and market engagement. The Munich investor day showed that the EIC and local partners can convene high quality investors and innovators. The longer term metric of success will be whether these interactions translate into sustained funding rounds, regulatory progress and adopted products that improve patient outcomes.

Event organisers and participants are welcome to share updates and outcomes from the investor day with the EIC community. For more details about EIC programmes and future physical events contact events@eicfund.eu or consult the EIC Business Acceleration Services pages.

Disclaimer: This article is a structured representation of the EIC & German Entrepreneurship Healthcare Investor Day coverage and related public company information. Quotations and descriptive material are taken from participant statements and event summaries. The piece does not represent the official view of any public institution. Investors and founders should perform their own due diligence.