EIC Coaching Corner: How coaching helped Spanish medtech startups Idoven and mjn‑neuro sharpen commercialisation and investor outreach
- ›Two Spanish medtech startups, Idoven and mjn‑neuro, worked with EIC business coach Jose Martinez to clarify commercial paths and investor-facing materials.
- ›Idoven focused on refining its go‑to‑market strategy, unique value pitch and internationalisation for its AI ECG platform Willem.
- ›mjn‑neuro concentrated on regulatory progression, capital needs and reshaping its investor presentation for the mjn‑SERAS seizure risk device.
- ›The coaching was part of the EIC Business Coaching programme which offers up to three days of tailored support and a large pool of vetted coaches.
- ›Both teams reported practical changes to pitches and strategy but longer term regulatory and market steps remain substantial and resource intensive.
Coaching Corner: guiding medtech scaleup — Idoven and mjn‑neuro
The European Innovation Council highlighted a Coaching Corner episode that followed two Spanish health technology companies as they worked with a business coach to move from technical achievement to commercial traction. The episode gathered testimony from Manuel Marina Breysse, co‑founder and CEO of Idoven, and David Blánquez and Jordina Arcal, CEO and deputy CEO of mjn‑neuro. Their coach was Jose Martinez. Coaching occurred over several weeks in 2021 and targeted complementary needs tied to commercialization, regulatory strategy and investor readiness.
The companies and their technologies
What each company needed from coaching
Both businesses were at stages where technical progress had outpaced clarity on business model and market approach. Idoven had advanced AI models and heavy technical confidence but needed to translate that into a clear unique selling proposition and an operational go‑to‑market plan for international expansion. mjn‑neuro was farther along with a working medical device and the long runway of product development behind it. Their immediate concerns were navigating medical device regulation, raising capital and presenting the company to investors in a way that reflected investor priorities.
| Company | Primary challenge addressed in coaching | Coach focus | Regulatory/technical snapshot |
| Idoven | Define most viable commercialisation path and scale internationally | Clarify founders' roles and value, rebuild value pitch, shape go‑to‑market and investor approach | AI ECG platform (Willem) reported CE marked Class IIa under EU MDR, large annotated ECG database and multiple publications |
| mjn‑neuro | Raise capital, agree partnering model and improve investor pitch | Set clear goals, align messaging to investor perspective, improve presentation visuals and include investor‑relevant data | mjn‑SERAS ear device with CE marking under earlier directives, reported test results of 96% sensitivity and 94% specificity, Android app integration |
Coach Jose Martinez's approach
According to the coach, the work began by mapping expectations, motivations and concrete goals. For mjn‑neuro that included acknowledging the founder's personal motivation in driving a long regulatory process. For Idoven the work involved digging into intellectual property, founder roles and the core value proposition. The coach stressed setting focused meeting agendas and agreed milestones so that a short coaching engagement could produce tangible deliverables.
Reported outcomes and caveats
Both companies described the coaching as valuable and practical. Manuel Marina Breysse from Idoven said the sessions helped the team think more critically about go‑to‑market planning and international growth. mjn‑neuro reported concrete changes to its investor deck and said the coach highlighted data points it had overlooked. Both teams praised the coach's relationship and the broader support offered by the EIC.
At the same time those outcomes should be kept in perspective. Coaching here was an intensive but time‑limited engagement. Regulatory approval, reimbursement, multinational market entry and meaningful capital raises typically require longer term resources, iterative clinical evidence generation and sustained commercial activity. Technical claims such as sensitivity and specificity for medical devices often originate in controlled or internal tests and need independent, prospective validation in broader populations before they can be relied upon by regulators, clinicians and payers.
EIC Business Coaching programme — how it fits
The EIC encourages teams to select coaches with relevant industry experience and even foreign coaches to support international ambitions. Coaches must sign confidentiality and non‑disclosure agreements. Becoming a coach requires registration via the Funding & Tenders portal and passing selection criteria set by the EIC, which considers demand, rotation and past impact ratings.
Wider context for medtech scaleup in the EU
Scaling medical technology in Europe requires aligning several moving parts. Teams need robust clinical evidence, regulatory strategy under the EU MDR, clarity on reimbursement pathways in national health systems, data governance that meets GDPR and security standards, and integrations with existing clinical workflows and electronic health records. Investors in medtech typically ask for reproducible clinical results, regulatory milestones, defensible IP and a realistic commercial pathway to hospitals, payers or large MedTech and pharma partnerships. Coaching can accelerate clarity and presentations but cannot substitute for the long lead times and capital that regulatory and clinical validation demand.
Final takeaways
The EIC coaching described in this episode produced concrete short term gains for both Idoven and mjn‑neuro. Idoven sharpened its commercial story for internationalisation and investor outreach. mjn‑neuro improved its investor materials and added previously overlooked data points. The story illustrates how targeted external expertise can convert technical strengths into clearer business narratives. Observers should however note that short coaching engagements are one of many tools needed to navigate regulation, clinical validation and sustained fundraising in medtech.
If teams want more information about the EIC coaching services they can consult the EIC Community pages which explain eligibility, objectives by funding instrument and steps to request coaching.