EIC Tech to Market Venture Building showcases health innovations at Tech Demo Days and moves projects toward market validation
- ›The EIC Tech to Market Venture Building Programme presented 16 healthcare innovations across two Tech Demo Days in June.
- ›Two EIC Pathfinder projects, QUSTom and SKINDEV, received expert feedback and advanced to the Opportunities' Exploration phase.
- ›Participants valued practical guidance on pitching, business case development and regulatory planning from a diverse expert panel.
- ›Experts highlighted the programme's role in translating research into marketable ventures but warned that regulatory, team and funding gaps remain key hurdles.
- ›The EIC Tech to Market Programme is currently paused and expected to resume in 2026, but Venture Building activities continued through 2024 delivery partners.
EIC Tech to Market Venture Building’s Tech Demo Days focus on medical technologies and move projects toward market feasibility
In June 2024 the European Innovation Council’s Tech to Market Venture Building Programme staged two Tech Demo Days that put 16 medical technologies and medical devices before panels of industry and business experts. The sessions are the official entry point into the Venture Building pathway. Participating teams pitched their innovations and received structured feedback aimed at improving their business case and investment readiness.
How the Tech Demo Days work
Tech Demo Days convene EIC Pathfinder and Transition beneficiaries to present concrete innovations and to test market and regulatory assumptions with external experts. The format is intentionally practical. Expert panels ask targeted questions, critique value propositions and suggest next steps. For early stage deep tech teams this input is often the first sustained exposure to commercial and regulatory realities outside academia.
Two projects that stood out
We spoke with representatives from two EIC Pathfinder projects that participated in the Tech Demo Days and later progressed to the next Programme phase. Their accounts show what teams gain from the process and where the challenges remain.
What participants said they gained
Both project representatives highlighted the direct feedback from the expert panels as the most valuable outcome of the Tech Demo Days. They reported receiving advice that sharpened their pitch decks, clarified business cases and identified priorities for further development and regulatory planning.
Cristina Durán from QUSTom said the interaction with industry experts was instrumental in positioning the project for further financing and in shaping a follow-on transition plan after the Pathfinder grant ends. She described the process as providing clearer direction on how to take the technology to market in Europe.
Nastassia Knödlseder from SKINDEV emphasised the motivating and focused nature of the expert inputs. She said the session helped the team identify key challenges and realign priorities for the next stages of development.
Expert panel perspectives
The event included experienced venture builders and industry specialists who underscored the programme’s role as a bridge from lab to market. Two panellists, Carlos Battyán and Daniel Young, shared what they found most useful and what advice they give early stage teams.
Next steps for participating projects
Both QUSTom and SKINDEV advanced to the Opportunities' Exploration phase of the Venture Building Programme. In this phase they will receive feasibility guidance from business and technical experts and get specific recommendations tailored to their commercialisation path. Typical outputs at this stage include refined go to market strategies, clearer regulatory roadmaps and prioritized product development plans.
| Programme phase | Purpose | Typical services and outcomes |
| Tech Demo Days | Entry point to assess market potential | Thematic workshops, expert feedback, pitch improvement |
| Opportunities' Exploration | Feasibility and business insight | Feasibility analysis, market validation, regulatory scoping |
| Team creation | Assemble operational founding team | Recruitment services, entrepreneurs in residence, talent events |
| Venture support services | Build company capabilities and prepare for scaling | Advisory on IP, finance, HR, regulatory and go to market |
What this means in context of EU innovation and risks to watch
The EIC Tech to Market Venture Building Programme is one of several EU instruments that aim to plug a persistent gap in European deep tech commercialisation. Public funding for early research is strong across Europe, but translating complex medical technologies into regulated products requires different skills, talent and capital. Venture building initiatives attempt to supply those missing capabilities by combining coaching, recruitment help and expert networks.
That positive role should not be overstated. Receiving feedback in a demo setting is helpful but not sufficient. Startups developing medical hardware or engineered microbes face long regulatory pathways, clinical validation costs and commercial adoption challenges. Securing follow on funding and assembling a team with regulatory, clinical and commercial competence are decisive steps that remain difficult in many EU ecosystems.
Practical information and how to get support
Beneficiaries seeking additional information can contact the EIC Community helpdesk and select 'EIC T2M Venture Building Programme' as the subject. The Venture Building offering previously included calls for experts and an entrepreneurs in residence talent pool. Those calls were closed for new applications in 2024 but are expected to reopen when the programme resumes.
A final note: the account of the Tech Demo Days and participant quotes are provided for knowledge sharing and should not be interpreted as the official position of the European Commission or any other organisation.