EIC coaching for deep tech founders: SensiVR’s CEO on leadership, evidence and scale

Katarzyna Koba founded SensiVR in Poland to combine virtual reality with clinical practice for children who need neurorehabilitation and mental health support. As a Women TechEU awardee she then joined the European Innovation Council Women Leadership Programme to sharpen her leadership, negotiation and strategic partnership skills. Her account illustrates how targeted coaching and peer networks can influence the trajectory of a deep tech health start-up while also exposing the persistent hurdles that female founders face in the sector.

What SensiVR builds and why it matters

Koba emphasises access equity as a central goal. She says SensiVR should reduce financial, geographic and systemic barriers that stop families in underserved and rural communities from accessing neurorehabilitation. Those are legitimate aims. The hard work is producing robust clinical evidence, building reimbursement pathways and ensuring that devices and services are practical in front-line settings.

Leadership challenges in deep tech health

Koba describes several intersecting challenges. First, female founders in deep tech and digital health continue to face credibility gaps and underrepresentation. Second, the technology itself requires navigating clinical trials, medical device regulation and complex procurement or reimbursement systems. Third, raising deep tech capital typically demands long time horizons and investor understanding of clinical development risks. Those three forces together make scaling in health care especially difficult.

Why the EIC Women Leadership Programme mattered to Koba

Koba joined the eighth cohort of the EIC Women Leadership Programme to gain community, growth and mentorship following Women TechEU. She found the most value in personalised one-to-one coaching and mentoring focused on mindset and negotiation strategy. That human centred work helped her manage emotions in high pressure situations and approach partners from a position of value rather than seeking validation.

Concrete changes at SensiVR after the programme

Koba reported immediate operational and strategic changes. SensiVR implemented clearer partner selection criteria. The company refined its fundraising strategy to reflect its clinical milestones and market-entry needs. It also sharpened its narrative for academic, clinical and policy audiences so that SensiVR is positioned as a contributor to the European health policy agenda rather than only a start-up with a product.

The role of networks and peer support

Beyond technical training, the programme expanded Koba’s peer network across AI, fintech, biotech and green tech. Access to gender aware investors and regulatory experts was particularly useful as SensiVR prepared future funding rounds. Koba also described the personal benefit of hearing other women discuss credibility, intellectual property and systemic bias. That social validation contributed to mental resilience and collective confidence.

What to watch next for SensiVR and similar ventures

SensiVR is now focused on scaling clinical collaborations, continuing evidence generation and refining market strategy. These are necessary steps. Key risks remain. Clinical trials for paediatric interventions are complex. Securing reimbursement and procurement contracts requires different skill sets than clinical research. Technology adoption in health systems depends on workflow integration, clinician acceptance and cost effectiveness. Success will require more than leadership training. It will need persistent evidence and commercial traction.

EIC Women Leadership Programme in context

The EIC Women Leadership Programme is run by the European Innovation Council as part of its Business Acceleration Services. Launched as a pilot in 2021 the initiative has supported multiple cohorts and a growing alumni network. The eighth cohort ran from March to June 2025 and focused on advanced entrepreneurs with companies at least two years old. The programme offers training sessions, networking, a personal mentor and a business coach.

A closer look at metrics and claims

The EIC publishes metrics on meetings, deals and amounts raised as outputs of its Business Acceleration Services. Those figures demonstrate scale and intent. They do not by themselves prove long term impact. Matching meetings can lead to deals or to false starts. Investment numbers can be skewed by a few large rounds. For deep tech health companies the relevant measures are often later stage and include clinical endpoints, regulatory approvals, reimbursement decisions and real world adoption. Policymakers and funders need to look at both short term outputs and longer term health system outcomes.

Practical advice from Koba for founders

Koba recommends vulnerability, active participation and immediate implementation of learnings from programmes. She urges founders to ask questions during trainings, use sessions to test assumptions and to select advisors carefully. Her message is practical. Coaching can shift mindset and tactics quickly but long term company success still depends on execution, evidence and market fit.

How to find the programme and who is eligible

The EIC Women Leadership Programme is open to women researchers and entrepreneurs from the EIC and EIT communities. Advanced entrepreneurial cohorts target founders or C-suite leaders of start-ups at least two years old. The programme is part of the EIC Business Acceleration Services. Open calls and details are published on the EIC Community Platform and via the EIC BAS newsletter. Participation does not include direct funding and travel costs for in-person events must be covered by participants.

Final assessment

Katarzyna Koba’s story shows how leadership training and targeted mentoring can change behaviour and clarity for a deep tech health start-up. Those changes matter. They can improve negotiation outcomes, partner selection and the speed of strategic decisions. But leadership development is one element in a larger set of obstacles facing health tech companies. Clinical evidence, regulatory compliance, procurement and reimbursement strategies will ultimately determine whether SensiVR and similar companies move from pilot projects to routine care. The EIC programme reduces some frictions and helps founders navigate ecosystems. It is not a substitute for rigorous clinical results or sustainable business models.

Contacts and further reading

For details on the EIC Women Leadership Programme and future calls visit the EIC Community Platform or contact the EIC Community helpdesk using the 'EIC Women Leadership Programme' category. For SensiVR information check company channels and publications related to their Horizon Europe and EU4Health collaborations.