How SPIN4EIC turned a Paris pitching room into a commercial lead for AI4MedImaging
- ›An EIC pitching session at Healthcare Business International in Paris on 26 March 2025 connected AI4MedImaging with Swiss diagnostic buyer Rimed at Unilabs and launched an ongoing collaboration.
- ›The matchmaking was organised under SPIN4EIC, the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme, which offers training, free procurement assistance and curated pitching events to EIC-backed innovators.
- ›SPIN4EIC provides services for both innovators and public or private buyers but procurement outcomes are not guaranteed and procurement processes remain complex and time consuming.
- ›The session also showcased five EIC-backed medical imaging AI projects and included tailored pitching coaching for participants.
- ›Interested innovators and buyers can follow SPIN4EIC via its website, LinkedIn group, newsletter or helpdesk and can apply to ongoing assistance calls and the Innovation Procurement Academy.
From pitch to pilot the EIC route that put AI4MedImaging in front of Rimed at Unilabs
On 26 March 2025 a curated pitching session at Healthcare Business International in Paris brought EIC-backed medical imaging start ups into a room with prospective buyers. The session was organised under SPIN4EIC, a Strategic Innovation Procurement initiative run by the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme and the EIC Business Acceleration Services. One immediate outcome was a direct connection between AI4MedImaging and Rimed at Unilabs, a major Swiss diagnostic services provider. That connection has since progressed into an ongoing collaboration.
What happened at HBI Paris
The event was billed as a targeted pitching session for deep tech companies working on AI in medical imaging. Representatives from private buyers including Rimed at Unilabs, Affidea and 3R attended. EIC Programme Manager for Medical Imaging and AI in Healthcare Federica Zanca supported the session and facilitated matchmaking between the EIC awardees and buyers. The programme included short presentations by innovators, curated Q and A and networking time intended to surface potential pilots, procurement leads and partnerships.
Immediate outcomes and support provided
The most concrete headline outcome was a direct meeting that turned into an ongoing collaboration between AI4MedImaging and Rimed at Unilabs. SPIN4EIC and the EIC BAS role consisted of organising the pitching event, curating the buyer list and providing tailored pitching training to participating companies. The training aimed to help teams sharpen messaging and align their presentations with the expectations of healthcare providers and procurement officers.
Who presented at the SPIN4EIC pitching session
The session showcased multiple EIC-backed companies working across medical imaging hardware and software. Each brings a different technical bet and pathway to market.
| Company | Technology focus | EIC status | Contact (as listed in event materials) |
| AI4MedImaging | AI image analysis systems to support clinical decision making | EIC Accelerator beneficiary | António Murta – LinkedIn |
| Contextflow | Computer aided detection for chest CT integrated into PACS | EIC Accelerator beneficiary | Julie Sufana – LinkedIn |
| Better Medicine | AI to optimise radiology workflows and patient outcomes | EIC Accelerator beneficiary | Priit Saluma – LinkedIn |
| Raidium | AI native platform providing access to imaging biomarkers | EIC Accelerator beneficiary | Sebastian Schwarz – LinkedIn |
| Chipiron | Lightweight, affordable full body MRI using ultra low magnetic fields (<10 mT) | EIC Accelerator beneficiary | Evan Kervella – LinkedIn |
What SPIN4EIC offers and how it fits into EIC BAS
SPIN4EIC is the EIC Innovation Procurement Programme initiative focused on Strategic Innovation Procurement. It aims to help EIC awardees access procurement markets in Europe and beyond by delivering training, matchmaking and free hands on procurement assistance for both innovators and procurers. SPIN4EIC also offers targeted support to public buyers who want to set up innovation procurement tenders.
| Service | What it does | Who can apply or benefit |
| Pitching events and matchmaking | Curated presentations and buyer meetings to surface pilots and procurement leads | EIC awardees and registered private or public buyers |
| SPIN4EIC Assistance Action | Free help identifying, qualifying and submitting tenders and navigating legal issues | EIC innovators |
| Assistance to Public Buyers | Support to design innovation procurement tenders and conduct market consultations | European public procurers |
| Innovation Procurement Academy | Hands on training including procurement simulations | EIC awardees and selected innovators |
| SPIN4EIC Community and LinkedIn group | Thematic groups for knowledge sharing and opportunity notices | Open to registered members and buyers |
Context for medical imaging innovators and buyers
Procurement can be a realistic route to scale for medical imaging companies because hospitals and diagnostic chains purchase software and imaging hardware at scale. However procurement in healthcare comes with specific requirements. Clinical validation, regulatory compliance under EU medical device rules, data governance and interoperability with existing PACS and IT systems are often prerequisites. Public procurement processes can be long, require specific documentation and follow strict tender rules that vary by country and buyer.
Claims, metrics and a dose of skepticism
EIC Business Acceleration Services publish metrics to demonstrate impact. Examples cited across EIC materials include over 20,000 one to one meetings facilitated since 2021, 595 deals, and multiple millions raised by awardees. The SPIN4EIC impact report covers early results of the initiative. Those numbers indicate activity but they do not automatically translate into sustainable revenue for every participant. Independent verification of deal closure, pilot to procurement conversion rates and long term follow ups are not published in full detail in promotional materials. Readers should treat headline metrics as directional rather than definitive proof of commercial success.
How to engage next steps and where to find help
EIC-backed innovators and interested buyers can stay informed and apply through several channels. SPIN4EIC keeps an events calendar, publishes open calls and runs a LinkedIn group for the Innovation Procurement Programme. There is a SPIN4EIC helpdesk for support with onboarding and applications. The EIC Business Acceleration Services also provide a broader ecosystem of coaching, corporate partnership programmes and trade fair support for awardees.
Final assessment
The AI4MedImaging to Rimed at Unilabs connection is a clear example of the intended role for procurement focused matchmaking. Curated pitching sessions and coaching can shorten discovery cycles and surface technical fit faster than cold outreach. At the same time procurement remains complex and the transition from pilot to procurement contract can stall for many reasons. SPIN4EIC offers useful services to reduce some of those frictions but prospective participants should budget time for clinical validation, regulatory compliance and procurement timelines when planning market entry in healthcare.
Key resources and contacts
SPIN4EIC website and documentation including the Impact Report and the Innovation Procurement Toolkit. EIC Innovation Procurement Programme LinkedIn group. SPIN4EIC newsletter and EIC BAS newsletter subscriptions. SPIN4EIC Helpdesk for tailored support. EIC Community Platform for registered awardees to access BAS services.
Disclaimer This article draws on EIC event materials, SPIN4EIC publications and promotional content from the EIC Business Acceleration Services. The commentary aims to clarify how the initiative works and to flag practical constraints that innovators and buyers commonly face when moving from pitching sessions to procurement contracts.