Health Venture Lab

Health Venture Lab functions as an international accelerator dedicated to healthcare innovation, guiding teams through the validation and commercialization of their Minimum Viable Products with specialized expertise. Founded in 2017 as a collaborative initiative between GE Healthcare and EIT Health, this organization has established itself as a pivotal resource in the European healthcare startup ecosystem. The accelerator operates on a non-profit model while offering select services as market-based economic activities, ensuring sustainability while maintaining its mission-driven approach.

The organization's comprehensive support framework spans the entire entrepreneurial journey, from nurturing young talent to scaling established ventures. Their program portfolio includes initiatives for high school students, the Catalyst Europe Program designed for researchers, the Reactor program focusing on AI & Big Data for MVP-stage startups, and the Boston Deepdive program tailored for growth-stage companies. This multi-tiered approach allows Health Venture Lab to cultivate innovation across different maturity levels while addressing the specific challenges faced by healthcare entrepreneurs at each development stage.

What distinguishes Health Venture Lab in the accelerator landscape is its unique composition that integrates corporate healthcare expertise, academic knowledge from Europe's premier universities, and clinical validation capabilities through teaching hospitals. This tripartite foundation creates an environment where health-tech and med-tech innovations can be rigorously tested, refined, and commercially positioned with input from diverse stakeholders. The accelerator's methodology has demonstrated significant impact in increasing market success rates for participating teams by addressing the complex regulatory, clinical, and commercial challenges specific to healthcare innovation.

Over a four-year period, Health Venture Lab has built an impressive track record, working with more than 96 European startups across 20+ countries and engaging over 50 industry mentors and subject matter experts. This extensive network represents a valuable resource for participating ventures, providing access to potential partners, customers, and investors throughout Europe. The accelerator's international scope enables cross-border collaboration and knowledge exchange, positioning Health Venture Lab as a significant catalyst for healthcare innovation across the European continent while maintaining strong connections to global markets through programs like the Boston Deepdive initiative.