The stage is set for “Future Health Tech” - from smart wearables and AI-supported diagnostics to micro-medical robotics

MEDICA, the leading international trade fair and platform for healthcare innovations, will once again confirm its position as the world's No. 1 hotspot for start-ups in the healthcare sector this year. From November 17 – 20, 2025, the international start-up scene will come together at the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany, to present their digital and technical healthcare innovations to a global audience of experts. Among the more than 5,000 exhibitors at MEDICA and the concurrently held supplier trade fair COMPAMED will be several hundred young companies, underscoring the fact that the globally unique trade fair duo for the entire medical technology value chain is also the first starting point for health start-ups. Here they meet investors and potential cooperation partners and gain international visibility.

From intelligent wearables and AI-supported diagnostics to micro-medical robotics, the range of current developments by start-ups is impressive. With formats such as the large MEDICA START-UP PARK joint stand, the final pitches of the MEDICA START-UP COMPETITION and the HEALTHCARE INNOVATION WORLD CUP as highlights of the stage program at the MEDICA INNOVATION FORUM, MEDICA is putting the start-up scene firmly in the spotlight. This promotes networking with established players from research, industry and medical applications.
What makes it special is that participation in the two pitch competitions for start-ups and scale-ups is free of charge – the only decisive factor is the degree of innovation of the solutions presented. And those who come out on top can hope for much more than just fame and glory: for many winning teams, the MEDICA prizes open the doors to strategic partnerships and multi-million euro investments, as a look back at MEDICA 2024 and the winning teams of the start-up competitions shows.

Success stories from the MEDICA stage

French medtech start-up Robeauté impressed with a rice grain-sized neurosurgical microrobot and won the MEDICA START-UP COMPETITION 2024. The microrobot can move through the extracellular matrix of the brain and safely access areas that previously seemed almost impossible to reach with neurosurgery. There, it can perform targeted treatments, take samples or even implant sensors with precision. Shortly after the award ceremony in Düsseldorf, this technological breakthrough enabled Robeauté to secure an impressive round of financing worth 27.2 million euros. In addition to well-known venture capitalists, Brainlab, a clinical partner from Germany, also participated.

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