One of the most important events of this year’s edition of the competition, during which we learned about the concepts of 10 startups, has come to an end.
On 12th of September, in the Rotunda PKO in Warsaw, the Top 10 startups of the Mother and Child Startup Challenge competition presented themselves. The highest-rated startups in this edition included eight companies from Poland and 2 from Italy.
The program included 5-minute pitches (in Polish or English), followed by a 10-minute Q&A session. Questions were asked by experts: Agnieszka Wiercińska-Krużewska (WKB lawyers), Maryla Wojcieszek (Huge Thing) and Agnieszka Sobkiewicz (Salve Medica), but also by the audience using the Slide application.
Jakub Chwiećko (Medical Innovation Institute) was the host of the event. His sense of humor and professionalism eased the stress of participants who presented their ideas to a panel of industry experts. This was especially valuable for the three startups that presented their pitches online.
Project Assumptions
Children and pregnant women constitute a unique group of patients. Concern for their well-being drives us to seek the most effective and safest methods of diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. The health and comfort of patients, especially the youngest ones, unite us toward a common goal, rather than competition.
The Mother and Child Startup Challenge is not just a competition, but above all, a visionary look into the future of healthcare. “This is the only event of its kind where public hospitals open up to collaborate with the most innovative medical startups,” said Tomasz Maciejewski, MD, CEO of the Mother and Child Institute, during the event’s inauguration.
The winner of this year’s edition of the MCSC will be announced during a gala at the end of November. The goal of Demo Day is to allow startups to present their ideas to a broad audience.
Startup ideas
The startup that opened the Demo Day was Aptamedica, with its innovative analyzer for personalizing complex therapies. The project, developed by Maciej Łach, Mateusz Fil, and Kamil Pawełkiewicz, envisions real-time measurements, such as determining sepsis markers or monitoring drug concentrations.
EFM, Engineers for Medicine, represented by Miłosz Jamroży, presented “Mudisocard” – a patented measurement system that expands ECG diagnostics. Electrodes placed on the patient’s body generate a 3D model of the chest, allowing the measurement of three signals in a single examination: electrical resistance, auscultation of the heart and lungs, and vectorcardiography.
The third speaker was Piotr Skarżyński from Medvoice, who joined remotely via the Teams application. The startup offers a tool to support doctors by reducing the time spent on administrative tasks. This project is aimed at the Polish market, with the first tests expected to begin in approximately three months.
Konrad Zieliński and Gabriela Kołtun from Uhura Bionics presented their innovative project “VOXFLOW AI” – an advanced voice amplifier that uses AI to improve and enhance speech in real-time while learning the user’s specific language patterns. The creators aim to make the device not only functional but also aesthetically pleasing. Their vision is for the medical device to be as beautiful as jewelry and as standardized as eyeglasses. They also introduced the possibility of voice preservation in cases where it may be lost, such as before surgery to remove the larynx, allowing users to speak with their unique voice even post-operation.
Semi Robotics, represented by Krzysztof Stelmach, Izabela Felińska, and Paweł Gawroński, presented the FIDI feeding robot. Assistive robots like FIDI are a response to the challenges of an aging society, loss of autonomy, and a shortage of caregivers (including in healthcare). The robot uses artificial intelligence to adapt to the user, increasing their independence.
The NanoCarbon Group’s product, CardioGuard™, was presented by Rafał Jędrysiak. This startup’s invention is a nano-ECG T-shirt for pregnant women, which monitors both maternal and fetal cardiological parameters during everyday activities, eliminating the need for hospital or clinic visits. CardioGuard™ enables early detection of cardiac abnormalities and, through ongoing ECG data analysis, reduces the risk of severe cardiac events.
Tomasz Bartosiak from UES Ultra Echo Scan introduced an innovative solution that automatically detects the probability of Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) in newborns during ultrasound examinations. The SaaS software used for analyzing diagnostic ultrasound recordings is responsible for this. The user-friendly system, with a simple interface, facilitates the detection of CHD during routine screening tests.
The final Polish startup was FunkBIOTICS, represented by Monika Bończa-Tomaszewska, Agnieszka Magryś, and Marcin Bończa-Tomaszewski. Their solution, “KARVADERM,” is an antiseptic dressing in the form of a hydrogel membrane designed to help treat wounds that are difficult to heal, infected, or at risk of infection. The startup is also working on a dressing in the form of a light foam that creates a protective filter on the skin, lasting until the first wash. The product’s ingredients are completely natural and biodegradable.
Lastly, two Italian startups presented their innovations online: Omnidermal Biomedics and SynDiag.
Omnidermal Biomedics, represented by Sara Becchi, introduced “WoundViewer” – an automated device for precise measurement and clinical classification of chronic wounds. It measures and classifies wounds using three different clinical scales (WBP, TIME, and TEXAS) and determines the degree of infection using thermal imaging.
Daniele Conti from SynDiag presented OvAi, a device that enables early diagnosis of ovarian cancer. OvAi includes OvAi Focus, which detects ovarian cysts in ultrasound images, and OvAi X, which supports differential diagnosis using a “virtual biopsy.” OvAi X predicts the exact histological grade of a tumor, providing crucial information for treatment.
Summary
The Demo Day of the 3rd edition of the Mother and Child Startup Challenge featured engaging presentations, insightful questions, and comprehensive answers.
For the startups, participation in the event was also an opportunity to network and establish connections that may lead to future collaborations. Read more about TOP10.