352 applicants, 7 winners: Future of Health Grant announces its Spring cohort

The Future of Health Grant (FoHG), the digital health innovation programme driven by CSS and EPFL Innovation Park, has selected seven start-ups for its Spring batch from a record 352 applications. This unprecedented level of interest highlights the rapid acceleration of digital health innovation in Switzerland and confirms the growing impact of the FoHG programme across the ecosystem.

Selected from a highly competitive pool of 352 applications, the seven start-ups joining the FoHG Spring batch will receive tailored strategic and hands-on support. This includes up to CHF 90,000 in non-dilutive funding, personalised coaching, and access to a network of industry experts and key healthcare stakeholders.

Level 1:

Healio : provides an AI-powered, collaborative scheduling platform that lets healthcare teams co-create fair, compliant work schedules while improving work–life balance and reducing managers’ administrative burden.
Lausanne (CHUV) – https://healio.ch/

NourishAI : is building a precision nutrition platform that combines multiomics and lifestyle data to predict amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and enable more personalized, clinically relevant nutrition strategies.
Lausanne (EPFL) – No website yet

Level 2:

HealthyMentis : is building a neurometabolic data platform that helps clinicians use objective biomarkers to better diagnose and personalize treatment for mental health conditions such as ADHD and depression. Alumnus of FoHG Level 1 as “Healthy Longer” – Graubünden – https://healthy-longer.com/

Prevision Medicine : develops functional precision oncology tests that expose a patient’s own cancer cells to 100+ drugs ex vivo to identify the most effective, better-tolerated treatment options for that individual.
Zürich (ETHZ) – https://previsionmedicine.com/

Skaaltec : develops a wearable, in‑ear neurostimulation system that uses motion‑triggered vagus nerve stimulation to make stroke rehabilitation more effective and accessible at home.
Alumnus of FoHG Level 1 – Zürich (ETHZ) – http://www.skaaltec.com/

Level 3:

Atreon SA : develops AI-powered digital biomarkers and remote monitoring tools that let patients photograph their joints at home so rheumatologists can better optimize arthritis treatment between visits.
Alumnus of FoHG Level 2 as “Detectra” – Lausanne (CHUV) – https://detectra.app/

LYV Healthcare : offers a CE‑marked digital therapy app that helps women with endometriosis track their symptoms and follow personalized, evidence‑based programs to reduce pain and improve quality of life.
Nantes (France) – https://www.lyv.app/

To help start-ups move beyond proof of concept and accelerate real-world adoption, the FoHG goes a step further than traditional acceleration programmes. In addition to tailored support from its expert partners (see box), selected start-ups may access the programme’s Pilot Factory, which sets up multi-stakeholder pilot projects involving healthcare providers, patient associations, pharma companies, insurers and innovators. These pilots aim to test and validate innovative solutions in real-world settings while fostering collaboration across the healthcare system. A new partnership with the Ensemble Hospitalier de la Côte (EHC) further strengthens this model by opening additional clinical pilot opportunities for FoHG start-ups.
At the same time, the Swiss-based programme also supports more mature start-ups in their international development. Through strategic partnerships with Future4care in Paris and Berlin and the Barcelona & Madrid Health Hub, the FoHG offers gateways to the French, Spanish and German markets, enabling start-ups to better understand local ecosystems, take part in workshops and apply to European project calls.

Together, these initiatives support FoHG’s ambition to drive the development and adoption of pragmatic, validated and interoperable digital health solutions across Europe.

Details of this programme can be found at www.future-of-health.org 

Future of Health Grant – in brief
Launched in 2022 by CSS and the EPFL Innovation Park, this programme, which supports innovations in digital health, is distinguished by its practical approach. Each start-up benefits from tailored coaching and monitoring, enabling it to move forward as quickly as possible while optimizing its resources. Thirteen start-ups are selected each year to receive support totaling up to CHF 90,000 without any dilution of ownership. The FoHG draws on the expertise of its founders and its unique network of partners composed of key players in the Swiss healthcare industry. This ecosystem stimulates the exchange of knowledge and experiences that is essential to agile, collaborative innovation. At present, the partners are: Barcelona & Madrid Health Hub, Confinis, CSEM, Elca, Ensemble Hospitalier de la Côte (EHC), Future4Care, Haute École de Santé Vaud (HESAV), HE-ARC, Hôpital de la Tour, Institut et Haute Ecole de la Santé La Source, Medkap investors, Microsoft, Pfizer, Réseau Delta, Swiss Foundation for Innovation and Training in Surgery (SFITS), Takeda, Unisanté, and Vaudoise Assurance.

CSS Group – in brief
The CSS Group, headquartered in Lucerne, was founded in 1899. This long-standing company insures 1.7 million people and, with a premium volume of around CHF 7.56 billion, is a key player in health and property insurance. The leader in basic insurance, where it has earned the trust of 1.47 million people, CSS is always close to the people it insures thanks to its unique network of 94 agencies covering the whole of Switzerland and some 3,000 employees. As a health partner, CSS helps its clients take control of their health and accompanies them on their journey to staying healthy, actively taking steps to improve their health or learning to live with illness. At the same time, it supports the development of new, useful and highly effective healthcare solutions that will benefit both insured persons and the healthcare system. All with the aim of building a system that is fit for the future.

EPFL Innovation Park – in brief
EPFL Innovation Park is the main hub for innovation and entrepreneurship in Western Switzerland. It supports ground-breaking innovation and technology transfer from EPFL and other academic partners. It is a vibrant workplace that hosts more than 200 high-tech start-ups, SMEs, the R&D centers of large companies, and their overall 2,950 employees. Over the years, EPFL Innovation Park has developed a series of unique start-up training, incubation, and acceleration programs in collaboration with a dynamic community of industry experts, investors, venture capitalists, and government agencies.