Health startup ecosystem
We track 13 organisations in this sector across 6+ countries.
Showing 13 of 13 Health
Countries in this sector
Sectors alongside this one
Health results
-
Agoranov
Agoranov is a Paris-based public incubator founded in 2000 by a consortium of universities and research institutions. It supports science- and technology-intensive startups, often spun out of academic labs, and has backed 400+ startups that raised €1.5B+ and created 10,000+ jobs. Program: office space in central Paris, a 6-month renewable incubation program with tailored mentorship, research access, grant support, and investor introductions. As a public-interest incubator, Agoranov is equity-free and funded by French public institutions and the City of Paris. Unicorn alumni: - Doctolib - Alan - Criteo
-
BetterMe
Overview: BetterMe is a health and wellness tech company that offers a suite of mobile apps focused on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being. It provides users with personalized workout plans, meal plans, and lifestyle advice to help them lose weight, get fit, or improve their overall health. BetterMe's flagship app, often just called "BetterMe: Health Coaching," includes features such as short video workouts, diet tracking, and educational content. The company also launched a BetterMe: Mental Health app for meditation and stress reduction, reflecting a holistic approach to wellness. Uniquely, BetterMe tailors its programs to individuals using quizzes and data, making the experience feel custom - for example, a user can indicate their goals and preferences and receive a workout routine and diet plan suited to them. The apps are gamified and use a lot of motivational psychology (for instance, sending encouraging notifications, or featuring success stories) to keep users engaged. BetterMe operates on a freemium model: users can access some content for free but need a subscription to unlock full personalized plans and coaching. With an affordable subscription, it undercuts many traditional weight loss programs, contributing to its massive global user adoption. Founding Story (2016/2017): BetterMe was founded in 2017 in Kyiv, Ukraine by Viktoria Repa, a young woman from a family that struggled with obesity. Viktoria's personal journey - she managed to lose weight despite being told it was hopeless - inspired her to help others do the same using smartphone technology. She joined Genesis, a Ukrainian tech incubator, where she developed the idea for BetterMe. With an initial $5 million support from Genesis Investments to kickstart the project, BetterMe launched its first product focusing on exercise plans. Early traction came via viral content on social media; Viktoria's team leveraged platforms like Facebook and Instagram to attract users with catchy fitness challenges and transformation stories. By late 2017, BetterMe's app reached the top charts in the Health and Fitness category on the App Store in multiple countries. The company smartly expanded into adjacent categories: adding a meal planning app, then merging them into one comprehensive platform. Repa, as a first-time founder, was notable for bootstrapping growth (outside of the initial Genesis funding) - she reinvested revenue from the app back into marketing rather than seeking huge VC rounds. This lean approach allowed BetterMe to scale rapidly without dilution or external pressure, and by focusing on revenue early, it achieved profitability within a couple of years. Product and Target Market: BetterMe's target market is primarily women aged 25-45 worldwide looking to improve fitness or lose weight, though it has users of all genders and ages. The app's content covers home workouts (no equipment needed routines, HIIT, yoga, etc.), diet (with thousands of recipes and even grocery lists), and mental health (meditation, self-love coaching). By bundling these, BetterMe positions itself as an all-in-one "personal coach in your pocket." The product stands out for localization - it offers content in multiple languages and adapts to cultural preferences (for example, meal plans will consider local cuisines). The company also sells BetterMe-branded sportswear and merchandise, tapping into the aspirational lifestyle brand angle. One of BetterMe's innovations was leveraging viral marketing: its social media team produced simple before-and-after animations and relatable memes that drew tens of millions of views. This organic reach translated into app installs at low cost. The app itself capitalized on trends like short 7-minute workouts and challenges (e.g., 28-day weight loss challenge), which kept users engaged daily. With the onset of COVID-19 in 2020, BetterMe saw a surge as people turned to home fitness solutions, and the company responded by launching live workout sessions and more mental health resources. Traction and Users: BetterMe's growth has been explosive. As of 2022, BetterMe had over 110 million users worldwide - an astonishing figure that outpaced many competitors like Strava or Headspace in raw user count. The app consistently ranks among the top health and fitness apps in the U.S., Europe, and developing markets. The company achieved $80 million in annual revenue by 2022, all while remaining profitable. This revenue is largely subscription-driven, demonstrating a strong conversion of free users to paid plans. BetterMe's user base is global: major markets include the U.S. (which often accounts for 30-40% of revenue), Europe, Latin America, and also parts of Asia where affordable fitness coaching is in demand. The app has high ratings on app stores and has been downloaded well over 150 million times cumulatively. BetterMe's team grew to around 200 people by 2022, scaling to support content creation (new exercises, recipes, etc.), customer support, and continuous app development. An important aspect of BetterMe's traction is retention - many users report that the combination of physical and mental health guidance in one place keeps them using it long-term, as opposed to fad diet apps that get uninstalled. Funding and Business Model: Interestingly, BetterMe has been largely bootstrapped after the initial funding. Founder Viktoria Repa raised about $5M from Genesis (which is more of an internal investment from the incubator) and did not seek major external VC rounds afterwards. She cited the relatively underdeveloped VC landscape in Ukraine as one reason, but also the fact that BetterMe was generating enough cash to fuel its growth organically. By avoiding dilution, Repa retained control and the company focused on sustainable growth. The business model is straightforward: subscription revenue from the apps (monthly or annual plans) and some e-commerce sales of merchandise. With tens of millions of users, even a small percentage subscribing translated to substantial income. By 2023, the company was reportedly exploring opportunities for external funding or strategic partnerships to develop new products (like potentially telehealth or personalized coaching services). If it were to raise funds, given its scale and profitability, BetterMe could likely command a very high valuation (some industry observers speculated it could be Ukraine's next unicorn). Achievements and Recognition: BetterMe's success has brought significant recognition. Viktoria Repa, as a young female CEO, was featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe in 2019. Sifted.eu (FT's tech publication) ran a story on how she built a global health app from Ukraine with $80M revenue in 5 years. BetterMe's apps frequently top the "most downloaded" charts, and in 2021 Apple highlighted BetterMe in its App Store success stories. Another achievement: during the war in Ukraine, BetterMe made its apps free for all Ukrainian users to help people cope with stress and stay healthy at home. The company donated a portion of its profits to the Ukrainian army and charities, and even released Ukraine flag-themed workout gear to raise funds. This stance boosted its image as a socially responsible brand. BetterMe also claims that it has helped millions of people collectively lose over 1,000,000 kilograms of weight (per internal metrics), showcasing real-world impact. User testimonials often mention life-changing health improvements, which BetterMe uses (with permission) in its marketing. The company's next milestones include expanding into more holistic healthcare - possibly adding features like consultations with trainers or nutritionists, and integrating wearable data for more personalization. Overall, BetterMe illustrates how a Ukrainian startup identified a massive global need - accessible health improvement - and executed with digital savvy to become one of the world's most popular wellness platforms. It stands as a symbol of Ukraine's emerging strength in consumer tech and the power of combining tech with personal passion to solve widespread problems. Sources: sifted.eu.
-
Episode 1 Ventures
Episode 1 Ventures is a London-based seed and pre-seed fund founded in 2013 by Simon Murdoch, Damien Lane, and Adrian Lloyd, all experienced entrepreneurs who have built and exited companies. The firm closed its third fund at £76 million in February 2024, bringing total capital managed to over £170 million across three vehicles. Episode 1 focuses on software-driven businesses in AI, infrastructure, health, open-source, and marketplace sectors, writing initial cheques of up to £2 million. The fund has backed 69 companies and achieved a 73% Series A graduation rate — three times the industry average — with notable portfolio companies including Carwow, Huboo, CloudNC, and Robin AI.
-
Flyer One Ventures
Flyer One Ventures is a Ukrainian early-stage VC originally founded in 2018 as Genesis Investments by Vital Laptenok (co-founder of Genesis and BetterMe), rebranding under its current name in 2021. The firm has invested nearly €39M across 95 startups in Ukraine and Central & Eastern Europe across four funds. In July 2025 it closed Fund V at a target of €50M, backed by EBRD (€6.5M) and IFC (€5M), focusing on pre-seed and seed-stage founders from Ukraine and CEE building global products. The fund maintains a Kyiv identity and active pipeline of 1,300+ Ukrainian and regional founders despite operating with a distributed team.
-
Founders Factory
Founders Factory is a London-based venture studio and accelerator founded in 2015 by Brent Hoberman, Henry Lane Fox, and George Northcott. The firm co-builds and accelerates pre-seed and seed stage startups across fintech, health, climate, media, and consumer sectors, operating sector-specific programmes with corporate partners including Aviva, L'Oréal, and Deutsche Telekom. Since launch, Founders Factory has backed over 300 companies globally, which have collectively raised more than $800 million in follow-on funding. Its venture studio model — co-founding businesses from day zero — distinguishes it from conventional accelerators and gives it a distinctive builder-investor role in the European ecosystem.
-
Lea-Sophie Cramer
Lea-Sophie Cramer is a German entrepreneur and angel investor who founded Amorelie, a leading European sexual wellness e-commerce brand, which she grew to over EUR 100M in revenue before its acquisition. After exiting Amorelie, Cramer became one of Germany's most active female angel investors, backing early-stage consumer, health, and direct-to-consumer startups. She focuses on founders building category-defining consumer brands and is known for her expertise in brand-building, D2C marketing, and scaling e-commerce operations. Cramer also co-hosts the popular German business podcast 'Fast & Curious' and frequently mentors female founders across Europe.
-
Mister Spex
Mister Spex is Europe's leading digitally native omnichannel optician, founded in Berlin in 2007 and listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker: MRX) since 2021. The company sells prescription glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses online across five European countries and operates 65 physical stores in Germany alongside a network of over 300 partner opticians. Mister Spex serves over 8 million customers and employs around 1,000 people. It pioneered the online-to-offline model in European eyewear retail.
-
MultiplexDX
MultiplexDX focuses on precision cancer diagnostics, developing visualized diagnostic tests aimed at reducing misdiagnosis in oncology. Its work is particularly focused on breast cancer and improving clinical decision confidence. By 2026, the company is a high-impact biotech research player in the Slovak ecosystem with expanding clinical collaborations.
-
Norrsken Impact Accelerator
Founded 2016 by the Norrsken Foundation. Eight-week impact accelerator selecting 20 startups annually; offers USD 125K for 5% equity and mentorship from global tech leaders. Focus on climate, health, and education. Scope: International.
-
Ochre Bio
Ochre Bio is an Oxford-based biotech startup combining computational genomics, machine learning, and RNA therapeutics to develop treatments for chronic liver diseases. Founded in 2019, the company uses human donor livers and large-scale transcriptomic data to identify novel drug targets, then designs RNA-based therapies to address conditions such as NASH and liver fibrosis. Ochre Bio has raised significant venture funding and works with transplant centers to validate its candidates in perfused human organs.
-
Robert Lewandowski
Better known as a football superstar, Robert has also become an active startup investor in recent years. Through his firm RL9 Investments, he provides funding and global visibility to Polish startups. For instance, he joined Dawid Urban in backing Samurai Labs (AI anti-bullying platform) in 2020. He’s also invested in health tech and games (e.g. Movie Games). Associated startups: Samurai Labs, Movie Games, Zeny (fintech), and Stor9 (marketing) among others.
-
Ship2B
Founded 2013. Impact accelerator and investment fund for social enterprises in health, cleantech, and energy. Runs acceleration programs and an impact fund; has accelerated 50+ startups. Support: mentoring, CSR partners, impact investment up to EUR 400K. Scope: National.
-
Suricate Ventures
Suricate Ventures is a Ljubljana-based venture capital firm founded in 2021 by a group of nine partners with backgrounds spanning finance, insurance, law, IT, private equity, energy, and mobility. The fund targets pre-seed to early-growth technology companies in Southeastern Europe, with a smart-money philosophy and minimum ticket sizes from €50,000. Core investment verticals are fintech and insurtech, gaming and metaverse, digital health, and logistics and supply chain. Notable portfolio companies include ZenOwn, Noii, Bloq.it, and VIAR.
