On 19 October 2023, the cream of the medical technology sector gathered at BIP’s premises on King Street to celebrate the finale of the MedTech Acceleration Programme. After six months of hard labours, coaching and networking, the time has finally come. This 8th edition was one to frame. Congratulations to Stellar Closure and AETECH who went home with this year’s jury award and audience award.

This closing ceremony is the culmination of an intense period. For six months, entrepreneurs tinkered with their projects day in and day out. And with results, those present in the room could only agree. So participating in the Medtech Accelerator still equals giant steps forward at lightning speed.

Couldn’t be there? Then we would like to introduce you to the 2023 participants.

AETECH is a trio of entrepreneurs who want to bring an indiviual adaptable heart and respiratory support device to the market that should promote the recovery of severe heart patients. Bioease, in turn, is developing a device to cut away and replace tendons.

Young dyspraxia patients (DCD) can rely on Hecateris‘ software, where they learn to cope with their obstacles in a playful way. For women with severe menstrual pain, Mirapulse has a solution based on extremely precisely targeted electrosimulations. Finally, Stellar Closure is a medical device that helps patients close abdominal incisions.

The winners of the jury prize and audience prize will receive a budget of EUR 3,000 and EUR 2,000 excluding VAT respectively to further develop their product in close cooperation with leading consultants.

An adrenaline shot for the medtech industry

Since 2016, this accelerator programme has already helped launch several big names in the industry. Just think of Pulso, Lys Medical, Axiles Bionics, Gratiago, StellaScreen, SurgeLight, Smarcos, Momly and Tulipal.

For four months, entrepreneurs were closely coached and challenged by numerous experts and coaches. They also followed an intensive programme filled with practical group workshops, personalised coaching, in-depth discussions with the ecosystem and relevant site visits. They also pitched their products to different audiences.

One of the main goals of this programme is to build the foundations of their own network. Thanks to the business cluster lifetech.brussels, numerous meetings are organised to help them find a partner, an expert, an investor or even a first customer to accelerate the development of their project.

The guidance of the entrepreneurs does not stop with the end of the programme, the lifetech cluster continues to accompany each project leader individually. That this programme has its benefits for our region is summed up by Evelyne Huytebroeck, chairwoman of our Board of Directors, as follows:

These entrepreneurs not only develop solutions that improve, or even save, the lives of hundreds of patients, but also create much-needed jobs in Brussels.