Interviews

Barcelona-based accelerator S2 Xpeed is driving the rapid growth of medtech and hardware start-ups in Europe. Operating under a "sweat equity" model, the program helps early-stage companies move from prototype to manufacturing readiness in exchange for equity. This month, the accelerator will add a fourth cohort of 10 more start-ups, five of which are in the medtech space.

Medtech Insight sat down with Anja Streicher, chief marketing officer at Women of Wearables, a global community offering events and education resources to support the femtech industry, to discuss trends in the women's wearables tech market, challenges and innovators pushing the boundaries.

Wearable technology must address women’s unique needs, said Anja Streicher, Women of Wearables chief marketing officer. Samphire Neuroscience and Amira Health demo wearable solutions for PMS and hot flashes at Wired Health.

Implementing a reflex test alongside traditional prostate cancer screening is cost-effective for high-risk groups, claims Prostate Cancer Research. Oxford BioDynamics sheds light on UK market conditions influencing the adoption of its reflex test, EpiSwitch PSE.

In this first of a two-part series highlighting digital and healthtech innovation in Barcelona, Medtech Insight visits the Barcelona Health Hub, a nonprofit that seeks to advance digital health innovation by bringing together start-ups, investors, health care institutions and corporations.

10XBeta is helping to develop a modular mobile health care platform as part of a federal initiative to improve the quality of care in rural areas. Company CEO Marcel Botha told Medtech Insight that the product fits the company’s goals of bringing treatment to the people who need it most.

The digital health market includes thousands of app-based solutions targeting single health conditions, but the cost, complexity and number of options “gives too many opportunities to health care systems to say no,” said Mike Trenell, Daiser CEO. The second generation of digital health might have the answers, he said.

Oxford BioDynamics' blood-based colorectal cancer diagnostic test EpiSwitch NST has shown high accuracy (81-85%) and positive predictive values (57-87%) for colorectal cancer and polyps. By reducing false positives, the test could minimize unnecessary follow-up procedures.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) draft guidance limits tissue biopsy collection in clinical trials to primary endpoints and specific research use cases. However, Andrew Newland, CEO of circulating tumor cell (CTC) liquid biopsy firm Angle Plc, believes that the guidance could enhance the market for liquid biopsy makers.

The UK's established emergency care prehospital system potentially opens up a faster route to market for Front Line Medical Technologies's aortic occlusion device, COBRA-OS. Asha Parekh, Front Line CEO, talks to Medtech Insight about the company's different strategic approach to UK market access in comparison to North America.

An innovative patient monitoring system developed by Danish physicians sends vital signs data directly to nurses, allowing them to keep tabs on patients without being in the room.

Seven new Centers of Excellence for Regulatory Science and Innovation have been funded by the UK with a brief to investigate smart regulation of AI and digital health innovations, among other areas. Medtech Insight asked Alastair Denniston, leader of the CERSI in AI and Digital Health Technologies, to explain the significance and the goals of his center.

Avandra CEO says the company has created the world’s largest federated network for de-identified imaging data, providing researchers access to medical images that will accelerate the advancement of clinical trials, precision medicine and AI applications.

During CES 2025, Medtech Insight accompanied Deloitte analysts Neal Batra and Andrew Davis to identify the biggest trends in digital health and solutions poised to transform the future of health care. Key trends included empowering consumers with actionable health data, the rising investment in specialized areas such as women’s health, and more companies pursuing regulatory clearance for health products.

Quibim announces $50m in an oversubscribed series A funding round. Quibim CEO Ángel Alberich-Bayarri discusses his plans for the new financing and the company’s competitive edge in training AI with multimodal data.

Guardant Health seeks to bring genomic cancer disease data into a clinical context in a new collaboration with ConcertAI aimed at designing cancer therapeutics and clinical trials, Amar Das, VP of real world evidence at Guardant Health, told Medtech Insight.

Inflammatix received US FDA clearance to market its TriVerity Test System to help emergency departments quickly triage patients suspected of having acute infection or sepsis. Medtech Insight spoke with Inflammatix CEO Tim Sweeney about the company’s business strategy and marketing plans.

Boston-area start-up Axoft is developing a soft brain-computer interface device to help coma patients with covert consciousness communicate. Medtech Insight spoke with Axoft’s CEO Paul Le Floch about the technology, plans for first-in-human trials and potential future applications of the device to help patients with disorders of consciousness, including patients in a coma or vegetative state, communicate.

"Medtronic's device is the only DBS with adaptive capability," Amaza Reitmeier, vice president and general manager of Brain Modulation at Medtronic, told Medtech Insight. Two new BrainSense features work together to provide personalized brain stimulation for patients with Parkinson's disease.

In this second roundup of innovative technologies seen or demoed at CES 2025, Medtech Insight tunes into heartbeat-listening earbuds, vision aids for people with macular degeneration, UTI-detecting toilets, non-invasive injection devices, hot flash-cooling wristband, mobility-aiding smart shoes, and robotic aids for cerebral palsy.