2022 Conference programme

Look back at the conferences of the 2022 edition:

Steered by a prestigious Committee, the MedFIT conference programme brings together bright minds to discuss the latest trends in MedTech, diagnostic and digital health, to debate on innovation-driven topics, to foster learning and provoke conversations that matter. International experts will address current industry issues related to collaboration, financing, market access and regulation as well as MedTech digitalisation.

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Plenary Session

DAY 1 – Tuesday, September 20^th, 2022

11:00
12:30

It’s all about data: Unlocking the value of MedTech data to fuel healthcare innovation

Moderator: Thomas Hagemeijer, Healthcare Lead, TLGG Consulting

Building a connected health system and moving towards more preventive medicine requires good use of data. However, the challenges of harnessing the value of health data remain numerous, hindering its use for timely decision making: the volume of data is enormous, as is the speed at which it is generated, and its sources are increasingly varied. Ensuring the veracity of the data and optimising its value is now essential to improve clinical decision-making and fuel tomorrow’s innovation.

This plenary session will explore the business models around health data exploitation and how MedTech innovators can leverage it to differentiate themselves. What are the limitations and constraints that most organisations need to consider when using it? Which legal measures are appropriate to protect critical research data? What are the most pressing barriers to data connectivity? How to strike a balance between unlocking data and securing it, especially for user-generated data? What is to be expected from the newly launched European Health Data Space?

Baudouin Hue, Partner, Karista
Vijay Sikka, Chairman & CEO, Sikka Software corporation
Jennifer Pougnet, Global Data Policy Strategy Leader, Roche
Jan Beger, Senior Director Digital Ecosystem, GE Healthcare
Antoine Denis, EMEA Life Sciences Digital Expert, Google Cloud
Alexandre Moreau-Gaudry, Professor, Université Grenoble Alpes

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TRACK 1 – COLLABORATE TO INNOVATE

Fostering new collaborations is key to fuelling innovation and supporting R&D needs in MedTech. As global healthcare evolves to deliver more value to patients, partnerships with hospital leaders, technology experts, payers and innovators are the cornerstone of the medical technologies’ evolution. What are the elements to forgather to merge the scientific, academic, and industry spheres? How is innovation sourced through collaboration with academia? What are the main drivers and favoured models for big players/early-stage companies’ partnerships?

DAY 1 – Tuesday, September 20^th, 2022

03:15
04:30

How do Big MedTech balance collaboration, co-development, and licensing to access early-stage technologies?

Moderator: Suzanne Elvidge, Freelance writer, Biopharma, Healthcare, Business

Many large medical device companies are now looking externally for new research and development activities by partnering with early stage MedTech companies or Academia. While this may seem riskier, it is now a key way to complement their extensive product portfolio and to meet the growing valuation of potential acquisitions. What are the criteria that drive large MedTech companies to focus either on co-development or licensing? What kind of players are their partner of choice for external innovation? What are the pros and cons of the different approaches? Are there preferred areas (indications, products, families of technology) for these types of collaborations and why?

Introduction: Rogier Receveur, Senior Program Manager Innovation & New Business, EMEA Technology & Innovation, Medtronic Bakken Research Center
“Collaborations between Startup and Big Corporate to boost innovation in MedTech”

Panel discussion:

Delphine Le Louet, Senior Financial analyst - European Healthcare, Biotech & Medtech, Société Générale
Ivo Aarninkhof, Managing Director, Holland Innovative
Antoine Groheux, Innovation Manager, Medtronic
François Hede, President, Linksium
Rogier Receveur, Senior Program Manager Innovation & New Business, EMEA Technology & Innovation, Medtronic Bakken Research Center

DAY 2 – Wednesday, September 21^th, 2022

02:00
03:30

Creating synergy between start-ups and hospitals: Latest challenges and opportunities in delivering innovative ideas and practices

Moderator: Tobias Silberzahn, Partner, McKinsey & Company and Host, Global Health Tech Network

Over the last two years, hospitals have had to face an unprecedented situation that has profoundly impacted the organisation of care in institutions and the working methods of health professionals. This transformation opens new paths of collaborations to meet the changing challenges of innovation and opportunities for start-ups to develop novel solutions. How are these collaborations built? What are the prospects and concrete examples of accelerated clinical applications? To what extent do these synergies enable the refinement and testing of solutions to best meet the needs and daily practices of healthcare providers?

Chris Robson, CEO, Living With
Joop Tanis, Director of MedTech Consulting, Health Tech Enterprise
Quentin Le Masne, Head of Solution Delivery, Global Digital Health, Merck Group
Arnaud Attyé, CEO, GeodAlsics

10:30
11:30

Does the digital trend open new partnering and collaboration models between Start-ups/SMEs and Corporate?

Moderator: Tjasa Zajc, Founder, Host, Faces of digital health

In the age of digital health, strategic collaboration has become more important than ever, but it has also perhaps become more complex as we move from product-based to solution-based innovations. On what basis are start-up/company partnerships built today? What is their geometry and how are they conducted? How can these collaborations be built early to evolve towards other applications and future revenue streams? Who are the new players at the negotiating table? What are the challenges in building these partnerships and how can they be overcome?

Sheena Pirbhai, Founder & CEO, Stress Point Health
Jorge Juan Fernández García, Venture Partner, Nina Capital
Thomas Hummel, Head of Digital Transformation, Fresenius Kabi
Maxime Cervino, Sales Manager Southern Europe, Chronolife

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TRACK 2 – FINANCING INNOVATION

Seed and Series A investments are crucial to transforming new ideas into products and making start-up teams into small businesses. Finding the right funding sources and equity partners to get from early stage to regulatory approval is far from straightforward. How to identify the initial sources of funding for MedTech R&D projects? What method should you use to fund your start-up? How to attract ventures for early-stage financing?

DAY 1 – Tuesday, September 20^th, 2022

05:00
06:15

Diagnostic financing is on the rise: What are the opportunities and prospects for diagnostic innovation?

Moderator: James Wong, Venture Partner, MedTech SuperConnector

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised awareness of the importance of point-of-care diagnostics and provided an opportunity to rethink and nurture the diagnostic industry. As the pandemic seems to subside, will the interest in IVD diagnostics and more broadly in traditional diagnostic tools persist? More specifically, what types of diagnostics and innovations are attracting early-stage investors today? What are the most pressing unmet needs and what are the major investment trends expected in the coming years for diagnostics? What is the current risk/reward ratio for diagnostic technologies?

Vincent Poher, Director, Diagnostic Division France, Biosynex
Cecile Real, CEO, Endodiag
Antoine Vimont, Head of HealthCare Development, Roche Diagnostics
Vincent Genet, Vice President Strategy & Business Development – EMEA, Innova Medical Group

09:00
10:30

Make your first round count: How to attract the right investors for your start-up?

Moderator: Jorge Juan Fernández García, Venture Partner, Nina Capital

Your funding strategy goes hand in hand with your business strategy in the early stages of your innovation’s development. It is also crucial to understand how dilution may affect your start-up and to consider alternative financing options. What do you need to consider to find the right balance between dilution and the funds you need to raise? What type of funding and which investors are essential to make it work in the early days? How can your investors also be a resource for your business at the operational level? How can you make the best fundraising decisions to move your business forward and ensure that you have explored all options in a time-sensitive context?

Judith Zilberstein, CEO, Alon MedTech Ventures
Neel Patel, Co-Founder & CEO, ZiO Health
Bruce Lichorowic, President & CEO, Galen Robotics
Fabian Scheugenpflug, Venture Capital Senior Associate, Plug and Play Tech Center
Nina Lameule, Investment Manager, NLC - The European Healthtech Venture Builder

DAY 2 – Wednesday, September 21^th, 2022

11:45
12:30

Investing in MedTech vs. Digital health: How is the investor profile changing ?

Moderator: Arezki Yaiche, Head of Coverage France & Benelux, Mergermarket (ION Group)

MedTech and diagnostic sectors are changing fast with rising digital medical-grade solutions and the expansion of consumer healthcare, creating new sources of innovations and investment opportunities. How is this impacting the landscape for venture capital investment in MedTech in 2022? How are the interest and profile of the early-stage investors evolving through the continuum of MedTech, digital health and consumer healthcare? To what extent does digital health require different approaches and skills? How are investment strategies diversifying with the emergence of new sources of innovations?

James Wong, Venture Partner, MedTech SuperConnector
Simon Turner, Partner, Sofinnova Partners

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TRACK 3 – FROM INNOVATION TO MARKET

Planning a market access should start early in the product development process, increasing the chances of successfully bringing an innovation to market. How to keep track of market trends and regulatory requirements while building your strategy? How can a company accurately anticipate market access, pricing and reimbursement related issues? This track aims to give a comprehensive approach to the pathway to market for emerging medical technologies.

DAY 1 – Tuesday, September 20^th, 2022

02:00
03:00

Innovators’ checklist for successful market access

Moderator: Przemek Czerklewicz, Principal, Kx Advisors

A go-to-market strategy for MedTech start-up includes a multitude of elements, from regulatory pathway, business and reimbursement models, choice of the first market and commercialisation strategy and much more. As innovators find themselves looking to check all of the boxes on their journey to market, we will ask experienced experienced entrepreneurs and advisors to share their do’s and don’ts for a successful market access strategy.

Sylvain Poitras, Partner, Appleton Luff
Esther Rodijk, Project director TTT MedTech, Scout Knowledge Transfer Office, Utwente
Philippe Cinquin, Professor, Université Grenoble Alpes and Grenoble University Hospital

DAY 2 – Wednesday, September 21^th, 2022

04:00
05:00

Shaping the future of the digital health innovation ecosystem: Input from key healthcare leaders

Moderator: Tobias Silberzahn, Partner, McKinsey & Company and Host, Global Health Tech Network

To what extent is digital health a sector in itself and why? What should be the frame of this sector? How does it relate to, yet differ from, the rest of MedTech and Biotech?

Digital health leaders will share their conception of the sector, how they relate to it, their vision of the challenges and future of digital health.

Thomas Hummel, Head of Digital Transformation, Fresenius Kabi
Simon Turner, Partner, Sofinnova Partners
Géry Pruvost, Strategic Partnership Manager, Lifen
Etienne Vervaecke, General Manager, Eurasanté
Anne Mascarelli, Partner & Senior Consultant, Healthcare & Technology International

09:00
10:00

How to define your business model while navigating the interconnection between various regulatory frameworks?

Moderator: Hugh Harvey, Managing Director, Hardian Health

The years 2021 and 2022 have been intense in terms of regulation for the MedTech sector in Europe, including the implementation of the MDR and IVDR, the advancement of Health Technology Assessment and the proposed EU AI Act. How can MedTech innovators navigate this complex regulatory framework and integrate it in their strategic development? What is the impact on the business model and the cost of the innovation process for small players at early stage? How can regulation be leveraged to be more used as a guide and not only as a constraint?

Benjamin Faurie, Founder, Electroducer
Christoph Jo. Müller, Board Co-President, DATEurope
Kevin van Dooren, Global lead Market Access & Reimbursement – Connected Care, Philips
David Higgins, Head of Global AI Competence Center, German Entrepreneurship
Lionel Tussau, Healthcare Market Unit - Global Lead, atrify

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Project-CEO Matchmaking

DAY 1 – Tuesday, September 20^th, 2022

03:15
04:30

How to source the right talents for an early-stage company?

Moderator: Eyal Lifschitz, Co-Founder & General Managing Partner, Peregrine Ventures

How to identify and retain talents with the necessary soft skills and technical expertise to drive growth and innovation? How to find the right co-founders? Which networks to activate?

Hear from start-up management savvy experts and receive feedback and best practices.