The door to the newsroom flung open. A young journalist, ink-smudged and breathless, hurtled forward, clutching a crumpled sheaf of papers.

“I’ve got the latest scoop!” he cried, climbing onto a desk.

Editors looked up from their typewriters (real or imaginary, depending on your sense of nostalgia). Some smirked, some frowned, one raised an eyebrow so high it might have detached entirely. They’d seen it all before.

What counts as hot in healthcare news, and what sinks without a trace? That is the eternal PR question. So what is it that’s getting under the skin of today’s top tech journalists?

Almost every startup has done it. For months, maybe years, you slave away with a singular obsession. You are creating the next big thing. You eat, sleep, breathe your obsession. It’s going to be huge. You are going to be huge.

The finish line is in sight. You start to dream about how it will be received. Maybe the front cover of Time magazine? An open-top bus parade to celebrate your achievement? At the very least national media coverage. The press release goes live and you wait for Oprah to call.

And then…nothing. Your local newspaper claims there’s no space in this edition between the articles about lost cats and a new bench being unveiled by the mayor. The tech press shrugs. The nationals can’t even be bothered to do that. Nobody cares about your baby. Deflation.

It’s a theme that reoccurs across the world. What you think is news, the news does not think is news. Join this panel of All Star tech journalists to find out what really makes them tick, and find out how to turn those shrugs into product plugs.

Rising costs, ageing populations, and breakthrough therapies are forcing Europe’s payers to rethink how healthcare is financed.

From prevention to personalisation, digital care to new reimbursement models, the decisions made now will define the next decade.

Four of the globe’s leading payers share what’s imminent, what’s hype, and how they see the future of healthcare financing across the region.

31 December 2022. That’s when the change happened.

That’s the moment search trend data shows searches for ‘Body positivity’ were eclipsed by searches for ‘GLP-1s’. And since then the gap has become a chasm.

GLP-1s are everywhere. On the sides of buses. All over social media. Sold at health clubs. A diabetes drug turned into a weight loss phenomenon.

They promise major health benefits but concerns about dependence and long-term effects remain. Is this surge in use sustainable? And above that, is it responsible?

Nomophobia - the fear of being without a mobile device - was voted people’s word of the year in 2018.

Seven years later, in a world-first, Australia banned social media for under-16s, with the idea of protecting children from harmful online content, amid the growing concern for its impact on children’s mental health.

Colloquially known as brain rot, social media is not only a distraction from productivity, but has also been proven to shorten attention span. On the flip side, it’s a platform for connection, conversation and creativity.

Does kicking a bad habit before adulthood positively impact mental health in the long run? Or does it shrink a community support network, leading to social isolation and poorer mental health?

Longevity. It sounds good, doesn’t it? Ignore the fact that the planet is dying, and everything else going on around you, and living for ages sounds delightful.

Also, ignore the fact that longevity is essentially the entire point of healthcare, and you’ve got yourself a mighty fine buzzword.

Longevity tech is having its moment. From concierge scans to precision bloodwork, healthtech companies are promising insights that go beyond an annual check-up. But is this really a new field, or just prevention rebranded and with slicker packaging?

The birds are chirping, the sun is shining…and your wearable says you’ve had a rubbish night’s sleep.

Yay! What a day! Time to skip off to work, and cram yourself onto a train, flat white in hand, head nestled under someone’s armpit.

In the era of biohacking, how can we translate the ‘negative’ data into a positive? What actions can we take day-to-day (drink a coffee? take a nap?), to alter our health in one year, two years, and for the rest of our lives? And with so much data and noise constantly available. What are the metrics that matter for ensuring many more Mondays?

Last year, to our eternal shame, we decided to repeat a session from 2024. And then you, our wonderful audience, went and made it the most saved session again. Two years in a row.

And so this year, without any shame at all, because you’ve literally asked for it, we’re doing it again. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s the return of ‘What’s hot and what’s not investor panel’.

You love it so much, we couldn’t even be bothered to write a new description for it. Like leftover lasagne, some things are just better reheated. Bon appetit.

Music provokes feeling. It lights up the brain, lifts the body into motion, and taps into something deeply human. From EDM to folk the healing power of music is the ultimate art meets science cross-over.

Across the globe, music is no longer just entertainment, it’s become medicine. Music is being prescribed as treatment, and it’s on the rise.

New studies have revealed its positive effect on people with ADHD and autism, as an emotional regulator and concentration aid.

For children, learning an instrument does more than build skill, it reshapes the brain. Strengthening the pathways between the auditory and motor systems boosts cognitive flexibility, supports self-regulation, and helps young minds maintain attention even in noisy, distracting environments.

So what happens when we take music seriously as a form of care? How far can we push its healing potential?

And ultimately: can music transform our minds and become a universal tool for patient wellbeing?

Azafaros’ €132 million deal turned heads on both sides of the Atlantic. 

It’s the story every ecosystem dreams of: a university spin-out, de-risked by European scientific excellence, supported by a confident regulator, and powered by a tight-knit local circle of specialist investors.

And it’s not an outlier.

Insulin pump innovator ViCentra, sleep-tech startup Onera Health, and neighbouring diabetes management firm CeQur have also secured major investments upwards of €30 million.

Taken together, these signals point to something bigger: the Dutch ecosystem is on a roll.

For years, Europe watched its most promising biotechs cross the Atlantic in search of scale. But the tide is turning. The ecosystem is maturing. Capital is growing bolder. And the Netherlands is proving that it can not only generate world-class science, it can grow it, keep it, and fund it at an ambition-level.

How does the Netherlands bottle this momentum and keep producing wins?

The Netherlands: Home to vibrant tulip fields, intricate canal systems, and a living matrix of Europe’s top innovators, government, researchers, industry trailblazers and empowered citizens, collaborating to transform the future of health.

The vision: to share challenges and create solutions, for everyone, everywhere.

With more than 3,100 R&D life sciences companies, 420 biopharmaceutical companies, and now the European Medicines Agency, the Netherlands has a strong foundation to build one of Europe’s most interconnected health ecosystems.

What can the rest of Europe learn from the Netherlands? How can European countries replicate this model to bridge the gaps in a fragmented health infrastructure?

Every so often, a group of battle hardened Chief Security Officers will get together to swap war stories. Data breaches, user error, QR code back doors. The list is endless. But, almost without fail, there’s one CSO story they all have in common.

The latest pentesting, ICS test or Fuzz testing reports are back, and there are critical vulnerabilities to address. There’s also the AGM in 6 weeks, and the company is on track for record profits. Doing the tests alone shows commitment to cyber security, right? The vulnerabilities can wait. And wait.

And wait. Cyber almost always loses out in the budget conversation. Until the day the spend is no longer optional, it’s ransom. So how do CSOs get the rest of the C-suite to take it seriously before it’s too late?

The pendulum swings will, of course, become less violent over time. We are in the early days of The Second Age of AI, and every day the opinion-ometer flies from ‘AI is going replace everything’ to ‘these issues will sink healthcare AI’. From algorithmic bias and regulation, to the rise of AI driven psychosis and suicide, we are in an age Schrödinger's healthcare AI; the solution to, and cause of, all our problems.

Like all new, shiny things, there are zealots and dissenters. Like all new, shiny things, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. The trick is working out what the right balance is.

How do we decide what level of AI adoption is not too much, not too little, but just right?

The ancient Athenians sometimes put animals or inanimate objects on trial, when a human culprit could not be found. Aristotle describes a court where a knife, a stone, or even a cart could be found guilty and banished.

Sounds absurd now, blaming an inanimate object. Yet in healthcare, we risk repeating the same logic with AI. Pointing the finger at ‘the algorithm’ isn’t defensible, but it’s already happening.

When harm occurs, who really takes responsibility?

It’s the hope that kills you, so the saying goes.

AI in healthcare has become a blank canvas: miracle cure for the workforce crisis, silver bullet for drug discovery, antidote to burnout. But lofty promises don’t pay the bills. Investors, providers and patients are starting to ask the same question - where’s the proof?

For AI to live up to its potential, the conversation has to move from possibility to performance, from glossy headlines to real outcomes.

The OECD has reported workforce efficiencies of 15%. The FDA released a discussion paper advocating for the use of AI in drug discovery. Just 30 days of scribe usage were shown to reduce burnout from 52% to 38% in one study.

In the end, it won’t be the hype or the hope that matters, but the hard numbers.

AI has a unique quirk: it can present completely nonsensical, incorrect information with absolute confidence (it would make a great politician), better known as a hallucination.

In AI-generated images, hallucinations can materialise in unusual (and sometimes amusing) glitches: one-too-many fingers, misplaced light sockets or gravity-defying objects.

In many areas of medicine, hallucinations represent a material risk. But at its core, a hallucination is creativity. The random, creative nature of AI makes it perfect for designing unpredictable scenarios in stimulation-based medical environments.

AI offers the potential for personalised learning, real-time feedback, and nuanced patient interactions. It enables realistic hands-on training to prepare for real-life emergency situations.

How else can AI reinvent the way clinicians learn, practice, and deliver care? What future training possibilities haven’t we imagined yet?

For a few years, the AI startup PR trick-du-jour was to get your AI to take some form of medical exam.

The press lapped it up, from Forbes to The Times. It was a neat party trick. Easily understandable shorthand for the oncoming wave of AI dominance that would soon have us visiting our GPTs, not our GPs.

The truth, as with all great PR, was a little different to the headline.

The real shift isn’t about AI taking exams, but about doctors learning to work with AI. From triage to diagnostics to patient communication, AI is already entering clinical workflows. Which means the question for medical education isn’t can AI pass the test, but should the test now include AI?

If AI becomes a core part of safe, modern practice, does medical training need to evolve from competing with GPTs to learning alongside them?

It’s crunch time for FHIR interoperability: will it become standard or remain fragmented?

Payers are ready, but a readiness gap remains for providers. Major blockers include data-utilisation agreements, data mapping, and vendor capacity.

The success of FHIR is now pinned on provider engagement, with vendor support. Can the anticipated benefits be delivered?

If sales is all swagger, adrenaline, and sex appeal, and marketing is a persuasive dark art, then implementation is…well, spreadsheets, onboarding calls, and governance checklists. Not exactly pulse-racing.

But here’s the thing: without strong implementation, the deal you just closed will fall flat, churn will rise, and your margins will shrink.

Get it right and you keep customers, grow margins, and discover that sometimes there’s nothing more invigorating than a rigorous onboarding experience.

Hackers love Europe’s hospitals.

In June 2024, a ransomware attack on a pathology provider forced two London hospitals to postpone 10,000+ outpatient appointments and 1,500+ elective procedures, causing two cases of severe harm, five of moderate harm and one death.

A year later, hackers stole cancer screening records from nearly 500,000 Dutch women. In 2023, EU countries reported 309 major cyber incidents in healthcare, more than any other critical sector.

Health data is irresistible to hackers: outdated systems, thinly stretched security, and high-value targets.

Europe’s hospitals are becoming the frontline of cyber warfare. The stakes are no longer just operational. They are clinical, reputational, and financial. Put more starkly, they are a matter of life and death. How can healthcare leaders build real cyber resilience before the next attack puts patients at risk?

Workforce pressures, shifting patient expectations, and accelerating innovation are reshaping how care is delivered across Europe.

From new models of care to digital transformation, cross-border collaboration to financial sustainability, the choices made today will set the course for the next decade.

Four of the globe’s top provider leaders share what’s urgent, what’s noise, and how they see the future of healthcare delivery across the region.

Two world-renowned healthcare leaders will tackle one of the industry’s most pressing questions: How do we deliver high-value care that improves patient outcomes and reduces costs?

Christophe Pedroletti, Chief Executive of Karolinska University Hospital – steering one of Europe’s most advanced university hospitals and Lawrence Hamilton, Executive VP of Performance at Kaiser Permanente – bringing deep expertise on aligning clinical excellence with affordability will take to the stage, alongside moderator Pam Garside, Chair of Cambridge Angels  – steering the discussion based on her decades of experience in health care systems and digital health in the UK and internationally.

These organisations are truly health transformation leaders, and they have the credentials to back it up: 

Karolinska University Hospital – ranked 5th globally for clinical excellence and innovation. Karolinska is internationally celebrated for its specialisation in complex cases, research-driven care, and emphasis on achieving better patient outcomes at sustainable costs.

Kaiser Permanente – often seen as the benchmark for integrated care, serving 12 million+ members in the US. 90% of people in the US in the highest-ranked quality health plans are Kaiser Permanente members.

By show of hands, imaging professionals. How bored are you of events using the ‘every image tells a story’ line on you?

Let’s assume most hands are in the air. If you’re reading this in public, you can stop now before someone asks if you’re lost.

Radiology doesn’t need another poetic tagline. It needs progress. The tech is moving faster than the systems that use it. Data is richer, but workflows are not. Everyone’s talking about AI, yet few are fixing the fundamentals.

HLTH.rad cuts through the noise. Fewer buzzwords, more substance. What’s working, what’s failing, and what imaging looks like once the hype clears. The world’s leading imaging voices. In one place. Having the conversations that matter, the decisions that count, and the future that’s taking shape.

Sure, every picture tells a story. But the next chapter starts when you change the angle, step outside, and see things differently.

There’s an oft-cited statistic in pharma - half of all treatment failures stem from nonadherence. The truth is a little harder to validate.

Can we make such a blanket statement when pharmaceutical forgiveness of nonadherence, and the threshold of medications’ treatment effect varies by disease and drug? How does one control for the absence of a biological response in the test group? What role does declining trust in healthcare and the rise of misinformation play?

What is clear is that there is a huge amount pharma could do in the patient journey, but does not yet consistently do. From adherence tools to patient education, to the flagging world of digital therapeutics, is it time for pharma to redefine what support looks like beyond a pill?

In 1796 Dr Edward Jenner inoculated an eight-year-old boy with cowpox to protect him from smallpox. (That was fine in 1796, because The EMA hadn’t been invented yet.) The vaccine was born. Shortly afterwards, the Anti-Vaccine movement arrived.

Records of inoculation stretch back to 200 BCE, and for 200 years after Jenner uptake rose worldwide. Skepticism flared in the 1970s and 1990s but overall vaccination became central to modern medicine.

Then COVID-19 happened. In 2018, 90% of UK adults believed vaccines were safe and effective. By 2023 that had fallen to 70%, according to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Europe has seen a similar decline in vaccine adherence and confidence. For the first time in decades, global vaccination rates have started to fall. 

Is the future of vaccination about science, communication, or something else entirely?

From Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease to Osteoarthritis, Alzheimer’s to psoriasis, it feels like barely a week goes by without GLP-1s being proffered as a treatment for something new.

The list of things listed as a panacea in healthcare is long; CRISPR, Stem Cell Therapy, and…AI? Are GLP-1s the latest in that list? Or can they really have the broad impact that’s being touted?

Some statements are self-evident: the sun is hot. Triangles have three sides. Data is pharma’s most valuable asset. Yet the industry has a habit of treating it like waste material rather than treasure.

Locked in silos, scattered across functions, or left gathering dust, the value too often slips through the cracks. Combine this with the natural risk aversion inherent within pharma, and there’s a lot left on the table.

But when it is put to work, the results are undeniable. Trials become smarter, approvals faster, supply chains more resilient. Markets stop being guesses and start being forecasts.

The real prize? Patients get treatments that actually change their lives. The challenge is not proving the value of data, but finding the courage to use it fully.

The biggest names in pharma have never been afraid of a challenge. Competition breeds pioneering treatments and never-before-seen transformations.

Never before have there been so many ways to discover, develop and launch blockbuster modalities, the rise of AI launching thousands of previously unimaginable opportunities. Yet pharma faces headwinds of smaller budgets, high R&D costs, complex compliance, and geopolitical risk. There is no doubt that big-picture market dynamics are changing.

Pharma has always made obstacles into opportunities and problems, possibilities. Especially when powerful dealmaking between industry and startups drives success.

How is pharma approaching a whole new set of challenges and setting itself up for success?

Imagine a world in which you had unfiltered access to the CEO of one of the world’s biggest companies. 

No PR team, no prescripted questions, no rehearsed answers. 

Just half an hour of pure, unprocessed, insightful revelations. That’s the HLTH Europe CEO Agenda for 2030.

30 mins. One CEO. Immeasurable insight.

Pharma’s R&D engine runs on blockbuster drugs. Recent breakthroughs in GLP-1s, CRISPR mRNA have turned treatment labels into household names. These high-octane performers keep the engine humming and the profits pumping.

But since 2018, more than 70% of new molecular entity revenues have come from external innovators, small labs with the flexibility to move quickly. As AI changes the way in which new therapies are discovered, will that trend continue? Or can big pharma bring more drug development back in-house? 

To broaden pharma’s pipeline, in-licensing and acquisitions have become imperative. Yet the rapidly changing, artificial intelligence-infused landscape may help to buck this trend.  With a trend towards later-stage clinical assets, smaller but higher-quality preclinical pipelines are predicted.

As drug development lurches forward, will the next wave of innovation and commercial opportunity come from outside or inside Big Pharma?

It has become a cliché to say that AI will change everything. Every agenda, article and keynote since 2021 has asserted it. Yet for CIOs, it is a daily reality, not a hypothetical future.

Fail fast has always been the guiding mantra for big pharma. Once upon a time AI was considered a tool to make that happen. Its value outside of that was uncertain.

Now, the mists are clearing: From data preprocessing to personalised medicine, manufacturing, trials, and feedback loops, there are very few areas of the pharmaceutical beast AI is not improving operations.

As the value of AI becomes clearer, pharma’s top CIOs tell us where AI is already delivering impact, and what the future holds.

Traditionally, pharma commercials have revolved around broad promotional strategies and incremental market access gains, rather than data-driven precision and integrated digital engagement.

But AI has turbocharged competitive intelligence, put a rocket up targeting and segmentation, and has shown great promise in both increasing adherence and tailoring patient support.

The pharma landscape is as competitive as it has ever been. With every microscopic gain at the top of the funnel multiplied into millions of dollars by the end of the cycle, how are pharma’s most talented commercial leaders optimising for success?

These roundtables bring together leaders across science, industry, and policy to explore three forces reshaping how medicines are discovered, developed, and delivered. 

Leveraging AI in drug discovery: AI is accelerating target identification, modelling, and early-stage development. What breakthroughs are already emerging, and what safeguards are needed to ensure quality, trust, and scale?

The European role in driving innovation: Europe’s scientific strength and regulatory ambition place it in a pivotal position globally. How can the region convert its research excellence into commercial impact, support high-growth companies, and strengthen its role in shaping international standards?

Global access and pricing models: From value-based approaches to global partnerships - innovation only matters if it reaches patients. How can we balance affordability with incentives for investment?

Clinical trials have improved at the edges, better recruitment, stronger safety, smarter operations, but the core model has barely shifted since Jenner’s time. Now, credible alternatives are emerging.

Alongside traditional designs, sponsors are exploring in silico models, digital twins, synthetic controls, adaptive frameworks, and hybrid or decentralised trials. Rather than replacing humans outright, the future is likely a blend: smaller cohorts supported by virtual models, real-world data complementing controlled studies, and flexible designs that evolve as evidence accumulates.

What will this new mix look like in practice? Which methods will gain regulatory traction? And how can pharma prepare for a world where evidence generation is faster, more diverse, and increasingly augmented by technology?

The clinical trial revolution is upon us. As this momentum accelerates, what shifts, surprises and breakthroughs should we anticipate in the years ahead?

As an industry, we may like to think of ourselves as above things as fickle as trends. Trends, as a word, may seem to lack the weight, the gravitas, the importance that pharma demands. But we are nonetheless an industry that has long since thrown ourselves off the precipice of radical change. 

With radical change comes trends.

Personalised medicine? In. AI workflow automation? In. Late-stage asset deals? In. 

Centralised trials? Out. Linear drug discovery? Out. Unsustainable practices? Out.

We’ve gathered some of the finest minds in pharma to tell us where they’re sticking their chips for 2026. Late adopters need not apply.

Healthcare innovation is no longer a distant ambition, it is a strategic imperative for national resilience, economic competitiveness, and population wellbeing. Around the world, governments are being asked to navigate a fast-moving landscape shaped by AI, genomics, advanced manufacturing, and new data-driven models of care. These breakthroughs hold enormous promise, but they also demand decisive policy frameworks, cross-border coordination, and long-term investment.

This opening keynote will set the scene for how leading nations are modernising regulation, strengthening digital infrastructure, and cultivating research–industry ecosystems to remain competitive.

As healthcare transforms, so too must public policy. What actions should governments prioritise now to unlock innovation, protect citizens, and future-proof their health systems?

Healthcare innovation isn’t just about better care; it’s a driver of national competitiveness. But Europe still moves too slowly. Lengthy approvals, fragmented data, and outdated processes delay new solutions and cost economies billions.

This session explores how Europe can cut friction, accelerate adoption, and turn speed into a strategic advantage. What would it take to go from breakthrough to bedside faster, without compromising safety or trust?

Where are the biggest slowdowns in Europe’s innovation pipeline? Which policies and partnerships can unlock speed? How can faster innovation boost Europe’s economic edge?

Across Europe, health systems are under financial strain: rising costs, ageing populations, workforce shortages and growing demand are stretching budgets to their limits. Traditional funding models are no longer enough.

This session asks how we keep systems sustainable, invest in innovation, and still deliver high-quality care. What new financing models, partnerships, and incentives can help Europe future-proof its health systems?

How do we fund rising demand without compromising care? What innovative financing models actually work? Most importantly: where should Europe invest now to save later?

A safe, secure environment is essential for delivering quality care. But rising cyber threats, ransomware attacks, and the growing impact of climate change are putting unprecedented strain on Europe’s health systems.

How do we build systems that can withstand disruption and keep patients safe?

The European Commission’s approach centres on four pillars: Prevent vulnerabilities through stronger infrastructure and preparedness. Detect emerging threats with real-time monitoring and shared intelligence. Respond and recover quickly and collaboratively to maintain continuity of care. Deter by restoring services fast and embedding lessons to strengthen future resilience.

This session explores what it takes to protect Europe’s health systems against the shocks of today and tomorrow.

By the end of HLTH Europe, the European Health Data Space Regulation will have been in force for 450 days. But there are other, more important frustrations with what could be transformative legislation.

March 2027 is the deadline for adopting key implementing acts, and providing detailed rules for the regulation operationalisation. March 2031, the desired date for it to be fully operational in all EU member states. 11 years after it was announced.

The European Health Data Space has the potential to accelerate cross-border research, streamline access to high-quality datasets for innovators, and give patients real control over their health information. It could unlock faster drug discovery, more precise diagnostics, and a stronger digital health market that competes globally. Yet as the clock ticks toward 2027 and 2031, the challenge is ensuring its impact matches its ambition.

The idea remains excellent. The pace lends itself to fears that by the time it’s launched it will already be out of date.

It’s been almost 3 years since Switzerland adopted a Mutual Recognition Agreement with the FDA, allowing certain Swiss and US drug manufacturing inspections to be mutually accepted rather than duplicated. The move was widely applauded as a time and resource saving moment.

As European companies struggle with balancing the demands of multiple regulatory frameworks across markets, and government funding constricts, is it time to start building global standards for validation?

Love thy (European) neighbour as yourself. Treat them with love, respect – and help stop the spread of communicable diseases across the continent.

The EU’s joint COVID-19 vaccine procurement and rollout proved what’s possible when Europe acts as one public health system: 27 nations, moving in lockstep, protecting millions.

They’ve done it once. Now, Europe is ready to transform its health systems from the inside out, together.

Innovation institutions, Member States and intergovernmental organisations will co-create solutions through the WHO/Europe Public Health Innovation Platform, catalysing system-level transformation and strengthening resilience across borders.

Europe knows how to innovate. So what creative, courageous and compassionate solutions can be brought to the table? And, even bigger: how do we build a more equitable, scalable and sustainable global healthcare system for all?

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are not side issues. They are central to how European healthcare will evolve, compete, and deliver impact in the decade ahead. From who joins the workforce to how technologies are designed and deployed, equity sits at the heart of performance and trust.

Health systems across Europe face increasing pressure to do more with less. Addressing inequities in access, outcomes, and representation is not only a moral responsibility but also a strategic advantage. Inclusive teams are better at solving complex problems, designing patient-centred solutions, and adapting to change.

Europe now has an opportunity to set the global pace by making DEI a core pillar of healthcare transformation. The question is no longer whether it matters, but whether we are ready to treat it as essential to innovation, resilience, and long-term success.

Global technology giants are moving fast into healthcare, investing billions in data platforms, AI diagnostics, and digital tools for patients and clinicians. Hospitals, on the other hand, are stretched by capacity limits, workforce shortages, and ageing infrastructure. Despite this, they remain the backbone of healthcare delivery, trusted by communities and grounded in actual patient care.

This Oxford-style debate asks: who should shape the future of care? Can Big Tech’s scale and innovation deliver better outcomes for patients, or will hospitals remain the true guardians of trusted, equitable, and patient-centred healthcare?

Is the future of health being built in Silicon Valley, or on the hospital floor?

Children are too often discussed in healthcare without being given the chance to speak for themselves. At HLTH Europe, their voices are front and centre. Healthtech innovators join the stage not alone, but alongside the children who experience their products and services every day.

Together they share the reality of living with technology that promises to improve paediatric care. The young patients and advocates speak openly about what truly helps, what creates new challenges, and what they wish adults designing their care would do differently.

For healthtech companies, it is a moment to listen as much as to share. For the audience, it is a rare opportunity to hear directly from children about how innovation impacts their health.

A child’s world is full of wonder. Trees are giants with leafy arms, spoons of yoghurt are aeroplanes, and medicine is magic.

Despite making up 25% of the population, and 100% of the future. Child health inequality exists; avoidable health issues cost £16 billion + each year, in the UK.

Children know how to play, and because of that, they are natural innovators.

If healthcare reclaims childlike curiosity, can we see beyond its traditional limits?

The Kuak Skyride is a cable car in Kuak Hulu, Malaysia offering unbelievable views of the surrounding scenery. Soaring rock faces, endless mountains, and a restaurant perched on top of a sheer cliff.

Literally unbelievable in this case, because it doesn’t exist. At all. But an AI generated news report of it convinced one couple to travel hundreds of miles to visit.

The threat in healthcare is much less whimsical. Medical misinformation already threatens public health, from false claims about vaccines to misleading treatment advice. Over 80% of people seek out health information online. 61% of HCPs say misinformation has caused a loss of trust between them and their patients.

The rapid rise of AI-generated deepfakes is set to make the challenge even greater.
How can healthcare leaders prepare for a future where distinguishing fact from fiction is increasingly difficult?

Just over three years ago, the WHO announced that COVID was no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. By this point, much of the world had adapted to the ‘new normal’. Masks, social distancing, and elbow-based greetings were a thing of the past for many.

But for the 17mn across Europe that WHO estimates have some form of Long Covid, the pandemic never ended.

With traditional healthcare systems struggling for capacity, can healthtech step up and fill the gap to deliver consistent, long term care for Long Covid?

Next year, the oldest Gen Zs will be 30. Thirty. They’re no longer the future. They’re the now.

There are over 2bn Zoomers, the largest generation in history. Typically, they’re digital natives, savvy consumers, and more dialed into mental health than any generation before. But like every generation that’s preceded them, we’re still talking about them like they’re fresh out of kindergarten.

Convenience, cost transparency, affordability, and trust are now non-negotiables for younger consumers.

Yet this generation is also less trusting of traditional institutions, including health systems and even clinicians, while turning in greater numbers to apps, social media, and peers for health guidance.

The risk for payers is clear: fail to adapt and Gen Z may disengage altogether or migrate toward alternative models. There aren’t many business models where ignoring 25% of the global population is seen as a viable strategy.

Across Europe, universal healthcare is considered a cornerstone of social solidarity, yet spiralling costs, ageing populations and staff shortages are raising doubts about its long-term viability.

In 2022, the EU spent 10.4% of GDP on current healthcare expenditure, amounting to roughly €1,648bn.

Advocates of the motion argue that these funding models cannot withstand future pressures without eroding quality or access. Opponents counter that universal care is both sustainable and indispensable, if underpinned by reform and innovation.

This Oxford-style debate asks: can Europe truly preserve one of its defining achievements?

Menopause can upend every part of life.

A 70% increased risk of depression.
An average weight gain of 10kg.
Increased risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Vaginal atrophy, dyspareunia, and difficulty with arousal or orgasm.

The traditional options on offer - HRT, antidepressants, lifestyle tweaks - only go so far. Leaving women to navigate an exhausting trial-and-error approach to relief.

Could the arrival of GLP-1s shift the equation? They’ve shown great promise in lipid redistribution. But beyond weight loss, might they influence mood, metabolism, or even sexual health?

And if so, could they finally offer a breakthrough for women navigating menopause?

Women’s Health is being quietly buried by online platforms. Posts about pregnancy, menopause, and infertility are being silenced.

Even words as basic and clinical as libido, vagina, and nursing are labelled “inappropriate” and censored simply because they relate to women’s bodies.

It’s the same old societal taboo. But now, even the algorithm has caught on. Women’s Health is not inappropriate. It’s medicine. It’s science. It’s health.

When the patterns of bias keep repeating, and algorithms choose to silence, how can we ensure women’s health is heard, valued, and funded?

In 2022-2023, European funding for Sexual & Reproductive health peaked. It helped avoid over 2 million unsafe abortions and save more than 6,000 women’s and girls’ lives.

It prevented at least 7 million unintended pregnancies and ensured access to modern contraceptive care for 20 million women and couples.

With funding now falling by 4.6% and that pattern set to continue, millions risk losing access to essential care. The consequences reach far beyond numbers, with rising unsafe abortions, preventable deaths, and worsening inequality in reproductive rights.

What action is needed to keep sexual and reproductive health on the global agenda and protect the progress already made?

Women’s health has long been treated as a niche concern rather than a public health priority. But attitudes are shifting.

From HPV screening in sanitary products to community contraception drives and endometriosis awareness, the new frontier of women’s public health is as inventive as it is overdue.

It’s not just about innovation, it’s about ownership. As women’s health moves out of the margins, the people driving change are refusing to wait for permission.

Startups, policymakers, and campaigners are rewriting the rulebook on everything from menstrual health to menopause care. The result? A future where public health actually serves half the population it was meant to protect.

It’s 1983. Cyndi Lauper is blaring out of the radio.

‘The phone rings in the middle of the night

My VC yells “What you gonna do with your life?”’

OK fine, we’ve changed a lyric or two to fit our own narrative, but the reality is that 40 years on, the VCs still aren’t calling.

In 2024, women’s health companies received 2.3% of global healthcare venture capital. The smallest percentage of funding women’s health has received since 2021, and 43% LESS than in 2023.

I’ll say that again: 2.3% for 50% of the population. Make it make sense. 

It’s a recurring nightmare and a regular panel feature. The common conclusion: educating everyone, from doctors to investors, on women’s health is imperative for encouraging better funding.

85% of VC partners are male. Is this lack of investment due to subconscious bias? Sexism? Is it plain old misogyny?

Time to flip the script. In this session, it is the investors doing the pitching, and the startups deciding who they would swipe right on. Each has just a few minutes to sell why they are the partner you should want, not the other way around.

Expect charm offensives, a few unexpected slides, and some light-hearted chaos as the tables turn. Equal parts theatre and therapy, giving founders a rare peek into how investors try to stand out when the power balance shifts.

We have even got them branded grey marl hoodies to pitch in. BYO Air Force 1s and MacBook.

‘Otra piña colada, por favor,’ you say, as the waiter passes your sun lounger. The markets smiled on you, the bell rang, and your ticker now flashes proudly on the screen. You could stay here forever. Maybe you will; for you are a founder who took the company public, and your life is as golden as your stock price. The waves lap at your toes and the sun yawns overhead.

Except they’re not waves. It’s a puddle. Because you haven’t listed. And you’re standing outside your office. In the rain.

If you want to IPO at full value, you need to start preparing long before the bankers arrive. Growth alone doesn’t make a business investable. Investors buy into governance, scalability, and predictable performance, not just ambition. So what do public markets reward, and how can founders build the structure, transparency, and credibility that turn private promise into public success?

Learn from those who have done it, those who advise on it, and get one step closer to ringing that bell for real. Piña coladas not provided.

Nobody likes talking about it. It feels a bit grubby. But in order to grow, or even just to stay afloat, at some point, healthtech has to get on with the uncomfortable business of selling.

There’s a dark art to a lot of healthtech sales. One that nobody really talks about: It is not always, or even often, the best solution that wins.

It’s the people who navigate the system best; those who understand the necessary evil of procurement, and build relationships with the right people at the right times.

Trust, credibility, influence, how to sell the ROI, and who to sell it to. That’s what wins.

Find out how, here.

Hot off the back of the Startup Pitch competition, the same jury will take your pitch deck questions.

They’ve seen the brilliant, the bold, and the slightly baffling, and now they’re ready to spill what really opens an investor’s wallet.

Bring your pitch decks, your bold ideas, and your burning questions. The jury will dissect real examples, debate the dos and don’ts, and share what separates a “nice try” from a “let’s talk.” No theory, no fluff, just candid advice from people who actually sit on the other side of the table.

Whether you’re gearing up for your next funding round or just want to make sure your story sings, this live pitch training is your chance to turn slides into something unforgettable. Expect quick wit, tough love, and a few confessions from the judges’ side too.

Forget IPOs, Europe’s healthtech founders are finding their happily-ever-after in M&A. 

Corporates want fresh tech, investors want liquidity, and the cheques are getting bigger. 

By mid-2025 healthcare deal value had soared 87% to €31.8 billion, even as deal count slid 8% according to Nelson Advisors. In the UK, 168 healthtech exits landed by the end of 2024 against just 61 failures. Exits are no longer plan B, they are the headline act.

Investment in healthcare tech is on a tear, climbing 50% in 2024 to hit $15.6 billion and keeping pace with double-digit growth in early 2025. 

From billion-dollar buyouts in Europe to record-breaking funds in the US, private equity is betting big on healthcare; buying up entire systems, hospital groups, as well as venturing into healthtech, hitting a multi-year high in 2025.

With investors chasing carve-outs, underperforming assets and AI-fuelled innovation, the sector is brimming with energy. The big question is, which bets will truly transform healthcare and which will fizzle?

Like bowling, toothpaste, and wigs, the first moats were found in ancient Egypt.

Moats are, ostensibly, a great idea. Protect your most valuable asset by surrounding it with water. Nobody gets in without you saying they can. You are safe.

But what happens when one of the Big Tech players decides they’re going to drain your moat? Or worse, flood it? Is all hope lost?

This session looks at how founders can survive when defensibility disappears. We will explore what moat collapse really means, how to adapt when Big Tech comes for your market, and the strategies that still give smaller players an edge.

In June 2025, 20VC founder Harry Stebbings issued a clarion call to European startups:

“What European founders need to realise: the valley has turned up the intensity once again. Seven days a week is the required velocity to win right now”

The post echoed the controversial, and now illegal, Chinese working practice of 996. 09:00 - 21:00, six days a week.

US & Chinese startups continue to outpace their European counterparts when it comes to raising and exits. Is a rise-and-grind mentality behind this chasm, or is the reality more nuanced?

Wuu2
Nm lol u

Ah, dating apps. A veritable smorgasbord of fast flowing linguistic flirtation, questionable gym selfies, and pictures of men holding fish. 30 seconds to lose all hope in humanity. All for just €29.99 a month!

From frictionless onboarding, an obsession with UX, and gamified engagement loops, dating apps are designed to be sticky. UX in healthtech is often an afterthought. Regulations, safety, and the myriad complexities of operating in the most governed sector in the world all come, rightly, first.

But if we want patients and clinicians to engage in tech, then it has to feel as seamless as getting catfished by a potential suitor whose entire personality is based around Hyrox.

Not interested in this session? Swipe left.*
*[@Product Team - please can we add this functionality in, TYSM?].

‘Ex-[Tier 1 Tech Company]’. You’ve seen it a thousand times in LinkedIn bios. It looks impressive, it screams credibility. But does it actually mean someone can thrive in a startup where speed trumps process and decisions are made in hours, not quarters?

The same question shadows Pharma veterans stepping into tech. They know scale, they have networks, they carry brand power. But do they also carry the entrenched habits?

Should startups be raiding big pharma and Big Tech for talent? Or are the real difference-makers the ones who’ve never known the safety net?

‘Ideas are a commodity. Execution of them is not’. Michael Dell knows a thing or two about founding and then leading a business. But he is the exception, not the rule. The combination of visionary and executor is rare.

The world’s greatest authors talk about ‘killing your darlings’, removing that which does not advance the plot, no matter how much you love it. But that adage becomes harder when you are your own darling.

What happens when a founder is no longer the right person to execute? And how does a company, its board, and even the founder themselves recognise when it’s time to hand over the reins?

Of all the insidious bits of management consultancy speak that have weaseled their way into the lexicon of those making unpalatable decisions, ‘rightsizing’ is surely the most insidious.

For rightsizing to make sense, at some point wrongsizing has occurred. Whether that’s down to poor strategy, market shift, or the unforeseen rise of a new technology, someone got it wrong, and that will impact the workforce.

It’s impossible to predict market fluctuations, global events and trend sentiment, so how do founders deal with these incredibly sensitive issues?

In an era where productivity gains are easy to measure but purpose is not, how do leaders decide what, and who, truly matters?

Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past,
From the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts,
And recycling it for more than it's worth - Baz Luhrmann, Wear Sunscreen, 1997.

On paper, a strong board is a no-brainer. Industry expertise, guidance, market knowledge, know-how. But most board members are senior figures in their industries, and few attain that level of seniority without a little…backbone. They’ve been there, done that, and now they’re going to tell you how to.

Conflicting ideas on how to achieve goals, past experiences, and whose advice holds most weight can lead to distracting disagreements. You’ve already got a team, clients, and investors to keep happy, adding the need for a boardroom ego-groom to your To Do list won’t help.

Traditionally, Europe has an unusual relationship with failure. Whilst a failed venture in the US is often parroted as a learning experience, and entrepreneurs are praised for their resilience and bravery, in Europe, there’s more caution.

Yet failure is an inevitable part of the startup journey, and the most valuable lessons are often learned when things don't go to plan.

In this session, we dive into the real stories behind healthtech failures, exploring what went wrong, what was learned, and how these experiences can help founders navigate their own paths to success.