Nearly one fifth (19%) of the EU population is aged 65 and over. This proportion is growing: according to the United Nations, by 2050, one in four people living in Europe and Northern America will be in this age group. Moreover, 32.1% of seniors in the EU live alone.

As the global population is ageing and life expectancy increases, the emerging Age-Tech sector is predicted to grow exponentially in the coming years. However, the digital divide amongst the older population as well as between generations is still very prominent. …

Why is data important for public health and innovation?

The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the discussions around health data sharing in Europe and beyond. Tracing the spread of the pandemic, identifying hotspots and vulnerable communities, discovering potential treatments and monitoring the patients involves the collection and exchange of health data. It requires digital solutions that often use artificial intelligence and data analytics tools to employ this data in the most user-friendly and efficient way.

Data access, collection, sharing are vital to innovation in health care in many other areas. Data analysis tools are being used to find life-saving treatments for…

Just because startups provide leading innovation in the fight against COVID-19 does not mean they can magically make automated content filters work.

After making the hard-learnt lesson that content filters don’t work, we ask policy makers to not take 2 steps back and ask startup entrepreneurs to figure it out anyway. Instead, we encourage taking a big step forward by making the no general monitoring obligation the bedrock of the Digital Services Act.

“Cometh the hour, cometh the startup”

COVID-19 has created an extraordinary situation requiring extraordinary solutions. It prides us to see startups rise to the challenge. Velmio, an…

The unprecedented COVID-19 health crisis is overwhelming health care systems around the world. During times like these, it is particularly important to take advantage of all means available to implement solutions that help curb the loss of lives and empower the health workers to carry out their work. Concerns related to mental health are also on the rise. Fear, stress, anxiety, uncertainty, financial problems, lack of social interactions are some of the issues that are affecting people’s mental and psychological well-being. In addition, access to mental healthcare is scarce given the lockdown.

Digital health startups are rapidly innovating in the…

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the lives and livelihood of everyone around the world in every possible way. Individuals, organisations and governments are reinventing the dynamics of everyday life to stay safe, healthy and afloat. This is especially true for startups who are the most flexible and adaptable economic players in the market. In the last few weeks, we have witnessed startups putting their resources to fight COVID-19. In this post, we gathered a list of five digital health startups tackling the pandemic and how.

While these are times of uncertainty, we are also seeing expressions of solidarity and humanity…

On 19 November, founders of European digital health startups Ada, Brain+, Byteflies, Disior, Tired of Cancer and Biloba came to Brussels to talk directly to policymakers and regulators from the European Parliament and Commission.

The aim was to discuss face-to-face some of the most crucial policy topics for startups — e.g. the impact of regulations on health innovation, barriers and enablers to disruption in healthcare, market access and financing, and furthering cooperation in the sector.

The startup founders not only discussed regulations with policymakers, but also had the opportunity to brainstorm on how to move forward with health and digital…

Earlier this month, Allied for Startups participated in the South Summit in Madrid to meet, learn and exchange with stakeholders in the Spanish startup ecosystem. The South Summit brings together thousands of entrepreneurs working in blockchain, foodtech, insurtech, healthcare, smart mobility, and other cutting-edge topics, as well as ecosystem players ranging from corporate to investors, policymakers and students.

London, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, and Barcelona are the top 6 biggest startup hubs in Europe. Legal certainty as well as attracting and keeping talent are the predominant issues in these startup hubs. As Nadia Calviño, acting Spanish Minister of Economy, recalled…

The digital health startup ecosystem is growing at an exponential rate in Europe. With increasing amounts of groundbreaking treatment methods and investments into the industry, more and more entrepreneurs and investors are looking to expand into healthcare. Startups’ innovative solutions are reshaping practices and perspectives in healthcare.

But many startups struggle in the highly specialised and regulated healthcare sector. Startups need to go through complex clinical and regulatory processes even before entering the market, and many scientific, regulatory and financial hurdles come up in the process of bringing solutions to the users. …