Pitchfest 2020 surpasses 50 applications from digital health start-ups

The 2020 Digital Health Rewired Pitchfest has received more than 50 completed applications with dozens more registered.

The 2020 contest was opened in September 2019 with the aim of providing an opportunity for early stage digital health start-ups to pitch their idea or venture in front of a hugely influential crowd of senior NHS IT leaders and big digital health investors.

Those who have already applied come from up and down the country. Some have even come from overseas will applications coming in from the Netherlands, Canada, Ireland and South Africa.

The companies cover a range of areas including artificial intelligence platforms and technology which allows patients to have access to their health data and access this from various devices.

Run as part of the Digital Health Rewired Conference and Exhibition, the Pitchfest is an ideal way to build NHS relationships, gain exposure and develop innovative concepts or start-ups.

Digital Health recently announced that winners of the 2020 Pitchfest will be offered the unique opportunity to have their innovation tested and scaled at the world-class Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust through its CW Innovation programme.

On the morning of the Pitchfest groups of start-ups will each deliver a three-minute pitch and then answer questions from the judges live on stage. A winner from each group will be chosen to go through to the final, where finalists will pitch again, and the judges will then name an overall Pitchfest winner.

The judges for the 2020 competition are:

• Tony Young, National Clinical Lead for Innovation, NHS England
• Chris Chaney, chief executive of the hospital charity CW+ and co-lead of CW Innovation
• James Wise, Partner, Balderton Capital (VC)
• Ayesha Rahim, CCIO and Deputy Medical Director, Lancashire Care NHS FT
• Kate Newhouse, CEO, Blenheim Chalcot (VC)
• Chris Sawyer, Innovation Lead, Digital Health at Innovate UK
• Yinka Makinde, programme director, DigitalHealth.London

Last year’s Rewired Pitchfest winners, TestCard, developed a device that embeds a urine diagnostic device into a postcard.

The deadline for applications is 7 February 2020. You can apply here.

The Digital Health Rewired Exhibition and Conference on 4 March 2020 connects current and future health leaders with the best in disruptive digital health.  The compelling programme features a glittering line-up of leading NHS CEOs, CCIOs and CIOs, and founders of many of the most exciting digital health start-ups from across Europe. The show is free to attend for start-ups under three years.