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Key Thematics

Start4Health is dedicated to driving innovation in the healthcare industry. To achieve this, we focus on five key thematic pillars that encompass a wide range of solutions. These pillars serve as the foundation for the transformative ideas and technologies we aim to support.

We encourage submission of solutions that tackle key public health challenges and other unmet needs.  Are you ready to make your mark?

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Telemedicine icon
Digital Health and Medicine
Leveraging AI, IoT, digital biomarkers, and personalized medicine, to revolutionize diagnosis and care and improve people’s lives.
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Wearables icon
Bioinformatics
Computational techniques, algorithms, and platforms that analyze biological data to drive discoveries and health innovation in genomics and disease prediction.
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Monitoring icon
Data Insights and Business Intelligence
Data-driven tools for real-time business and market insights, decision-making, and optimization of healthcare processes, resources, and strategy.
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Clinical Trial Technologies
Technologies that promote efficient and inclusive clinical study models, including remote conduct approaches, improving data quality, therapy effectiveness, patients’ recruitment, engagement and overall experience.
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Drug Safety
Technologies that improve monitoring, reporting and analysis of adverse drug reactions, accelerate regulatory response and promote patient safety.
ScaleUps Studio

ScaleUps Studio is exclusively designed to unlock strategic collaboration opportunities for mature startups and healthtech providers. As the exclusive gateway to Pfizer’s Center for Digital Innovation, and via CDI to the whole Pfizer organization, it enables established companies to present their value proposition and explore concrete pathways for potential partnership and collaboration

Our dedicated Review Committee, comprising Pfizer experts and industry professionals, will evaluate your entry based on a range of criteria, including among others your company's maturity, the relevance to Pfizer’s business, the product/service scalability and the innovation potential.

By participating, you acknowledge and embrace the Review Committee's final decisions, knowing that each evaluation is tailored to the unique needs and business priorities of the company.

Once selected, you'll gain exclusive access to the ScaleUps Studio—a tailored program of meetings and workshops with global Pfizer executives, co-designed around the specific collaboration opportunities your solution offers.
Each team begins with a 1:1 Preparation Workshop to refine their proposal and identify synergies.
Next, they join an Intro Meeting with the Pfizer CDI team to present their solution and explore alignment within Pfizer’s global network.

The process culminates in a Solution Exploration Session, where teams engage with Pfizer stakeholders in focused discussions to assess fit, uncover synergies, and define next steps

While there is no monetary prize associated with participating in the ScaleUps Studio, the benefits are great. By engaging directly with Pfizer's CDI, it is only through ScaleUps Studio that you'll have the opportunity to explore potential partnerships, co-development prospects, and strategic alliances that can propel your company to new heights.

It's important to note that entering the ScaleUps Studio doesn't automatically lead to legally binding contractual agreements with Pfizer. However, ScaleUps Studio is the unique gateway to present your solution and investigate separate, tailored agreements in the future. 

Don't miss this chance to revolutionize your business and make a lasting impact in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry. Apply now to the ScaleUps Studio and embark on a transformative journey with Pfizer. 

 

Acceleration Lab

Pfizer CDI invites the Greek startup ecosystem to carve the future of healthcare through digital innovation, by proposing their visionary ideas in the 4th iteration of the Start4Health challenge.

Acceleration Lab Key Dates

The program includes three consecutive phases: the Open Call, the Acceleration Phase, and the Final Pitch Day. 

Open Call Phase

Pfizer CDI invites the Greek startup ecosystem to carve the future of healthcare through Digital Innovation with their visionary ideas in the fourth iteration of the Start4Health challenge. The Open Call phase will begin on October 10, 2025 and will run until November 9, 2025 (11:59 p.m. EET).

Accelerator

The Top 5 startups will enter the Acceleration Phase for six weeks and will be assisted by Pfizer Mentors and Coaches from the ecosystem.

Final Pitch Day

The Final Pitch Day includes pitches, events, and awards of the Top 2 startups.

Phase 1
Call for applications
10/10/2025 - 09/11/2025
Phase 2
Assessment
November 2025
Phase 3
Kick-off Bootcamp
December 2025
Phase 4
Accelerator
December 2025 - mid January 2026
Phase 5
Final Pitch-day
Expected in February 2026
Prizes and Benefits

The program is designed to attract ambitious startups and founders ready to scale impactful solutions in health innovation.
A judging committee, made up of global and local experts from Pfizer and the broader innovation ecosystem, will evaluate and select the Top 5 startups to join the Acceleration Phase.

During this phase, each team will work closely with a dedicated mentor from Pfizer’s global network, and engage in tailored coaching and expert-led sessions to refine their product, strengthen their business model, sharpen their value proposition and enhance their pitching skills.

On the Final Pitch Day, the judging committee will select two winning teams with the most compelling pitches, who will receive significant cash prizes. Beyond the awards, any participating startups with strong and compelling business cases will have the opportunity to explore a potential collaboration with Pfizer CDI.

1st Winner

25.000€ 
Potential collaboration opportunities with Pfizer 

2nd Winner

10.000€ 
Potential collaboration opportunities with Pfizer 

Judges
Yannis Pandis
Yannis Pandis
Thessaloniki Site Lead and Center for Digital Innovation Lead
Marge Bailanis
Marge Bailanis
Head, Greece Clinical Data Sciences
Anastasia Matonaki
Anastasia Matonaki
Director, Embedded Innovation, Pfizer
Filippos Zakopoulos
Filippos Zakopoulos
Managing Partner, Found.ation
Mentors
Ifigeneia Metaxa
Ifigeneia Metaxa
Senior Manager, Cybersecurity Engineering Innovation & Excellence Lead,Pfizer
Michail Papamichail
Michail Papamichail
Sr. Manager, IRT Solutions Test Lead, Pfizer
Jeremy R. Price
Jeremy R. Price
Senior Director, Head of Clinical Trial Capability Advancement, Clinical Development & Operations, Pfizer
Amy Chowansky
Amy Chowansky
Senior Director, AI Strategy Lead, Pfizer
To Be Announced
To Be Announced
Start4Health Mentor
To Be Announced
To Be Announced
Start4Health Mentor
Hear from Previous Winners

Discover the inspiring success stories of previous winners who have embarked on the transformative journey of Start4Health. These companies have experienced firsthand the many opportunities and invaluable support offered through this groundbreaking initiative. Let their stories inspire you to take the leap and unlock your own potential for growth and innovation.

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scidrones
Scidrones
"Start4Health was a truly transformative experience for Scidrones. The program gave us the opportunity to work closely with leading mentors, gain exposure to Pfizer’s ecosystem, and refine our solution with a sharper focus on real-world healthcare impact. Beyond the financial support, it was the strategic insights, peer learning, and collaborative spirit that made the difference. Winning the 2024 Acceleration Lab not only validated the hard work of our team but also gave us the momentum and visibility to scale our innovation further."

Scidrones team
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Aima Labs
AIMA LABS
"AimaLabs is revolutionizing hematology diagnostics with an innovative AI-powered software platform for peripheral blood smear analysis. Our vision is to enhance patient care by making advanced, AI-driven diagnostics accessible to laboratories and hospitals worldwide, helping to address the critical gap where millions of cases of anemia and blood cancer go undiagnosed.
Being selected for Pfizer's Start4Health accelerator was a truly transformative experience in pursuit of this goal. It was during this program that we developed the roadmap to take AimaLabs from a research-driven concept and put it on the path to becoming a real-world product.
The real game-changer was our mentor, Klaudia Eriksson. Her guidance helped us navigate the complex journey from lab to market strategy. To cap off an incredible experience, we were thrilled to be recognized by Pfizer's team, who awarded us the 2nd prize in the competition. This recognition was a powerful validation of our vision and hard work. The insights from the Start4Health program and Klaudia's mentorship are now foundational to our strategy, positioning us to accelerate development and bring our mission to life".

Aima Labs Team

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