Lusíadas Saúde became the main sponsor of the 96th Lisbon Book Fair (May 27 – June 14, 2026) in a three-year partnership with APEL. The partnership centers on health literacy and the connection between reading and health. Lusíadas Saúde will manage the medical post at the fair, name the central auditorium, and participate as premier sponsor of the Book 2.0 event in September 2026.
Emotional Gym is a new startup founded by Cătălin Meșter, a Romanian entrepreneur previously involved with audiobook platform Voxa. The platform functions as an ’emotional fitness gym’ where users train emotional reactions to fear, shame, anxiety and rejection through repetitive exposure exercises. The platform aims to create authentic spaces where users share real difficulties and lessons learned, contrasting with traditional social media. Meșter is promoting the I Love Failure conference series and community, with the May 2026 event in Bucharest featuring over 150 participants and 6+ speakers.
Efferon, a biotech company developing hemoadsorption devices for treating sepsis and septic shock, has secured €2.5 million in seed funding led by private investors from the DACH region. The company will use funds to build a new EU production facility and expand manufacturing capacity. Efferon’s products include Efferon LPS for general use and Efferon NEO for pediatric patients, with the latter recently receiving CE MDR certification. The technology has been used in over 25,000 treatments across 40+ countries.
Paindrainer, a Swedish digital therapeutics company based in Lund, has raised €550,000 from existing shareholder Almi Invest, Tramontane Invest, and other existing and new shareholders. The company develops AI-powered digital platforms for chronic pain management, including its flagship PD Care System and the upcoming Relivra product powered by proprietary Artificial Neural Networks.
Lauxera has oversubscribed a 520 million euro fund aimed at accelerating European medtech companies’ expansion into the United States market.
NEX Health Intelligence, a healthtech startup, has raised €1 million in pre-seed funding to develop an AI-powered infection intelligence platform designed to help hospitals detect, predict and prevent healthcare-associated infections. The platform has already supported infection safety across more than 40,000 patient admissions internationally and is currently working with NHS organisations in the UK and hospitals in Southeast Asia.
Bioceltix, a Wrocław-based stem cell company, has submitted responses to regulatory questions from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) regarding its lead therapeutic candidate BCX-CM-J for canine osteoarthritis. This represents a key milestone in the drug registration process ahead of market approval.
BioGenómika, certified as an emerging company by Enisa, has won the EmprendeXXI Awards recognizing it as the innovative company with the greatest potential and impact in Extremadura. The awards are promoted by Enisa through the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, and CaixaBank through DayOne, its division specialized in technology companies.
Farm Innovations S.A., a vet-tech company listed on NewConnect specializing in animal identification and health monitoring, has entered into a partnership with DOGid, which has operated a verified and regularly updated database of domestic animals for over 20 years. The partnership aims to create a quality animal identification system based on high-reliability data to increase the chances of lost pets being quickly reunited with their owners.
Danish biotech startup Alcolase raised €1.5 million to develop an enzyme-based technology that breaks down alcohol in the stomach before absorption, targeting the 540 million people in East Asia with ALDH2 deficiency (genetic alcohol intolerance). The company plans to launch in Singapore and South Korea, with a UK subsidiary supporting therapeutic drug delivery development.