Health Tech Forward 2025

Health Tech Forward, held at the Palau de Congressos in Barcelona, took place from December 3rd to 4th, 2025. Over these two days, the event showcased the technologies and strategies that are transforming healthcare. Additionally, this year's conference featured two main stages, Health x Future and Health x Change, where attendees explored new solutions to address current healthcare challenges.

This edition concluded with impressive figures, such as more than 1,000 attendees from 45 countries, over 4,000 meetings, 8 side events, 74 sessions, and the presence of 89 exhibition stands. The BioRegion of Catalonia, for its part, showcased a selection of ten Catalan startups in digital health and medical technology on a global scale.

Biocat, with the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the City of Barcelona, led The BioRegion of Catalonia Pavilion, serving as an international showcase and meeting point for the ten selected startups: ABLE Human Motion, Doctomatic, Made of Genes, Loop Diagnostics, MiMARK Diagnostics, MiWEndo Solutions, MOWOOT, Point Pressure, Time is Brain, and Vitalera.

From the pavilion, the companies held strategic meetings, presenting their solutions and connecting with investors, businesses, and international stakeholders from the sector.

What’s the promise of AI agents in healthcare and how will we navigate the integration hurdles?

Speakers:

• Andreas Ringman Uggla, Partner. Serendipity Partners
• Christian Lautner, Managing Partner. Heal Capital
• Christophe Dufour, Global Head of Digital Precision Healthcare. AstraZeneca
• María González Manso, CEO & Co-Founder. Tucuvi

Immersive Technology for Cognitive and Emotional Enhancement in Long COVID Insights from Scientific Research Using Immersive Technology

Speakers:

• Maite Garolera, Head of the Neuropsychology Unit. Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa

Catalonia Startup Pitch

Speakers:

• Alfons Carnicero. CEO &  Founder. Able Human Motion
• Carmen Pauline Rios Benton, CEO. Doctomatic
• Laura Lizama, CEO &  Co-Founder. Heecap
• Enrique Hernandez Jimenez, CEO &  Co-Founder. Loop Diagnostics
• Aleix Serrahima, CCO &  Co-Founder. Made of Genes
• Marina Rigau, CEO &  Co-Founder. MiMARK Diagnostics S.L
• Tomás Escuin, CEO. MiWEndo Solutions
• Markus Wilhelms, CEO. MOWOOT
• Marc Casellas, CEO. Point Pressure
• Blas Diaz, COO. Time is Brain

Clyype is here to transform respiratory protection worldwide

Speakers:

• Albert Plasencia, CEO. Clyype

European Health Data Space (EHDS): Collaboration and partnerships for successful implementation

Speakers:

• Jesus Berdun Peñato, Project Manager at Digital Health Validation Center. Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau
• Sergio González Álvarez, Head of Innovation. EIT Health

Health Data Under Attack: Emerging Vulnerabilities in Healthcare

Speakers:

• Laura Busquet Raich, Head of Data Protection and Compliance. Consorci de Salut i Social de Catalunya

Can AI in drug discovery actually shorten the road to real therapeutic breakthroughs?

Speakers:

• Jonas Béal, Head of Scientific Strategy. OWKIN
• Valentina Isetta, Global AI Innovation Lead. AstraZeneca
• Vincent Lepreux, Investment Director. Debiopharm Innovation Fund

Youth Mental Health & Immersive Engagement: Why Immersive Tools Are Effective for Teens and Young Adults (SPANISH)

Speakers:
 

• Bárbara Citoler Naval, Clinical Psychologist, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Inpatient Unit. Hospital Universitari de la Vall d'Hebron
• Marina Lopez Fluxa, Specialized Mental Health Nurse, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Inpatient Unit. Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron

Value-based care but make it European: why the models from the US don’t translate

Speakers: 

• Guillem Masferrer, Partner. Asabys
• Samantha Jérusalmy, Partner. Elaia
• Ward Bijlsma, Chief Medical Officer. Equipe Zorgbedrijven

How much risk is too much? Payers and providers in the value-based care

Speakers:

• Sebastian Anastassiou, Partner & Head of Investments. Nina Capital
• Eric Machado, Director of Health Strategy. Cigna Healthcare
• Sílvia Vinyes Roca, Head of Innovation. DKV Innolab
   

Climate change and healthcare: is the sector taking a bigger toll than we thought?

Speakers:

• Elena Codina Sampera, Head of the Pediatric Environmental Health Speciality Unit. Hospital Sant Joan de Déu.
• Marta Arias Guillén, Nephrologist and Research Fellow in Sustainable Kidney CareCentre for Sustainable Healthcare. Hospital Clínic de Barcelona

Startup pitches - Disruptive diagnostics

Speakers:

• Tomás Escuin, CEO. MiWEndo Solutions

Startup pitches - Chronic Disease Management

Speakers:

• Roberto De La Rica Quesada, CEO. Nanodecal

Can FemTech finally go mainstream now or will the investment gap keep holding it back?

Speakers:

• Annie Theriault, Managing Partner. Cross-Border Impact Ventures
• Maxime Huerre, VP Digital Health. Eurazeo
• Oliver Pou, Strategic Partnerships Officer. Health Tech Forward
• Patricia Ripoll Ros, Patient Advocate, Health Adviser, Chief Patient Officer. Fundación VISIBLE

Success through the right partnerships: identifying the not so obvious partners and creating the unexpected value

Speakers:

• Delphine Demeestere, Director External Innovation. Lonza
• Hank Capps, EVP, Chief Information Digital Officer / President. Catalyst by Wellstar Health System
• Jorge Juan Fernández García, Chief Innovation Officer. Hospital Clínic de Barcelona

Investing in prevention: how to calculate ROI?

Speakers:

• Daniel Oliver, Director. Capital Cell