Artificial intelligence continues to attract investors in healthcare sector
<p>Artificial intelligence is currently the most invested technology in digital health startups in the BioRegion, along with virtual reality. In light of this growing interest, Biocat has collaborated in organizing the second edition of the E-Healthcare Investment Forum Barcelona.</p>
Artificial intelligence applied to healthcare had emerged as one of the most disruptive topics in recent years, but the arrival of the pandemic has caused this technology to gain momentum. So much so that investors have put this sector in their sights and today it is the most invested technology in digital health startups in the BioRegion, along with virtual reality.
In light of this growing interest, Biocat has collaborated in the second edition of the E-Healthcare Investment Forum Barcelona, an event organized by the Barcelona Medical Association (COMB), Barcelona Health Hub, ESADE BAN, Barcelona Activa and EIT Health, which this year was dedicated to artificial intelligence.
During the session, investors Leonor Alarcón, member of the Plug & Play team, Tim Juergens, co-founder and CEO of SeedLink, and Jahed Momand, business angel, explained the fundamental features that AI startups must have in order to attract their attention in a panel discussion chaired by Cristian Pascual, president of Barcelona Health Hub.
The three participants agreed on the need for these projects to be "careful and safe" for the well-being of patients. "You can't play with people's health and, therefore, they need to be clinically validated," emphasized Leonor Alarcón, who advised that the teams should be multidisciplinary. Meanwhile, Tim Juergens and Jahed Momand warned that this technology should be used as long as it is useful. "First, you have to detect the patient's need and then, if necessary, apply artificial intelligence," explained Juergens who, together with Momand, recommended that it should never be the other way around.
During the event, which has been consolidated as a unique and specific space for investment in digital health, 10 startups that use AI presented their solutions to local and international investors: AI for Dentistry, Heuristik, Iluria Ldt, IOMED, Lapsi Health, Legit Health, Ligence, Made of Genes, mjn-neuro and Sycai Medical, of which four are part of the BioRegion.