MORE THAN A START-UP COMPETITION

Pitchfest offers digital health entrepreneurs, start-ups and scale ups the opportunity to take their business ventures to the next level.

Are you building something to transform health
services and patient care?

Pitchfest is the UK’s most high-profile digital health start-up competition that provides a platform for innovators and founders to pitch their solutions to influential leaders across UK healthcare. Apply online. Compete in shortlisted virtual heats. Pitch live at Rewired 2026 to win.

Apply to pitch

GET RECOGNISED

Showcase your solution to judges from the NHS, VCs and digital health accelerators. Make the final to pitch live final at Rewired 2026, the UK’s largest digital health event.

EXPERT ADVICE

Winners will access expert advice from CW+ and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS FT’s CW Innovation team, and the potential to run a project in the trust.

MEDIA COVERAGE

Finalists and winners will be featured on Digital Health News, the #1 authoritative news site on NHS IT. You’ll feature in news stories with opportunities to contribute to podcasts and editorial features.

CONNECT WITH PROSPECTS

Finalists receive free entry to Rewired 2026 where you’ll get access to NHS leaders and digital teams, government officials, investors and potential partners.

PAST WINNERS

Pitchfest has run since 2019 receiving over 550 applications from across the world. Previous winners have gone onto achieve significant growth, attract funding investment, scale within the NHS and enter new international markets.

TIMELINES AND ENTRY CRITERIA

ENTRY CRITERIA

Our definition for this competition a start-up is a company in the early stages of its development – an entrepreneurial start-up venture focused on using digital and data tools in an innovative fashion to deliver improvements to health and care in the UK or internationally.

Typically, the start-up will be started by one or more founders who focus on addressing an identified market opportunity by developing am original health or innovative product, service, or platform with a strong digital and data component.

You will be beyond ideas stage and have at least a minimum viable product or first iteration, and you should be self-funded, pre-seed, at seed round, or possibly series A or even beyond.

JUDGING CRITERIA

The judges are looking for information and evidence about the following five key areas:

• Vision – how clear is the vision is for the start-up and what it is trying to achieve?
• Innovation and originality – how innovative and original is the start-up in its focus, service and use of technology? How differentiated is it from competitors in its chosen field?
• Impact – what is scale of the potential impact on health and care provision (in the UK or internationally)?
• Business plan – how well defined and credible is the business plan?
• Team – how knowledgeable and credible is the team?

ENTRY RULES

Entrants should be start-ups or registered businesses that have been established for lessthan five years in current guise. This doesn’t preclude research work that has subsequently become a start-up

• Entrants must have health and social care services, medical devices, consumer or employee health and wellbeing or life sciences as their primary focus of activity
• Entries can be from any country – but the judging criteria include evaluating potential impact on UK and/or international healthcare. International entries have been past finalists.
• The information provided in the entry form must be accurate, honest and true
• The selection of pitches will be made based on the data in the web-form and supporting information provided
• If you are invited to take part in the Pitchfest we need you to confirm by the specified date, or we will offer the place to another start-up
• You may be invited to take part in a Pitchfest practice session ahead of Rewired – this is not obligatory, but you are strongly encouraged to take part if able
• Your pitch must be provided in advance and be no longer than 3 minutes long
• Pitches must be made by a single presenter (no teams)
• In the event of a tied decision the chairman of judges will have the deciding vote
• The judges’ decisions are final in all instances
• By entering Pitchfest you agree to have your start-up included in marketing and promotion of the competition.