MORE THAN A START-UP COMPETITION

The shortlist for Pitchfest, the UK’s leading digital health start-up competition, has been announced, showcasing the innovators set to take their ventures to the next level.

2026 SHORTLIST

JUDGES

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 an original health or innovative product, service, or platform with a strong digital and data component.

You will be beyond the 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 the 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 less than 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.