Paediatric Investment Forum brings together startups and investors in paediatric and maternal health in Helsinki

Organised by i4KIDS, CoMB MedAngels Investor Network, The Child Lens and Montana Children’s, with the support of HUS and the New Children’s Hospital Foundation, the forum brought together entrepreneurs, investors, healthcare organisations and key ecosystem stakeholders to support the development of solutions aimed at improving the health and well-being of children, pregnant women and families.

Held at Maria 01 in Helsinki, the event further established itself as a platform for fostering investment in early-stage paediatric and maternal health innovation across Europe. Following its first edition in Barcelona in 2025, the forum once again highlighted the growing interest in this field among specialised investors.

A platform connecting investment and innovation for impact

The event was opened by Arnau Valls, Innovation Coordinator at Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona Children’s Hospital and Director of i4KIDS; Georgina Sorrosal, Founder and Director of MedAngels; Marc Ramis, Founder and Managing Partner at Montana; and Pilar Puig-Sàrries, Founder of The Child Lens.

The programme also featured a keynote presentation by Hanna Sjöström, CEO of Neola Medical, who shared her perspective on the challenges and opportunities shaping innovation in paediatric and maternal healthcare.

Following a competitive selection process involving more than 40 applicant startups, six companies from across Europe were selected to present their projects to the investor community gathered in Helsinki. The selected ventures reflected the breadth of innovation in paediatric and maternal health, covering areas such as rare diseases, paediatric oncology, neurology, maternal health, in vitro diagnostics and digital health.

• Amets Biotechnology (Spain), which is developing a gene therapy platform for paediatric genetic diseases, with a lead programme focused on the treatment of Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis Type 2 (PFIC2).
• Aptadel Therapeutics (Spain), focused on developing RNA aptamer-based therapies for the treatment of Ewing sarcoma, a highly aggressive paediatric cancer.
• CureAge Therapeutics (United Kingdom), which is developing genetic therapies for peripheral nerve disorders, with a particular focus on Neurofibromatosis Type 1.
• MamaLabs (Finland), creator of a solution that enables mothers to assess the nutritional quality of breast milk at home through a diagnostic kit and mobile application.
• MOMM Diagnostics (Switzerland), which is developing a rapid test for the detection and assessment of pre-eclampsia in clinical settings.
• Seluna (United Kingdom), specialising in artificial intelligence-based solutions for the diagnosis of neurological disorders, with a particular focus on paediatric sleep conditions.

Strengthening the European Paediatric Innovation Ecosystem

Beyond the pitch sessions, the forum fostered knowledge exchange, the development of new partnerships and opportunities for collaboration between startups, investors, hospitals and organisations committed to advancing innovation in paediatric and maternal healthcare. As part of the programme, participating companies also held one-to-one meetings with investors attending the event, providing dedicated opportunities to discuss potential investment and collaboration prospects in greater detail.