Breast cancer biosensor and low-cost ultrasound startups win women’s health AI competition

BACKEER and Netalis Medical have won the Women’s Health × EmbryoNet-AI Startup Competition, an international initiative designed to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence solutions in women’s health.

The two winners will receive technical support worth up to €100,000, along with access to investors, to help them develop and validate their minimum viable products.

In total, the competition attracted 165 teams from Europe, Central Asia, Africa and other parts of the world. The field included early-stage startups, research laboratories and clinical groups applying artificial intelligence to solve women’s health challenges.

“We selected participants based on their potential impact on women’s health, scientific and commercial viability, data availability, alignment with EmbryoNet-AI’s capabilities, programme feasibility, as well as ethical and sustainability considerations. Both winning teams demonstrated outstanding performance across all these criteria,” said Elena Lipilina, co-founder of EmbryoNet-AI.

Kazakhstan-based BACKEER is developing a fibre-optic biosensor platform for the rapid and highly sensitive detection of biomarkers. The technology aims to improve the early diagnosis of breast cancer and increase the accuracy and speed of laboratory testing. The company plans to use the programme’s resources to build the AI-driven platform and interface for the biosensors.

South African startup Netalis Medical is building a solution for ultrasound diagnostics and maternal-fetal health monitoring. The product addresses the shortage of qualified healthcare professionals and diagnostic equipment in underserved regions by offering a more affordable and accessible alternative to conventional ultrasound systems. The company plans to use the support to build an annotated proprietary ultrasound dataset for use in ultrasound diagnostics.

The Women’s Health × EmbryoNet-AI Startup Competition was held in Portugal. It included a Mentor Sprint, where participants worked with experts in technology, marketing and clinical practice to refine their solutions and business models, and culminated in a Live Pitch Day.

The selected teams presented their solutions to investors and industry stakeholders, including femtech strategic advisor Rocsi Chereches; Dr Sabine Seymour, founder of the women’s educational platform Re.punk; Fabien Lanteri, head of health strategy and innovation; Alla Zarifyan, co-founder and head of strategy at Heartgene Science; Evgenia Zaslavskaya, founder and chief executive of communications agency Zecomms; and serial entrepreneur and angel investor Isabel Holguera Vera. They evaluated applications on their potential impact on women’s health, scientific and commercial viability, alignment with EmbryoNet-AI’s capabilities, programme feasibility, and ethical and sustainability considerations.

The winning teams will now enter a build period of eight to 10 weeks, during which EmbryoNet-AI will deliver a fully developed, services-first pilot at no cost. The companies will also gain direct access to investors active in women’s health and AI-driven biotech, as well as enhanced public credibility through investor-ready materials, including pitch decks, and media exposure.

The Women’s Health × EmbryoNet-AI Startup Competition is a first-of-its-kind programme for femtech startups and research labs, bringing together innovators working at the intersection of artificial intelligence and women’s health.

The initiative, launched by the scientific platform EmbryoNet-AI in partnership with FemTech Real Money Talks Media, a European media platform covering innovation in women’s health and femtech, aims to accelerate real-world breakthroughs by transforming early-stage ideas and clinical questions into working AI solutions.