The startups all focus on applying AI to augment medical imaging, improve oncology care and improve the patient experience. Estimates suggest that over 400,000 European lives could be saved annually through the application of AI in healthcare, and could free up 1.8 billion hours of clinicians’ time to focus on what matters most; the patient.

The selected startups were chosen as they demonstrated innovative and scalable solutions to pressing problems in the healthcare sector such as scarcity of diagnostic resources, bottlenecks in care pathways and limitations in patient input. 

Legit Health (Bilbao, Spain): Legit Health offer a clinical data and communication tool that helps next-generation dermatologists improve speed to diagnosis, monitor the evolution of wounds, and score severity of chronic and/or  malignant skin lesions. This AI-powered technology helps clinicians & patients alike to improve diagnosis.

Spryt (London, UK): SPRYT is a smart scheduling solution that improves uptake/coverage rates for screening services as well as reducing the appointment no-show problem. No show rates are a significant problem in diagnostic cancer services.

Radiobotics (Copenhagen, Denmark): Radiobotics are automating detection and measurement of features in musculoskeletal imaging to streamline the diagnosis and aid reporting.

Lucida Medical (Cambridge, UK): Lucida uses Machine Learning and radiogenomics to help identify cancer from MRI and clinical data. Lucinda Medical aims to make cancer screening accurate, accessible, cost-effective and quick.

Vinehealth (London, UK): Vinehealth combines behavioural science and AI to provide highly personalised patient support that improves the quality of life and survival of cancer patients.

Bruno Moraes, Country Manager, Wayra UK said: “We are proud to welcome some magnificent scaleups in EMEA for our first cohort of the Edison Accelerator in the region. The programme gives our companies unique access to work with leading healthcare corporations to validate their solutions, and then to exploit the business development opportunities that can follow. There is no better partner than GE Healthcare to make this happen. I am certain that the Edison Accelerator will become a major player in the HealthTech space in Europe and beyond, and we at Wayra are excited to help make this happen.”

Jan Beger, Senior Director of Digital Ecosystem, GE Healthcare said: “The future of innovation will be about working across silos and collaborating across the healthcare ecosystem, including startups, research centres, hospitals, clinicians and patients. The Edison Accelerator is bringing together those stakeholders under a single, connected ecosystem to generate a real impact in helping to improve the bottom line and in providing patient care.”

Over the next six months, the Edison Accelerator will provide its cohort of five startups with the knowledge and skills to help them further scale their business and co-develop solutions with GE and the other leading healthcare institutions participating in the programme. Each startup will be working with a team at GE Healthcare and one of the healthcare partner institutions - Alliance Medical, Ribera Salud, EMRAD and Manchester University.

Intel has also joined the Edison accelerator as a Technology partner. The accelerator will give the startups access to GE Healthcare’s extensive global network including thousands of sales professionals and distribution partners in 160 countries and will culminate in a Demo Day in November