M Leuven - Platform Oct 21 - 15:00 - 16:10

Why health tech capital is different

A sharp panel on why funding health tech, AI and hardware-driven innovation is harder, slower and more complex than in many other sectors, told through both successful and difficult founder journeys.

Unlike ordinary software companies, health tech startups and scaleups often need to prove much more before they can grow. They deal with clinical validation, regulation, medical evidence, reimbursement, hospital adoption, long sales cycles and international market differences. A good product is not enough. In healthcare, technology has to be trusted, validated, adopted and paid for.

That matters for AI and hardware innovators alike. In this panel, Herman Verrelst, Charlotte D’Hulst and Bart Van Pee explore why capital behaves differently in health tech. Their perspectives are deliberately different.

Herman Verrelst (Heran Partners) brings the lens of a health tech entrepreneur, investor and company builder all-in-one.

Charlotte D'Hulst (ex-Yesse) brings the reality of a venture-backed biotech journey that raised capital and built strong partnerships, but was ultimately wound down.

Bart Van Pee (Ectosense) brings the experience of building Ectosense towards a successful acquisition by ResMed.

Together, they will unpack the specific funding logic of health tech: why it takes longer, why the risks are different, why some promising companies do not make it, and why others become strategically valuable to global players.