Startup programme has always been an essential part of the Life Sciences Baltics forum. The two-day long entrepreneurship masterclasses and pitch competition have already resulted in significant collaborations between science and business, including some success stories such as 10M USD investment into Vittamed, neurodiagnostical medical device company. Let’s have a quick look at startups that will take part at the forum this year:

• BabyMoon Project (Moldova). It is a biomonitoring system, based on a baby carrier, specially designed for premature babies, that uses sensor technology for biomonitoring the vital signs and development of the baby, and sends the collected data to a mobile app for parents, to web interface for medical personnel and to its API for data analysis.
• Femco Technologies (Latvia). A startup that seeks to improve the field of embryo reproduction by using a high-precision laser. The company has created a laboratory prototype of noncontact femto-second laser to perform biological manipulations on the human embryo.
• RNAexact (Estonia). A company offering vectors for targeted delivery of nucleic acids.
• CheeksUp (Latvia). A startup building a virtual mirror game that interacts with patients through visual biofeedback used for orofacial rehabilitation (facial nerve paralysis) and articulation improvement for children.
• Violet Cell (Lithuania). They develop technologies for interfacing therapeutic cells with human body. Their technologies allow cells to survive in environments where they usually do not – this enables advancing synthetic biology and cell therapies towards clinical applications, as currently this is limited by the issue of therapeutic cell rejection.
• Optogama (Lithuania). A company with 10+ years of experience in research, development, prototyping and production of laser related components, optomechanical assemblies, lasers and laser systems offering innovative solutions and products for industrial, security and scientific sectors.
• Vita Est Scientia (Lithuania). A team developing a global network of life science professionals and enhancing knowledge exchange between academia and business.
• Smartmedic (Lithuania). It is a company developing new medical and life-saving devices, and creating technologies related to human welfare.
• Fidens (Lithuania). A company creating devices for treatment of blood circulatory disorders and hands shake stabilizer for Parkinson’s disease.
• Antimicrobial silicone coatings and antimicrobial catheters (Lithuania). A team that created antibacterial catheters and silicone coatings with strong antibacterial effect to gram positive and gram negative bacterial strains using multifunction, unique nanocomposites. These new, cheap silicone-nanocomposites material could be used as catheters materials and in other medical fields.
• Fractomus (Lithuania).  A company that develops innovative tools for biotechnology industry based on direct, as well as indirect application of proprietary type of electromagnetic fields, which stimulate and control biochemical and biological processes across a full range of scale – from atomic to cellular to inter-cellular. The novelty of indirect application involves various mediums which can absorb, maintain and transfer the effect of electromagnetic fields.
• NMTC (Lithuania). The makers of extremely high frequency millimeter wave therapy medical device for healthcare professionals.
• Breathcount (Lithuania). A device and an app monitoring lung functionality and helping to prevent asthma attacks.
• Šviesos terapija (Lithuania). A startup focusing on research and development of innovative phototherapy medical devices together with Lithuanian business, scientific and healthcare organizations. They are engineering a phototherapy device that already meets regulatory requirements and has received permission for clinical trial.
• CellAge (Lithuania). A startup aiming to increase human health span and reduce incidences of age-related diseases by helping the human body destroy aged cells. Their technology concept harvests the promises from the developments in synthethic biology and recent findings in ageing research to deliver a novel and revolutionizing preventive therapy.
• Aresi Labs (UK). A multidisciplinary startup focusing on the areas of innovation and digital development, and providing services in 3 major areas: Intelligence & Consulting, Research and Software Development.
• Aminostream (Latvia). Their core competence lies in developing techniques for the asymmetric synthesis of non-proteinogenic amino acids (NPAA) of ultra high purity as well as their production. Their technology is scalable and universally applicable to the synthesis of virtually any NPAA.
• Koatum (Latvia). A med-tech startup, working on development of hybrid bioactive medical implant coatings. The method allows creating multiple bioactive layers on one implant, where both isolative and bioactive features are present. As a result, no metal-to-tissue contact is guaranteed, providing for rejection-free faster healing with no complications. Patients, suffering from intolerance of implants, are also able to rehabilitate.
• And more!

These startups will take part at the entrepreneurship masterclasses and B2B meetings. 10 most promising ones selected by jury after the masterclasses will pitch on the stage. The winner of the Pitch Challenge will be awarded with the trip to Akron BioMedical Corridor, International Hub of BioMedical Innovation. Akron will provide access to their network and arrange a program specific to the interests of the winner company.