DMEA nova Award – New Ideas in Digital Health
DMEA nova Award: The nominees for 2025 are in!
The DMEA nova Award award is aiming at startups from the digital health sector and will give them the opportunity to pitch their outstanding concepts and solutions in multiple rounds at the DMEA. It also creates valuable networking opportunities for startups to make direct contact with potential partners, investors and customers from the industry at and after the DMEA.
At DMEA 2025, 5 startups competed against each other on one focus topic in four separate sessions on April 8 and 9 (preliminary round). In the Final Session on April 10, the best startups from the preliminary rounds pitched for the DMEA nova Award. The startup with the most convincing idea was chosen by the expert jury and the audience and rewarded with a prize kit worth EUR 7,500: PAICON!
And the WINNER is... PAICON!
In a strong final session on April 10, PAICON prevailed over four other startups with the votes of the expert jury and the audience:
Their solution is based on the fact that most AI models in cancer diagnostics today are trained on limited, homogeneous data sets, leading to biased AI models, inaccurate diagnoses, misaligned treatment plans and increasing inequalities in healthcare.
PAICON is changing that. Their AI-driven solutions integrate machine learning, a genetically and technologically diverse Cancer Data Lake, and regulatory-compliant AI models to drive a new era of personalized cancer diagnostics.
Congratulations to PAICON and a big thank you to all the other finalists for their inspiring pitches!
Key Facts about the DMEA nova Award
- Open Call for Ideas on the four predefined focus areas
- Free application for all startups with a maximum of 5 years' history of foundation (2021 and younger)
- Evaluation and nomination of the presenting startups by an expert jury
- Announcement of the 20 nominated startups mid of March 2025
- At DMEA: Preliminaries with 4 sessions and 5 startups each, 1 final session with 4 startups
- DMEA nova Prize Kit valued at EUR 7,500 for the startup with the most convincing idea
DMA nova Award 2025 – Final Session
Our nominees for the Live Pitches at DMEA 2025 were:
Fokus: Patients
Focus: Rethinking sustainability
Focus: Tomorrow's technology - Digital. Precise. Personal.
Focus: Healthcare models for the future
Media Partner
From the Call for Ideas to the DMEA nova Award 20256
- Round 1: Open Call for Ideas (December 2025 to January 2026)
All eligible startups can submit one single application on one of the key topics.
- Round 2: Evaluation period (January 2026 to February 2026)
The expert jury evaluates the applications received and nominates the five best startups per key topic that will be pitching live at DMEA in Berlin.
- Round 3: Preliminary rounds with thematic pitches (April 21 & 22, 2026)
The nominated startups compete against each other at DMEA in thematically clustered pitch sessions. The expert jury nominates 1 finalist per key topic.
- Round 4: Final pitches (April 23, 2026)
In the Final Session, the finalists from the preliminary rounds compete against each other.
The expert jury and the audience shall select startup with the best idea.
Application conditions to the DMEA nova Award 2026
Free application for all startups with a maximum of 5 years' history of foundation (2021 and younger).
Each startup will be given one chance to apply for a pitch at DMEA 2025 on one selected key topic. Multiple applications will result in the exclusion of all applications in which the startup is involved. The application period is binding, subsequent applications will not be considered.
Applications may be submitted in German or English, all presentations and pitches at DMEA must be held exclusively in English.
Any startup exhibiting at the "Startups & Innovation" Area of DMEA can apply via the Call for Ideas. Other startups can participate once in the application process and, if nominated, at the event. Repeat applications will not be considered.
Always there for you:
the DMEA team
Timm-Joel Ruwwe
timm-joel.ruwwe@bvitg.de
M +49 (0) 151 5439 4139
Important Documents
Guidelines to abstract structure (PDF, 131 kB)
Terms of Participation for DMEA nova Award (bvitg)
Data protection notification of bvitg Service GmbH for program participation