Thursday, October 30, 2025

10 Years of the Health-i Award: How Artificial Intelligence Is Revolutionizing Healthcare – Innovations, Winners, and Visions for the Future

10 Years of Empowering Innovation: The Health-i Award marks a major milestone – a decade of digital transformation that has redefined healthcare innovation. Under the motto “10 Years Empowering Innovation”, visionaries, start-ups, and experts gathered at Hamburg’s Digital Campus Hammerbrooklyn to celebrate, connect, and be inspired.

The evening opened with a high-profile panel discussion on “Visions for the Future of German Healthcare.” Prof. Ariel Stern (Hasso Plattner Institute), Steffen Ganders (German Bionic), Kerstin von Diemar (cureVision and Health-i Award Winner 2023), and Thorsten Lubinski (DiaMonTech AG) joined moderator Matthias Rutkowski to discuss the opportunities and challenges of the digital transformation in healthcare.

“Digitalization and AI will transform healthcare as profoundly as the discovery of penicillin once did,” emphasized Kerstin von Diemar. The panel agreed that technology must be designed for people, not to replace them – AI should support, not substitute, human expertise.

Hosts Flo Akinbiyi and Lara Sophie Bothur opened the ceremony with an emotional look back at a decade of Health-i innovation. What began as a shared vision of Handelsblatt and Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) has evolved into a thriving ecosystem that empowers start-ups, nurtures talent, and drives systemic change in healthcare. TK board member Jens Baas noted: “In the early years, ideas were often ambitious but not always feasible. Today, nearly all applicants are strong, well-positioned start-ups with real market potential – making our selection process more challenging than ever.”

Three Award Categories – Three Strong Messages

This year, three categories were recognized: Health-i All Star, Top 3 Finalists, and, for the first time, the Health-i Personality of the Year.

• Health-i All Star: DiaMonTech AG won with its D-Pocket, an innovative non-invasive glucose monitoring device.
• Personality of the Year: Alexander Leutner, CEO and Co-Founder of Cellbricks GmbH, was honored for his pioneering work in bioprinting and regenerative medicine – a breakthrough that positions him among Germany’s leading deep-tech innovators.

A total of 84 start-ups submitted applications this year. Their projects were reviewed by experts from TK and the Hasso Plattner Institute, with the top ten selected in collaboration with Handelsblatt. The final winners were determined through the community voting process.

The Top 3 Health-i Award Winners 2025

• 3rd Place: admorai – Their “Virtual Staining – Null2HE” technology uses AI to replace chemical tissue staining, enabling precise and resource-efficient digital pathology.
• 2nd Place: Inzipio GmbH – With AI-powered CAD software for automated surgical planning, the company allows surgeons to design patient-specific implants independently, saving time and resources while enhancing patient safety.
• 1st Place: goodscare GmbH – Their Igloo Pro Multireader digitally analyzes 90% of all rapid tests with lab-grade accuracy in just minutes. By combining AI with the ability to capture hundreds of biomarkers, this innovation makes preventive healthcare both faster and more accessible.

Since March 2025, the device has been in use in clinics, pharmacies, and companies – with an international rollout already underway.

The Health-i Award once again highlights Germany’s drive for innovation – and how Artificial Intelligence is making healthcare more sustainable, precise, and human-centered.