FreshBlood

If you're a woman founder leading a deep-tech scale-up in Europe, the SCALE'HER Accelerator was built for you — co-designed with founders, investors, and ecosystem experts who know exactly what it takes to move from validation to growth 🚀

What is SCALE'HER?
👉 A free, EU-funded programme supporting 60 female-led ventures at the critical stage between validation and growth (TRL 5/6–9), specifically built for founders ready to raise capital, scale operations, and expand cross-border⚡
Still wondering whether to apply? This is your chance to scale your company surrounded by the best experts to guide you every step of the way. Through
🔹 Cluster-based interactive workshops
🔹 Expert webinars
🔹 Full-cohort insight panels
🔹 Peer learning & informal founder exchange
🔹 Dedicated 1:1 mentoring
🔹 Blind pitch competition
🔹 Curated investor exposure

The SCALE'HER Accelerator gives you every key you need to scale with confidence. And all of this, 100% free, online, and designed to fit your schedule.

Want to learn more before applying?
🎥 Watch our dedicated webinars: https://www.youtube.com/
🔗 Apply & find all the info: https://scaleher.eu
📩 Ready to go? Apply directly here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfmtYmrDCVU2oYF8Xt3nqBE8JVLvAG7O-F697O4MnRq4BZF7A/viewform
⏰ Deadline for the first batch: 31 May 2026 | 17:00 Brussels time
📩 Questions? Reach out to us at: [email protected]

Romanian HealthTech Map 2025 was published in Viața Medicală, featuring 110 startups from Romania & Moldova, all building the future of healthcare.
Mapping the ecosystem shows us where we are, where opportunities exist, and how we fit into the European landscape. It validates that Romania and Moldova are building real, sustainable healthtech solutions, not just hype.

At FreshBlood, during the Hubvantage program 2025, we've walked alongside 17 of these startups through mentorship and guiding: Eldie, NeuroCare, TeleSenior, Medical Pilot, Delphi, Argus AI, NutriFix, Smart Epigenetx, Forkpie Kids, INSESSION, Selftalk, Yellow Canary, ParentEase, Heal in Moldova, MedClub, DrugBin, and Rogenai.

To every startup on this map, especially the 17 we've had the privilege to support: keep building. You're doing something that matters.

Full article in Viața Medicală: https://www.viata-medicala.ro/harta-start-upurilor-din-sanatate-in-2025-45088

SAge-Hub is building Europe's network of Digital Living Labs for smart ageing innovation—and they're onboarding SMEs now.
Europe's ageing population creates massive opportunities for solutions that work. SAge-Hub gives you the infrastructure to prove your solution works and scale it across regions.

The Program:
🌍 6 European regions: Romania, Greece, Portugal, Canary Islands, Finland, Catalonia
🧪 Digital Living Labs: Co-create, test & validate with real users
🤝 Ecosystem integration: Connect with research institutions, public authorities, innovation hubs
💰 Investment pipeline: Link validated solutions with European investors
📈 Capacity building: Develop skills for cross-border business & digital transformation

What You Get:
✅ Real-world testing environments
✅ User-centered validation
✅ European market access
✅ Interregional partnerships
✅ Investor connections
✅ Knowledge exchange through Regional Innovation Ambassadors Network

Who Can Apply:
SMEs developing solutions for active & healthy ageing, senior care technology, digital health for older adults, longevity innovations, and smart ageing platforms
Moldovan SMEs must have operational presence in NE Romania

Want to learn more about onboarding?
👉 https://digital-innovation.zone/programul-sage-hub/

When Builders Gather, Communities Transform
Cluj AI Buildathon is about what happens when developers, designers, and problem-solvers come together with a shared mission: create solutions that matter.
The event, powered by ROTSA - Romanian Tech Startups Association, acts as a major connection between participants and funding, customers, and implementation pathways.

Participants will tackle real-world problems, AI-powered solutions, and they will have 48 hours to turn ideas into working prototypes.
All this, with the support of mentors who've been there and a community that wants you to succeed.

What's in it for you:
→ Selected teams get fast-track access to €30K funding (28Digital + ROTSA)
→ Pitch at Transylvania Demo Day for VC funding
→ Implement locally - build solutions Cluj actually needs

Who This Is For:
→ Developers ready to code with purpose
→ Designers who want their work to matter
→ Builders who believe community problems deserve community solutions
→ Anyone passionate about AI and local impact

📅 May 23-24
📍 ClujHub, Cluj-Napoca
⏰ Applications close May 20

🔗 Apply: https://buildathon.rotsa.ro/

Are you working in or connected to digital health research and innovation? We want to hear from you.
BRITE EU is conducting a survey to understand the challenges, needs, and opportunities facing researchers and R&I managers across Europe, especially around skills gaps, career development, mobility, and talent retention.

Your insights will directly shape policy recommendations and capacity-building actions designed to address skills disparities, mprove cross-sector mobility, tackle gender imbalance, and stop top brain drain from less-performing innovation ecosystems.

BRITE-EU is a 4-year Horizon Europe project (2026-2029) coordinated by Universidade do Porto with 11 partners across 6 countries: Portugal, Czechia, Romania, Serbia, Spain, and Sweden. FreshBlood is happy to be part of this initiative, we look forward to the next years!

⏱️ 10 minutes to complete the survey:
👉 Take the survey: https://inqueritos.up.pt/6/index.php/825463?lang=en

https://brite-project.eu/

Healthtech Community Meet‑Up #1/2026 brought together the people actually building the future of healthcare in Romania, and it turned out to be an insightful event.

Who showed up:
✅ HealthTech founders navigating product-market fit
✅ Healthcare professionals exploring innovation
✅ Engineers looking to make clinical impact
✅ Investors mapping the ecosystem
✅ Ecosystem supporters building connections

To everyone who came, thank you for showing up, sharing openly, and building with us!

The BRITE-EU project (Boosting R&I Talent Interoperability and Employability in Europe) officially launched with partners from across Europe gathering in Porto.

The project is coordinated by Universidade do Porto and funded by Horizon Europe.
Its mission? Strengthen research & innovation capacity in widening countries by enhancing R&I talent employability and interoperability.

11 partners across Europe (including FreshBlood and Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai from Romania) will deliver:
✅ Training programmes connecting academia & industry
✅ Mobility schemes for researchers
✅ Institutional reforms for talent retention
✅ Cross-sectoral collaboration (quadruple-helix)

We are very proud to represent Romania! 🇷🇴

🌐 http://brite-project.eu/

🚀 Building a health or life sciences startup? LevelUP helps you take it to the next level.

LevelUP Health & Life Sciences Accelerator is Romania's first free, equity-free program specifically designed for early-stage startups (1-5 years) in health and life sciences.

Life Sciences Sectors We Support:
✔️ Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals
✔️ Medical Devices
✔️ Nutrition & Food Innovation
✔️ Senior Care Solutions
✔️ Cosmetics & Wellness
✔️ Agri-Food Tech
✔️ Dietary Supplements

There are some amazing prizes lined up:
🔵 Silicon Valley Scholarship - Winner moves directly to the final selection stage for Hero Training at Draper University in Silicon Valley, including 5+ weeks residency, meetings with Draper network investors, pitch to Draper Funds, and Demo Day with Tim Draper.
🔵 Fast-Track Funding Access - top LevelUP startups receive priority evaluation for grant or equity funding from Fortech Ventures (€150K - €1.4M).

✍️ Apply by March 24, 2026: https://inno.ro/en/levelup-accelerator

HealthTech Community Meet-Up #1/2026

The HealthTech Community is gathering - we're bringing together the people who are actually building the future of healthcare in Romania through real innovation, clinical insight, and relentless ex*****on.

Who Should Come:
✔️ If you're a HealthTech founder, you'll meet potential collaborators, advisors, and people who've navigated the challenges you're facing.
✔️ If you're a healthcare professional, you'll see what's being built and how to get involved in shaping solutions that actually work in clinical settings.
✔️ If you're an engineer or developer, you'll discover where your technical skills could have the most impact in transforming care.
✔️ If you're an investor or ecosystem supporter, you'll get a comprehensive view of the Romanian healthtech landscape and meet the teams worth backing.
✔️ If you're simply passionate about digital health innovation, you'll find your people.

👉 Reserve your spot: https://forms.gle/4tXRgJXyE5LX5Eph8

Hosted by Ascom | Powered by FreshBlood HealthTech
🕕 18:00 - 20:00

We're proud to announce that Ion-Gheorghe Petrovai, founder of FreshBlood, is joining the 2026 Romania Startup Awards Board alongside 25+ of Romania's most active innovation champions.

At FreshBlood, we believe when one startup wins, the entire ecosystem wins. Being part of the board means we can help ensure that groundbreaking HealthTech and digital health innovations get the recognition they deserve.

Romania Startup Awards 2026�
📅 March 12, 2026�
📍 Takeovers Studios, Bucharest

Organized by ROTSA - Romanian Tech Startups Association, this annual gala celebrates the most innovative and promising startups from Romania and Moldova across 12 award categories.

Over 140+ applications, 52+ nominees, and 17 winners from previous editions prove one thing: Romania and Moldova are building world-class technology.

👉 Nominate your startup: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdQ6M4uXeFfaQG_PQwMx_hSrXPgoiIfYcF0ictpM-xB8XTw8w/viewform

See you soon!