Radical Health Festival Helsinki

Photo: The first Radical Health Festival Helsinki gather over 1,000 delegates from around the world.

Jun 16, 2023

Healthcare goes radical in Helsinki

Radical Health Festival Helsinki returns in 2024

The first-ever Radical Health Festival took place at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre on 12-14 June 2023. The new, international digital health conference was launched to accelerate healthcare transformation – and judging by the feedback from the participants, the delightfully disruptive event did not disappoint. Mark you calendar: The next Radical Health Festival Helsinki takes place on 22-23 May 2024.

Radical ideas are needed, since healthcare systems around the world are facing severe challenges. These global challenges include ageing populations, shortages of healthcare professionals, lack of focus on prevention, probability of new pandemics, slow adoption of innovations…

Radical Health Festival Helsinki tackled these issues, and put innovation on the fast-track, by diving deep into collaboration, Big Data and technological breakthroughs. The conference brought together policymakers, healthcare professionals, innovators, service providers, pharma leaders, investors and health enthusiasts, with over 1,000 participants from 30 countries in attendance.

Future-proof the healthcare agenda

Radical Health Festival Helsinki

Photo: The European Society of Cardiology is one of the largest medical societies in the world with over 120,000 members.

The themes of the Radical Health Festival were artificial intelligence, mental health, the effects of climate change on health, active ageing, cybersecurity, innovation, and the digitalisation of the health sector. The Lead Clinical Partner for the Festival was the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Professor Gerhard Hindricks, Chair of the Digital Health Committee of European Society of Cardiology, says that the association is delighted to be “at the heart” of Radical Health Festival where so many creative minds came together this year.

“This collaboration is all about creating exciting new synergies and carving innovative, practical and safe ways forward, with numerous groups from the digital health arena.”

Hindricks believes that the word ‘radical’ is an apt choice for the event:

“The radical approach means that you question all the elements of traditional healthcare,” he says, adding that this attitude was well evidenced at the Festival.

Welcome to Healthinki!

Health Capital Helsinki stand at Radical Health Festival 2023

Radical Health Festival Helsinki

Photo: The experts at Health Capital Helsinki invited delegates to discuss about co-creation and testbed opportunities, hottest startups and health data in the Helsinki Metropolitan, among other things.

The City of Helsinki was the main partner for the event, with Health Capital Helsinki cluster serving as the City’s spearhead. Health Capital Helsinki has a great track record of bringing together local organisations in health and life sciences, as well as in health technology and social and healthcare – and all this accumulated know-how was plain to see at the Festival.

Helsinki itself has made sustained efforts to develop future welfare services with startups and business partners, including piloting new digital services for the social and health care sector. Juha Jolkkonen, Executive Director of social services, healthcare and rescue services division for the City of Helsinki, comments that the City is constantly looking for new opportunities to offer Helsinki residents new digital healthcare services – and the new Festival is a great indicator of the next-level solutions that may be just around the corner.

”Radical Health Festival is a platform of sorts that offers knowledge and promotes best practices. The atmosphere was upbeat, relaxed and informal – which is exactly what we were hoping for,” says Jolkkonen, while adding that Radical Health has certainly managed to make a great impression the first time out of the gate.

Korean health know-how shines

Radical Health Festival Helsinki

Photo: Jane Park from Daewoong tells that the pharmaceutical company attended Radical Health Festival together with five Korean startups.

One of the participants who made a lengthy trip to get to the Festival was Daewoong, a South Korean pharmaceutical powerhouse. Jane Park from Daewoong says that the company has its own health tech ecosystem with about 50 startups – and five of them were represented at the Festival.

“For us and our startups, the festival is a very unique, attractive event,” she says, adding that the Korean startups are definitely looking to break into the European market.

William Hyuk Choi is the CTO of Neurive, a Korean startup that develops neuromodulation-using devices for the treatment of degenerative brain diseases. First-time Finland visitor, Choi is excited to be at the festival:

“There’s a marvelous atmosphere. It was a good choice to come here,” he says, eager to return perhaps already next year.

Disrupt healthcare you must!

VEIL.AI Kari Lehtipuu pitching to media at Radical Health Festival Helsinki

Health Capital Helsinki

Photo: VEIL.AI’s Kari Lehtipuu talking to international media about the company’s AI-based next-generation health data anonymisation technology.

Radical Health Festival Helsinki

Photo: MedicubeX eHealth station was in active use by the Festival participants.

Naturally, there were also Finnish startups at the event. Kari Lehtipuu from VEIL.AI says that as his company is very much involved in the next generation of health data anonymisation, “radical” is the operative word to use here, too.

“The discussions and contacts at the Festival certainly have the potential to bring about many good things,” Lehtipuu says.

Vili Kostamo from startup MedicubeX is thinking along the same lines: the “radicalisation” of Health & Wellbeing is long overdue.

“We definitely have the right target group for our product here,” he smiles.

At the Festival, MedicubeX is proudly showcasing its autonomous eHealth station that measures your vital signs and personal cardiovascular disease risk factors – in just five minutes.

“Our eHealth stations are heading to Europe next, starting with the UK and the Netherlands,” he reveals.

Save the date: The next Radical Health Festival Helsinki will be organised on 22-23 May 2024.

Radical Health Festival Helsinki 2023

Arranged for the first time
5 concurrent streams of content
185 speakers on stage
45 exhibitors
55 partners contributing their expertise
30 countries represented
1,000 festival-goers in 3 days
Next Radical Health Festival Helsinki takes place on 22-23 May 2024

Read more: Radical Health Festival Helsinki 2023 concludes with great success, sets sights on next year – Press release by Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre

Text: Sami J. Anteroinen

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Aleksi Poutanen / Helsinki Partners

Healthcare goes radical in Helsinki

Future-proof the healthcare agenda

Welcome to Healthinki!

Korean health know-how shines

Disrupt healthcare you must!

Save the date: The next Radical Health Festival Helsinki will be organised on 22-23 May 2024.

Radical Health Festival Helsinki 2023

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Healthcare goes radical in Helsinki

Future-proof the healthcare agenda

Welcome to Healthinki!

Korean health know-how shines

Disrupt healthcare you must!

Save the date: The next Radical Health Festival Helsinki will be organised on 22-23 May 2024.

Radical Health Festival Helsinki 2023

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Health Capital Helsinki

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