- The National HealthTech Series (Southampton) took place on 29th January 2026 as part of a national series of events across the UK.
- The events are powered by Empact Ventures in partnership with the NIHR National HealthTech Research Centre for Accelerated Surgical Care and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.
- Health stakeholders drawn from academia, industry, and front-line patient care gathered to define the future trajectory of the healthcare sector, from emerging startups like YourAvatar AI and Pasca to scale-ups like ND Axon and Toothpick and larger public sector organisations like the NIHR and Deloitte.
- Powered by global super connectors, Empact Ventures, the event provided facilitated warm introductions before, during and after the event to cultivate new collaborations between stakeholders.
The new Southampton event in the National HealthTech Series kicked off at the Axis Conference Centre at Southampton Science Park, bringing together local innovators, their peers, and stakeholders from healthcare, SMEs, and academia from across Wessex and the UK. The goal was to cultivate fresh collaborations within, across, and beyond Wessex, thereby supporting the future of the healthcare sector.
The event was powered by global super connectors, Empact Ventures, in partnership with University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust’s Southampton Emerging Therapies and Technologies (SETT) Centre and the NIHR Research Centre for Accelerated Surgical Care, supported by Wessex Health Partners. It showcased the major trends in AI-powered HealthTech and MedTech innovations.
Bringing together a truly cross-sectoral audience, the event facilitated dynamic interactions among key stakeholders, including distinguished speakers, engaging panellists, innovative company pitchers, prominent exhibitors, and a broad audience from small and large entities in the public and private spheres. Attendees joined from across the region, and as far as Manchester and Edinburgh, with some travelling from abroad.
“AI algorithms and machine learning are revolutionising home care by supporting predictive care and specific personalised treatments. These technologies can analyse vast amounts of data to predict future health status and deterioration of certain conditions before they become severe. This allows for earlier interventions and care strategies which are tailored to the individual.”
Vee Mapunde, Co-Director, NIHR HealthTech Research Centre for Accelerated Surgical Care
The audience heard from speakers and panellists (including the NIHR Health Research Centre in Brain Injury, NIHR Coordinating Centre, Deloitte, the Department for Business and Trade, University of Southampton, Bournemouth University, University of Portsmouth, PolyPhotonix, NHS InSites, the Digital Health Assurance Company and Device Access.
The event also featured presentations in the Global Good Showcase from early-stage startups like YourAvatar AI in London, and Pasca in Edinburgh, to scale-ups like ND Axon in Manchester and Toothpick from Abu Dhabi. Exhibitors included Trignomix, the Digital Health Assurancy Company, Midnight Health, MedFlow Dynamics, SmileRequest and Device Access.
“I was delighted to welcome colleagues from across the country to the National HealthTech Series in Southampton, where the insights shared highlighted both the scale of opportunity and the critical role healthtech will play in shaping the future of UK healthcare. The day showcased national priorities, government policy, the ingenuity of innovators across our region and examples of Wessex’s academic excellence. Together, these conversations demonstrated the depth of talent and ambition within Wessex Health Partners and our wider Life Sciences Innovation ecosystem. My thanks to all speakers, contributors and organisers for making today such a success.”
Christine McGrath, Managing Director, Wessex Health Partners
The event set itself apart by offering more than just networking; the Empact Ventures team delivered carefully curated and pre-matched introductions based on attendees’ registered challenges and needs. This proactive, hands-on approach—spanning the period before, during, and after the event—was specifically designed to help attendees forge tangible new business relationships and explore meaningful collaborations. The team remains included in all the email chains after the events to help both sides move conversions into collaborations.
“We are delighted to have extended the National HealthTech Series to Southampton after delivering events in Leeds, Manchester, London and Birmingham. Wessex has a very strong ecosystem of world-class research, support programmes, business support and cross-sectoral collaboration between academia, industry and the NHS. This makes it a perfect place for HealthTech innovators of all sizes to start and scale their impact to address unmet needs in the healthcare system”,
Kosta Mavroulakis, Founder and CEO at Empact Ventures.
If you would like to join another UK Healthcare event powered by Empact Ventures, visit its website here for more opportunities to get involved here
