Digital Health Accelerator 2026

Join the pioneering digital health accelerator by digital health center bülach and Tenity

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The pioneering
digital health
accelerator in Zurich

The dhc Digital Health Accelerator 2026 by Tenity is a tailored startup acceleration program designed to help healthtech founders scale their solutions with mentorship, investor connectivity, and strategic pilot opportunities across global health ecosystems.

Joining the Digital Health Accelerator program can be a game-changer for your startup, providing a range of benefits designed to significantly boost your growth and success. One of the primary advantages is the access to our network of experienced mentors who will offer personalized guidance and insights into the industry, helping you navigate the complexities of scaling your business. Additionally, our program connects startups with potential investors and venture capitalists, offering vital funding opportunities that can propel your venture forward.

We provide structured training and workshops covering essential business skills and market trends, along with access to office space, technology and professional services to streamline operations.

Our program connects you with fellow entrepreneurs, industry experts, and potential partners within our vibrant ecosystem, fostering collaborations that drive innovation and market expansion. We believe in our program’s success and operate on a success-based fee model. We only receive a fee if you close your first financing round, capped at CHF 100K worth of shares or 2% of equity, whichever is better for you.

Important to note: International EU travel will still be reimbursed.

Program Timeline

Selection Days

9 March 2026

Masterclass 1

18 – 22 May 2026

Masterclass 2

29 June – 3 July 2026

Masterclass 3

7 -11 September 2026

Masterclass 4

26 – 30 October 2026

Demo Day

29 October 2026

What the Digital Health Accelerator 2026 offers

01.

Exceptional Network

Tap into our network of founders, mentors, and industry contacts to scale your idea.

02.

Zero Upfront Fees

We believe in our program’s success and operate on a success-based fee model. We only receive a fee if you close your first financing round, capped at CHF 100K worth of shares or 2% of equity, whichever is better for you.

03.

Proof of Concept Opportunities

Collaborate with hospitals, health insurers, health tech companies, and research institutions to create sustainable partnerships.

04.

Hands-on Support

Experience a pre-seed and seed-stage intensive incubation program with masterclass weeks across four months.

05.

Access to Investors

Engage directly with our global investor network, pitch your ideas, and participate in Q&A sessions.

Our program partners

The program is built in close collaboration with leading partners from healthcare, finance, research, law, and technology. Together, they provide startups with access to domain expertise, research capabilities, regulatory and legal guidance, funding know-how, and cutting-edge cloud and AI technology, creating the conditions to develop, validate, and scale digital health solutions with real-world impact.

digital health center bülach – Founding Partner

Founding Partner – The digital health center bülach (dhc) opened and is active since May 2022, the dhc serves as a hub for players in the healthcare sector focused on digitalization and innovation. It offers a unique platform for the development of digital solutions that brings together start-ups, established healthcare companies, solution providers, and ICT firms. The goal is to drive innovative solutions along the value chain and create additional value for customers and patients.

Zürcher Kantonalbank – Founding Partner

Founding Partner – The Zurich Cantonal Bank (ZKB) was founded in 1870 as the bank of the people of Zurich. They are characterized by a special connection with the people of Zurich, the economy, and the environment. Based on that, ZKB finances innovative start-ups with venture capital. As one of the largest and most active investors in Switzerland, they have already supported over 250 start-ups with more than CHF 180 million in risk capital. With many years of experience they maintain a close network of experts, potential investors and technology centres. ZKB specialises in getting involved with start-ups at an early stage.

LEXR – Legal Partner

As Tenity’s legal partner, LEXR supports innovators and growth companies in HealthTech, FinTech, and other technology-driven sectors with practical, business-oriented legal advice. Founded in 2016, LEXR is a law firm advising tech companies at all stages as well as investors across Switzerland, the EU, and the United States. By removing legal friction, LEXR empowers tech companies to navigate complex transactions and close better deals faster. With expertise in venture capital, IP, data protection, and international tech contract law, LEXR acts as a deal enabler across the full legal lifecycle – from incorporation and financing rounds to growth and exit.

ZHAW – Research Partner

Research Partner – The Zurich University of Applied Science is one of the leading universities of applied sciences in Switzerland. In research and development, the ZHAW focuses on key societal challenges. With its campuses in Winterthur, Zurich, and Wädenswil, the ZHAW is regionally anchored and cooperates with international partners. The university comprises eight departments and their highly specialized Digital Health Lab. The Digital Health Lab brings together experts from the fields of biomedicine, health, technology, and business, who collaborate to create innovations for the digitalization of healthcare.

Microsoft – Technology Partner

Technology Partner – Microsoft

The collaboration with Microsoft is aimed at empowering the next wave of digital health startups through technology, mentorship, and market access. It connects Tenity’s network of early-stage innovators with Microsoft’s global ecosystem, providing eligible founders with Azure credits, advanced AI services, GitHub and Microsoft 365 tools, and go-to-market support. This enables startups to leverage Microsoft’s cloud and AI capabilities from day one to build, test, and scale their solutions efficiently.

The partnership further includes technical guidance and mentorship from Microsoft experts, joint events, ecosystem showcases, and access to Microsoft’s enterprise network and Investor Network across Switzerland and beyond.

What we’ll cover

Product Fundamentals & Customer-Centric Development

Topics include: customer discovery, problem–solution fit, product development fundamentals, value proposition design, prototyping, product roadmap creation, technology review, user journey mapping, early validation methods, and more.

Financial Planning, Fundraising & Regulatory Strategy

Topics include: startup finance essentials, financial management and accounting, liquidity planning, equity and capital structure, investor expectations and decision criteria, termsheets, fundraising processes, introduction to reimbursement systems, regulatory considerations linked to financial planning, and more.

Sales, Go-to-Market Strategy & Marketing

Topics include: introduction to marketing and sales, digital marketing, B2B/B2C sales strategies, lead generation, growth hacking, marketing funnel design, PR and communication, creating effective sales collateral, collaborating with large companies, designing PoC proposals, and more.

Pitching, HR & PoC Execution with Hospitals

Topics include: pitch training and storytelling, stage presence, crafting compelling narratives, hiring and team development, early HR structures, preparing and executing PoC collaborations with hospitals, working with clinical stakeholders, navigating procurement and data processes, and more.

Are you a match for the Digital Health Accelerator 2026?

To apply and join the Digital Health Accelerator, you must meet the following three requirements. In any doubt, please feel free to contact us.‍

Focus

You are a Digital Health start-up with a solution or use case for the healthcare sector? Then we want to hear from you. Is your solution within the digital health space but doesn’t strictly fit into any of the topics described above? Then please feel free to apply in any case.

Stage

Your are early-stage, but have first traction, a prototype or MVP and plan to access the market shortly in all cases. You are preparing for your first financing round to scale your idea.

Founding Team

Building a start-up is hard and we believe that no person can do it by themselves. While you may apply as a solo-founder, you would need to find a co-founder before the program starts, as we prefer teams and not solo founders.

Our Focus Topics

mHealth

‍Therapies, patient engagement, use of sensors, data aggregation, prevention, prediction, digital biomarkers

‍eHealth

‍Electronic health records, telemedicine, e-medication, shared decision making‍

New solutions

Solutions for NCD’s, chronic diseases, demographic challenges, old age, dementia, migration, mental health.

Healthcare IT

Further examples include:

– Health Data: AI, ML, big data, research data, image analysis, data standardization, OMICs
– Algorithms: clinical prediction models, patient scoring systems, decision support
– Clinical processes and procedures: patient monitoring, patient journey, communication, reporting, automation, coordination

Additional topics include:
Platform technologies, integrated delivery systems, value-based care technologies, VR/AR or wearable and tracker technologies.