We are delighted to announce that CoNurse has been selected as one of only 10 finalists in the HLTH Europe 2026 Startup Pitch Competition, one of Europe’s most competitive showcases for healthcare innovation and digital health startups.
Being chosen as a finalist places CoNurse among a select group of emerging companies recognised for their potential to address some of healthcare’s most pressing challenges through innovation, technology, and scalable solutions.
The finalists will present their solutions live at HLTH Europe in Amsterdam, where leading investors, healthcare providers, industry experts, and decision-makers from across the continent gather to explore the future of healthcare.
What is HLTH Europe?
HLTH Europe has rapidly established itself as one of Europe’s leading health innovation events, bringing together healthcare leaders, digital health startups, investors, providers, payers, pharmaceutical companies, and policymakers. The event attracts thousands of attendees and hundreds of healthcare innovators focused on transforming healthcare delivery and improving patient outcomes.
The HLTH Europe Startup Pitch Competition is designed to showcase some of the most promising healthtech startups tackling today’s healthcare challenges.
Finalists are selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants and invited to present their solutions on stage before an expert judging panel and a global healthcare audience.
Giving nursing a voice on Europe's biggest health innovation stage
Healthcare systems across Europe are facing unprecedented pressure. Chronic nursing shortages, increasing patient complexity, and growing administrative burdens have created an environment where healthcare professionals are being asked to do more with less.
The consequences extend far beyond workforce gaps. Research consistently links understaffing and excessive workloads to higher rates of adverse events, medication errors, patient falls, hospital-acquired complications, and staff burnout. At the same time, exhausted healthcare professionals are more likely to leave the profession altogether, creating a cycle that further strains healthcare systems.
At CoNurse, we believe technology can help break that cycle.
Our platform is designed to help healthcare organisations access qualified nursing professionals more efficiently, reducing staffing gaps that can compromise both patient safety and workforce wellbeing. By creating greater flexibility, transparency, and accessibility within the nursing workforce, we aim to support safer care environments while helping healthcare professionals build sustainable careers.
Being recognised by HLTH Europe validates the importance of addressing not only workforce shortages, but also the wider challenges of patient safety, clinician wellbeing, and healthcare sustainability.
Building a safer future for patients and nurses
The future of healthcare depends on more than medical innovation. It depends on ensuring that healthcare professionals can deliver safe, high-quality care without sacrificing their own wellbeing.
Every unfilled shift, every overstretched ward, and every exhausted healthcare professional increases the risk of burnout and adverse patient outcomes. Solving workforce challenges is therefore not only an operational necessity—it is a patient safety imperative.
At CoNurse, we are committed to building technology that helps healthcare organisations access the nursing talent they need, when they need it most. Our vision is a healthcare system where nurses are supported, healthcare organisations are resilient, and patients receive the safe, high-quality care they deserve.
What to expect at HLTH Europe 2026
Each finalist will have just three minutes to present their solution to a panel of judges and an audience of healthcare leaders, investors, innovators, and decision-makers.
Representing CoNurse will be our CPO and Co-founder, Karmen Markov, who will present our vision for addressing some of healthcare’s most pressing workforce challenges, including nursing shortages, burnout, and the impact these pressures can have on patient safety and adverse events.
While the format may be brief, the conversations sparked by the competition have the potential to create lasting impact. HLTH Europe provides a unique opportunity to bring nursing-led innovation into discussions that are often dominated by technology, finance, and policy.
If you’re attending HLTH Europe 2026, we would love to connect. Come and support Karmen as she takes the stage to represent CoNurse and the future of nursing innovation.