Hi friends,
We have a new pigeon in the house (figuratively? Literally? Weāll never tell) - Grace, proving herself as having the perfect mix of deep healthtech knowledge and a panache* for media, has moved up in the world from NXGN, to become part of the flock, inundating you with that same high-quality-news, low-quality-pun content youāve come to love and appreciate here every Sunday.**
This week: Listen to SomXās Jessica and KPMGās Nick Prentice chat through this weekās stories on the Healthtech Pigeon podcast ā¬ļø
And itās on YouTube. Look at us.
News Bites š„Ŗ
Because Iām (Grace) a try-hard, hereās a bumper crop of news stories for you this week (and if you donāt like them, please donāt feed back to SomX. Iām delicate. Good vibes only etc. etc.)
š„ Nobel Prize Awarded To 3 Scientists For Immune System Discoveries: Three researchers were awarded the āNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicineā for insights on immune tolerance that could lead to treatments for diseases ranging from diabetes to cancer. Discovered were: a new class of T-cells that stop autoimmune responses AND the Foxp3 gene that leads to autoimmune diseases, but what we really love about this story is that one of the three - Fred Ramsdell - had absolutely no clue heād scooped the win, as he was digitally-detoxing, off-grid in the Rockies***.
š©ŗ NICE expands HealthTech evaluations for NHS patients: Rejoice, all ye who work in healthtech, because NICE has finally confirmed official recognition of their evaluations for all (most) things in the field. Theyāre putting healthtech on equal footing with medicines for quicker adoption and more consistency across the NHS, which, on the one hand, sounds great. Robust, effective, safe. On the other handā¦ remind meā¦ how long does it take to get a medicine approved, again?
š Midi Health raises $50 million in funding as the menopause startup bets on longevity and AI: Midiās Series C raise comes as the startupās menopause care business surges, with the company now posting a $150 million revenue run rate. The funding will be used to expand Midiās virtual platform, including an AI-powered search function for womenās health questions: Pigeon says it canāt come soon enough.
š° Lauxera Capital closes ā¬400M health tech fund, bets big on European innovation going global: Good news, everyone! (Any Futurama fans? Just me?). Or at least for those budding entrepreneurs based in Europe, as Lauxera Capital has just announced closure of a rather snazzy ā¬400M Healthtech fund to back Europeās leading healthtech scaleups expanding globally. If youāre a budding entrepreneur looking to benefit, then run, donāt walkā¦ Theyāve already dropped ā¬50M into Germanyās Acandis which does neurovascular devices for stroke and aneurysm treatment and another wad into Swedenās Antaros Medical - AI-powered imaging tech for clinical trials in obesity and immunology.
š¤ AI Scribe platform Heidi raises $65m and boosts valuation to $465m: Healthcare technology and AI Scribe soonicorn company Heidi this week announced its latest Series B raise of a not-too-shabby USD$65 million, boosting its total funding to nearly USD$100 million as they look to expand even further in the scribe market and accelerate Heidiās mission to build a full AI Care Partner that sits alongside clinicians for those pesky admin tasks. Pigeon would definitely be out of a job here. With TORTUS, Tandem, and (apparently) over 150 scribe companies in existence, the tide really isnāt being held back. Clinical care is changing. AI is definitely moving in.
š Medtech, pharma tariffs loom over healthcare industry: Boo! Hiss! Grr! The healthcare industry should start preparing for tariffs, expert says, much to the dismay ofā¦well, just about everyone in healthcare (pigeons exempted). President Trumpy Trump announced a 100% import tax on pharmaceutical drugs, meaning that the prices of those products will be doubled for US importers and consumers, and has led to a chunky drop in share prices for pharma companies based in Asia and Europe.
š©ø Scientists develop first āaccurate blood testā to detect chronic fatigue syndrome: Research could offer hope for ME patients with scientists at UEA and Oxford Biodynamics looking at how DNA was folded in patients diagnosed with the condition. They discovered a unique folding pattern, which could provide tell-tale signs of ME/CFS. Good news, everyone! (Yep. Still here).
And last but not least, beware Haribo fansā¦
Man orders 3kg of Haribo from Amazon, scoffs the lot and seriously regrets it (no, seriously - this is actually the headline. He was hospitalised for six days).
What to Listen to š
Events š
NXGN The Launch Equation @ Hale House (sponsored by Alethira)
š
November 5
š Hale House, London
HealthtechX
š
November 5
š Hurlingham Club, London
IEEE Global Public Health Forum 2025 ā Powering AI for Climate-Ready Population Health
š
Nov 6
šLondon, UK
BMJ Future Health conference
š
Nov 6 - 7
š London
š” Save 20% off the ticket price with the code PIGEON20
Opportunities šµļøāāļø
Not a great Q3? Performance review aināt performing? Take a look at what weāve found on offer this week for your next career pivot:
Healthcare Specialist at DataAnnotation
Head of Research and Publications at Dementia UK
Global Medical Affairs Director at Novartis
Clinical Product Lead, Obesity at Numan
HLTH Europe speaker applications for NHS clinicians - now open!
*A panache can mean a flamboyant confidence of style or manner, or, historically, a tuft or plume of feathers. You might say āPigeon has a glorious panache.ā
**If you consider yourself one of the next generation of healthtech and biotech leaders - go take a look at NXGN. Think more memes, more vibes, less understanding of the jokes if youāre over 30. Itās Ā£1 for a year. Absolute bargain.
***Pigeon wouldnāt last a day in the Rockies. Too domesticated. Also, youāre welcome for the justification for not digitally detoxing. Next time someone brings it up, respond: āIād love to but I mightāve won a Nobel Prize.ā
