How to Build Your Health Tech Device Startup?

From zero to a $6.9M pre-seed in under a year. At this workshop, Irene, co-founder and CTO of Level Zero Health, shared a candid, behind-the-scenes account of how her team built a deep-tech medical device company from the ground up -- and what the journey really looked like beyond the headlines.

“Find the burning problem someone will buy your crackiest prototype to solve.”

Level Zero Health began with a genuine passion to solve the gap in hormone measurement. Although the team first explored continuous hormone monitoring, they soon realized that users and clinicians needed actionable data, not just a novel device. By searching for a truly urgent problem, they identified IVF patients, who undergo frequent, burdensome blood draws, as a market with immediate need and clear willingness to adopt remote hormone monitoring. Strong interest from clinics confirmed real product–market fit potential.

 

“Investors don’t need a prototype. They need to know what can kill your idea.”

In deep tech, the priority isn’t showing a finished device - it’s proving that the biggest technical risks can be solved. Irene shared that the team focused on two existential questions:

a. whether aptamers could bind hormones

b. whether hormones in interstitial fluid were detectable and correlated with blood.

Addressing these risks built far more investor confidence than building early hardware.

Tips for pitch & communication:

• Shift from scientist-style hedging to confident visionary storytelling for investor audiences, lead with the upside and milestones achieved, then back up with data.

• Keep decks short and visual. Investors often spend only seconds per slide; make the title say the take-away.

• Anticipate and rehearse answers to the hard technical and regulatory questions, but lead with impact and clarity.

Irene also recommended using DocSend, a deck-sharing platform that tracks which slides investors spend time on, helping teams refine their pitch by highlighting what resonates and trimming what doesn’t.

Hard Tech Found Its Home - Joined HAX (hardware accelerator)

Irene shared that while the team had an investment offer from EF (Entrepreneurs First), they ultimately chose HAX (a hardware accelerator) in the U.S. because it offered exactly what a deep-tech biotech startup needed: full lab facilities, engineering support, and rapid prototyping resources. The fit was mutual - HAX believed in the ambition of the project, and the team needed the infrastructure to tackle their highest-risk scientific questions. Once there, Irene built a focused technical team and drove device, assay, and data development in parallel, using tight timeboxing to keep momentum and preserve first-mover advantage.

Irene outlined Level Zero Health’s fundraising journey

Company founded Nov 27, 2023 → got EF/HAX involvement early 2024 → six months at HAX in US → raised seed and returned to scale operations. 

She emphasized that preparation was key: months were spent refining a strong data room and validating the biggest technical risks before speaking with investors. Warm introductions proved far more effective than cold outreach, and deep-tech fundraising typically required multiple conversations, reference checks, and expert calls.

IP & regulation

On IP and regulation, Irene stressed filing provisional patents early and adopting a layered patent strategy: broad system claims supported by patents on specific components and methods. While patents are not perfect barriers, they are essential for investor confidence and freedom to operate.

“Patents aren’t perfect shields - but you still need them to play the game.”