The jury – comprised of Carine Van Den Brink (Chair), Daniela Couto, Carsten Linnemann, Henk Vietor, and Brigitte Drees – was almost immediately unanimous in choosing NeuroNova Tx as the winner. The participating teams did very well during their pitches, and all had their own specific opportunities and challenges. The jury finds that NeuroNova Tx is addressing a critical need as there are currently no effective therapies for the >12.000 newborn babies suffering from early life brain injury annually in the 5 major markets in the EU and US combined. The jury also noted the team’s strong presentation, the dedication and tenure of individual team members, as well as the promising data they showed.

NeuroNova is developing an innovative intranasal stem cell therapy to treat newborn babies suffering from early life brain injury (hypoxic-ischemic brain injury) caused by severe oxygen deprivation at birth or perinatal stroke. These injuries often lead to cerebral palsy – a lifelong and currently untreatable condition that heavily affects motor function and quality of life.

The dedicated team, consisting of Danielle Counotte, Eva van Ingen, Cora Nijboer, and Manon Benders, uses nasal drops containing allogeneic (donor-derived) mesenchymal stem cells to stimulate brain repair. A Phase 1 clinical trial in 10 infants has already demonstrated safety and feasibility, with promising signs of efficacy. A Phase 2/3 trial will now further evaluate the therapy’s effectiveness. Parallel to this, NeuroNova is preparing for clinical implementation and market approval.

“We already believed in the effectiveness of the therapy but the Venture Challenge taught us how to translate that belief into a viable business strategy to bring our innovation to patients”

– NeuroNova Tx Team

The Venture Challenge empowered the team to sharpen their business case and build a solid strategy to bring this therapy to patients in need. NeuroNova takes home the €25,000 prize to invest in their next steps. Contact Danielle Counotte for more information about NeuroNova Tx

The winning team members are:

Eva van Ingen · Cora Nijboer · Manon Benders · Danielle Counotte

The other highly motivatedparticipating teams were:

IMPACT: One-time, operating-room cell therapy for true cartilage regeneration. – Joost van Duijn · Jasmijn Korpershoek · Panagiota Moutsatsou · Maaike Braham

Streasure4Health: A point-of-care sensor for objective diagnosis and therapy monitoring in post-acute infection syndromes like Long Covid and ME/CFS. – Peter Deen · Peter Voshol · Paul van de Wiel

Matriarch: Sustainable, animal-friendly hydrogel for organoid culture, based on fetal calf serum byproducts. – Jorrit Achterberg · Hessel van der Weide

Voyagen: AI and functional screening platform to decode oncogenic signaling and improve cancer drug development. – Lucia Barbadilla Martinez · Minh Chau Luong Boi · Max Trauernicht · Yuva Oz

 A big thank you to our expert jury:

Carine van den Brink (Chair) · Daniela Couto · Carsten Linnemann · Henk Vietor · Brigitte Drees for their sharp questions, thoughtful feedback, and continued support of early-stage ventures.

The Venture Challenge Spring edition started in April and concluded today at the Dutch Biotech Event, organised by HollandBio.

The Venture Challenge, part of the LifeSciences@Work Accelerator powered by Health~Holland, supports promising life sciences startups with expert coaching and a clear pathway to growth.

Participating in the Venture Challenge leads to a clear venture plan, as well as to investor-ready pitches. The LifeSciences@WorkAccelerator is powered by Health~Holland.

Want to participate in the next venture challenge? Click here for more information.

The call for the Venture Challenge Fall and Winter is open from 6 May – 1 July2025, 14:00. Apply through NWO.

Our specialised coaching focuses on developing your initial idea into a solid business during a series ofboot camps and1-on-1 coaching and mentoring sessions.Startup teams learntoidentify key risks, analyse customer value propositions, develop a validation strategy, learn to build a venture planand, ultimately,get connected to Life Sciences experts, investors and seasoned entrepreneurs. Read more.

LifeSciences@Work: The national accelerator for high potential Life Sciences start-up initiatives. We help scientists build their business. We offer activitiesdesigned for researchers with entrepreneurial aspirations as well asfor life sciences startups. LS@W is powered by Health~Holland | Top Sector Life Sciences & Health.Contact us.