Europe’s healthtech industry has expanded immensely in the past year, with 381 newly founded healthcare startups in the first three quarters of 2020, according to Medium.  Subsequently, the investment in the healthcare technology industry will continue to grow as post-Covid 19 times arrive and the observed need for digitalized health services continues to spread. Here are some of the digital trends positioned for growth this year:

On-demand Care

On-demand healthcare has received $2.7 billion in funding in 2020 from new and repeated investors, according to Rock Health’s Market Insight report. The accelerated consumer adoption of digital healthcare and high demand for its continuous availability will increase in the coming year, which helps in mitigating the negative effects of healthcare inaccessibility for the vulnerable populace.

Deeptech and AI

In 2021, European countries will see bigger investments in deeptech focused on AI as Dr. Fiona Pathiraja, founder of Crista Galli Ventures, states while focusing on the benefits of machine learning on the healthcare system when it comes to supply chain management for vaccines and drugs.

Telehealth

Telemedicine solutions are consumer driven technologies that have been highly needed during this pandemic. Tech based companies have been working hard towards generating solutions like VR and AR for healthcare. By 2027, virtual reality in the healthcare market is projected to reach a value of $33.72 billion according to Verified Market Research.

Mental Health

Social isolation, housing insecurity and financial losses along with the deterioration of people’s coping mechanisms has led to $1.8 billion in funding towards behavioral health solutions in 2020. According to the Health Foundation, mental health has worsened by 8.1% on average because of the Covid-19 pandemic, making teletherapy, meditation apps and other tools abundantly needed in the next few years.

Preventative Healthcare

The need for personalized preventative care has emerged in 2020 because of the delay in accessing acute care and regular doctor checkups. Additionally, medical healthcare that has been tailored for individual users is on rise in telehealth, especially for populations that traditional health services have a hard time adapting to such as women, people of color and the LGBTQIA+ community.

Occupational Care

New work patterns, constant connectivity, and the high probability that remote working could become a permanent change has led to additional attention drawn over occupational safety.
Companies like SeedLink offer diverse tech solutions that could make managing occupational health care, along with the previous digital health investment trends, much easier.