The health start-up MiMARK has been selected as the winner of the inaugural Agnès Guerraz Prize for Women Entrepreneurship by the WorkInHealth Foundation, for their transformative work in gynaecological cancer care.
This award, named after the late pioneer in health innovation, Agnès Guerraz, seeks to honour her memory and support exceptional women entrepreneurs in the health sector. The award ceremony occurred during the Bits & Pretzels Healthtech event in Munich on June 20th and 21st. MiMARK received Amazon Web Services (AWS) credits, a cash prize of €10,000 from prize partners, along with valuable mentoring from Dr Florence Allouche, President of MyrPharm, a highly experienced entrepreneur and godmother of this first edition.
“Through the Agnès Guerraz Prize, EIT Health continues to shine a light on the incredible work being done by women entrepreneurs in health innovation. We’re thrilled to award MiMARK for its transformative strides in gynaecological cancer care. This prize not only honours the memory of Agnès Guerraz, but it also fuels the innovative spirit she embodied and inspires a new generation of women leaders in health innovation.” said Céline Carrera, Chair, WorkInHealth Foundation and Director of Education, EIT Health.
MiMARK is revolutionising gynaecological cancer care by developing a novel approach for the early detection of endometrial cancer. Their pioneering in vitro diagnostic test, WomEC, utilises a panel of protein biomarkers found in uterine fluids to improve the accuracy, efficiency, and comfort of endometrial cancer diagnosis, thereby offering an alternative to invasive hysteroscopies.
“Our solution has the potential to transform the way we provide endometrial cancer care. Not only does our innovation accurately detect endometrial cancer in its early stages, but it does so in a way that improves women’s care experience – by providing an effective, objective, and non-invasive alternative to hysteroscopies,” said Marina Rigau, CEO and co-founder of MiMARK.
The WorkInHealth Foundation is organising the Prize in collaboration with the Women Entrepreneurship Bootcamp to promote career opportunities in the health sector. Along with partners and sponsors like Université Grenoble Alpes, INRIA, and Amazon Web Services, we have established this initiative to acknowledge and honour the dedicated women who are relentlessly working towards developing novel health innovations. The Prize also commemorates the legacy of Agnès Guerraz and serves as an inspiration for future women entrepreneurs.
Agnès Guerraz was a prominent figure in the field of health innovation, known for her exceptional research in AI and her pioneering work at INRIA and the University of Grenoble Alpes. Her unwavering entrepreneurial drive inspired her to establish the company SKOPAI, and her valuable contributions to EIT Health played a vital role in the establishment of the Venture Centre of Excellence. The Venture Centre of Excellence (VCOE) is a pioneering EIT Health and European Investment Fund (EIF) initiative, providing a unique co-investment programme and AI-powered platform connecting investors and European health SMEs to catalyse their growth from Series A to pre-IPO rounds.
Agnès Guerraz’s legacy continues through the Prize, encouraging women’s entrepreneurship, raising awareness, and promoting innovation in AI and health sectors. By recognising and celebrating the vital contributions of women such as Marina Rigau and her team at MiMARK, we keep Agnès’s spirit of innovation and dedication to women in science alive.