With an encouraging message from European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi, youth-led startups addressing real healthcare challenges take centre stage in Brussels.
Brussels, 12 May 2026 – Hosted by MEP Letizia Moratti at the European Parliament, the inaugural UPS Healthcare Award Ceremony brought together young entrepreneurs, healthcare leaders, and European policymakers to celebrate youth‑led innovation in healthcare logistics.
Organised by JA Europe, The UPS Foundation and UPS Healthcare, the event showcased three outstanding startups founded by JA Alumni entrepreneurs aged 18–30, addressing critical challenges across healthcare logistics, medical devices, and laboratory innovation.
The ceremony also featured an encouraging message from Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, who congratulated the finalists and underlined the European Commission’s commitment to supporting youth-driven innovation as a cornerstone of a healthier and more competitive Europe.
The UPS Healthcare Award recognises entrepreneurial solutions with strong potential for impact, scalability, and real‑world application, highlighting the role of young founders in shaping the future of Europe’s healthcare ecosystem.
From emerging startups to award winner: Europe’s top healthcare innovators take the stage
During the ceremony, the three finalist startups — MammoCheck (Cyprus), Saga Medi (Netherlands), and LUMi (Cyprus) — pitched their innovations live before a jury of senior industry experts. Each team presented their solution, market positioning, and growth ambitions, followed by jury questions and an interactive exchange with the audience.
Following jury deliberation, Saga Medi was named the winner of the UPS Healthcare Award, receiving a $5,000 prize and a professional mentorship opportunity with UPS Healthcare, designed to support the next phase of the startup’s development. In recognition of their achievements and entrepreneurial progress, all three finalist teams received a $5,000 award.
The three finalist startups are:
Saga Medi (Netherlands) — A sustainable healthcare innovation replacing single-use kidney dishes with a reusable, circular alternative to reduce medical waste. Founded by Richard Pureveen, Mees Jansen, and Levi Vreeker.
MammoCheck (Cyprus) — An AI-powered, radiation-free breast cancer screening solution enabling accessible, at-home use via smartphone and thermal imaging. Founded by Alexandra Dimitriadou, Marios Pafitis, and Athina Grigoriou.
LUMi (Cyprus) — A smart, reusable surgical drain monitoring system using AI-driven, real-time analysis to detect gastrointestinal leaks earlier than current methods. Founded by Abdullah Ayesh, Elyaa Saleh, Jessica Rabadi, Omar Yousef, and Yasmin Yousef.
Beyond the pitch competition, the event featured a high-level Healthcare Innovation Roundtable, bringing together senior stakeholders to reflect on healthcare innovation priorities, the future of healthcare logistics in Europe, and the role of public-private collaboration in supporting young entrepreneurs.
First-Round Jury — Selecting the Top 3 Finalists
Ahead of the European Parliament ceremony, a distinguished first-round jury evaluated the participating startups and selected the three finalist teams invited to pitch live in Brussels. JA Europe, The UPS Foundation, and UPS Healthcare extend their gratitude to the first-round jury members for their expertise, time, and commitment to identifying Europe’s most promising youth-led healthcare ventures:
Ingrid Etoke — Senior Programme Officer, Health Investor, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Christina Struller — Vice President Sales EMEA & APAC, UPS Healthcare
Bert Ringel — Vice President, Procurement EMEAI & Global Logistics, Danaher Corporation
Emily Burness — Interim Director PIL / Director of Transformation, Cochlear Europe
Assma Regragui — Senior Category Buyer Logistics, Global Procurement, QIAGEN
A platform connecting youth entrepreneurship, industry expertise and policy leadership
The UPS Healthcare Award Ceremony underscored the shared commitment of JA Europe, The UPS Foundation and UPS Healthcare to empowering young founders with the skills, networks, and institutional support needed to scale impactful healthcare solutions. By convening startups alongside industry leaders and policymakers at the European Parliament, the Award highlighted how entrepreneurship education, corporate expertise, and policy dialogue can jointly contribute to more resilient and innovative healthcare systems.
Professional Jury — UPS Healthcare Award Ceremony 2026
Bert Ringel — Vice President Procurement EMEAI & Global Logistics, Danaher Corporation
Emily Burness — Interim Director PIL / Director of Transformation, Cochlear Europe
Anna Wurm — Public Affairs and Stakeholder Relations Manager, EIT Health
Assma Regragui — Senior Category Buyer Logistics, Global Procurement, QIAGEN
Healthcare Innovation Roundtable
During jury deliberations, a roundtable on Healthcare Innovation moderated by Salvatore Nigro, CEO of JA Europe, featured insights from the following experts:
- Christina Struller, Vice President Sales EMEA & APAC, UPS Healthcare
- Laura Korfmann, Head of Distribution Management EMEA, Arthrex
- Anna Citarrella, Government Affairs Director Italy and EMEA, Johnson & Johnson | Vice President of Italian Medical Devices Association in Confindustria
- Ann-Sofie Ronnlund, Member of Cabinet of Commissioner Zaharieva, responsible for Startups, Research and Innovation, European Commission
JA Europe, The UPS Foundation, and UPS Healthcare extend their sincere thanks to the European Parliament for hosting the ceremony, and to MEP Letizia Moratti for her leadership and support in welcoming Europe’s young healthcare innovators to Brussels.
“The future of healthcare will not be built only by large systems or large companies, it will also be built by innovators, entrepreneurs, and researchers with the courage to test new ideas. We want a future where innovation thrives, health systems are strong, and people have access to the best treatments and technologies. Your ideas and your energy bring us closer to that goal.”
– Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare
“At UPS, and through The UPS Foundation, we believe that innovation thrives when industry, policymakers, educators, and entrepreneurs come together. Our role is to help bridge these worlds to connect innovation with opportunity, and ambition with scale. Today’s event is a powerful example of that belief in action, and I am proud that UPS can play a role in enabling the next generation of healthcare innovators.”
— Daniel Carrera, President, UPS Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA)
“The UPS Healthcare Award is proof of what becomes possible when we invest in young people and give them the tools, the confidence, and the stage to lead. These founders are not waiting for the future of healthcare — they are building it. At JA Europe, we believe that entrepreneurship education is one of the most powerful levers we have to create a healthier, more innovative, and more resilient Europe. Partnering with UPS to bring these extraordinary young entrepreneurs to the European Parliament sends a clear message: youth-led innovation belongs at the heart of Europe’s agenda.”
— Salvatore Nigro, Chief Executive Officer, JA Europe
About the UPS Foundation and UPS Healthcare
The UPS Foundation leads UPS’s global citizenship and philanthropy efforts, focusing on building safer, more resilient, and healthier communities worldwide. Their work is guided by four core priorities: Health & Humanitarian Relief, Economic Empowerment, Local Community Engagement, and Planet Protection. These priorities shape a strategic approach that combines UPS’s logistics expertise, employee volunteerism, and financial and in-kind support to deliver meaningful, measurable impact. UPS Healthcare offers expert logistics services to healthcare and pharmaceutical companies worldwide. UPS Healthcare has 1.57 million m² of cGMP- and GDP-compliant healthcare distribution space globally. Their services include managing inventory, temperature-controlled (cold chain) packaging and shipping, storing and delivering medical devices, and supporting lab and clinical trial logistics. UPS Healthcare’s global infrastructure, UPS® Premier visibility service, track-and-trace technology, and global quality system are well-suited to meet today’s complex logistics demands in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and laboratory diagnostic industries.
About JA Europe
JA Europe is the largest and leading organisation in Europe dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed. For over 100 years, JA Worldwide has delivered hands-on, experiential learning in entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial health. In the last school year, the JA Europe network in over 40 countries provided over 7.5 million learning experiences for youth in online, in-person and blended formats, the organisation provided over 95,500 teaching experiences and 86,500 volunteering and mentoring experiences.
For additional information please contact Petra Veres, Development Associate, JA Europe at petra@jaeurope.org
