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Nelson Advisors > HealthTech & MedTech Thought Leadership


The Asymmetry of Risk: Why Structural Healthcare Costs Eclipse the AI Bubble as the Primary Threat to the US Economy
As the United States economy navigates the tumultuous waters of 2026, the prevailing macroeconomic narrative is dominated by the volatility and valuation extremes of the artificial intelligence sector. With market capitalisation concentration in the "Magnificent Seven" reaching historic deviations from mean trends, and capital expenditure on data center infrastructure projected to hit trillions, market observers and economists alike warn of a correction analogous to the 2000
7h15 min read


The Sword Health Kaia Health Merger and the Reshaping of European and US Digital Musculoskeletal Care
On January 28, 2026, the trajectory of the global digital health market was irrevocably altered by Sword Health's announcement of its acquisition of Kaia Health. This transaction, valued at $285 Million, is not merely a consolidation of two competitors but a strategic unification of distinct technological philosophies, wearable sensor-based biofeedback and markerless computer vision, under a single, vertically integrated platform. This chapter dissects the financial mechanics
16h17 min read


Strategic Consolidation in Ambient Voice Technology and the Emergence of Clinical Operating Systems
The European healthcare technology landscape has reached a profound inflection point in 2026, transitioning from a period of speculative, venture-subsidised fragmentation into a disciplined era defined by industrial maturity and strategic consolidation. This systemic shift is most visible in the rapid maturation of Ambient Voice Technology (AVT), a subset of artificial intelligence designed to ambiently capture clinical consultations and automate documentation.
2d12 min read


Shadow AI is becoming a growing issue for hospitals and health systems
The global healthcare sector stands at a critical juncture, navigating a technological inflection point that is as transformative as the digitisation of health records, yet far more perilous due to its clandestine nature. We are witnessing the rapid, unregulated, and often invisible integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the core workflows of medicine—a phenomenon collectively termed "Shadow AI." Unlike the Shadow IT of the past, which largely concerned the unauthor
4d16 min read


10 Key Takeaways from Bessemer Venture Partners 'State of Health AI 2026' Report
Health AI has moved from hype to execution, with a new cohort of AI native businesses scaling faster, with better unit economics and attracting both IPO and private-market capital; Bessemer’s thesis is that this “Health Tech 2.0” wave is real, not another ZIRP-style bubble.
6d4 min read


This Week in European MedTech and HealthTech: 23rd January 2026
European HealthTech this week is being shaped by fresh EU-level funding calls for digital health and AI, tightening but slightly simplified device and AI regulation, and continued emphasis on compliance‑driven M&A and scaling of AI decision‑support. Capital is available but flowing selectively into data‑rich platforms, cross‑border care models, and AI‑enabled diagnostics that can navigate the emerging AI Act / MDR / HTA stack.
6d5 min read


10 Key Factors affecting the Enterprise Value to Equity Value bridge in European HealthTech and MedTech 2026
The enterprise value (EV) to equity value bridge represents the critical calculation that determines what shareholders actually receive in a transaction, the difference between a buyer's headline offer and the cash distributed to founders and investors. In the European HealthTech and MedTech sectors entering 2026, this bridge calculation has become increasingly complex, driven by structural market shifts including the end of the zero interest rate policy (ZIRP) era, heightene
Jan 1925 min read


The 10 Best MOATs in HealthTech and MedTech
This report examines the ten most defensible moats in the sector, ranked by durability and replicability barriers, with particular emphasis on their role in M&A valuation and strategic positioning.
Jan 1918 min read


This Week in European HealthTech and MedTech: 16th January 2026
European HealthTech this week is being shaped by early implementation steps around the EU AI Act / MDR–IVDR stack, fresh EU‑level funding windows, and several notable AI‑driven digital health rounds in Switzerland and Spain. Deal flow is clustering around preventive AI, automation of clinical workflows and AMR diagnostics, with MedTech regulatory tightening continuing to drive portfolio and due‑diligence behaviour into 2026.
Jan 174 min read


Strategic Roadmap for European HealthTech and MedTech Shareholder Value in 2026
The year 2026 represents a "Great Rationalisation" for the European HealthTech and MedTech sector.
The era of easy money, regulatory ambiguity, and "growth at all costs" is over. It has been replaced by a landscape defined by industrial rigor, regulatory enforcement, and financial discipline. For founders, the path to maximising shareholder value lies not in chasing hype cycles, but in building robust, compliant, and efficient infrastructure. It requires a mastery of the "bo
Jan 1616 min read


OpenAI’s Acquisition of Torch Health and the Future of ChatGPT Health
On January 12, 2026, OpenAI confirmed the acquisition of Torch Health in an all-equity transaction valued between $60 Million and $100 Million. This strategic consolidation represents more than a mere talent acquisition; it signals the integration of critical infrastructure designed to solve the "context problem" in medical artificial intelligence. For nearly a decade, the promise of AI in healthcare has been stymied by the fragmentation of patient data, longitudinal records
Jan 1313 min read


Who are the leading European HealthTech and MedTech M&A Advisors for Venture Capital portfolio companies?
This report provides an analysis of the advisory landscape available to European VC-backed founders. It draws upon extensive market data, deal logs, and industry reports to categorize and evaluate the leading financial advisors. Conversely, "Digital Health" assets, valued on recurring revenue and algorithmic defensibility, are increasingly served by specialised technology boutiques such as Arma Partners, Clipperton and Nelson Advisors.
Jan 1214 min read


Anthropic's Claude for Healthcare stack
Anthropic has just released a comprehensive Claude for Healthcare stack (January 2026) structured around three core pillars: enterprise connectors, agent skills, and consumer-facing integrations. This represents a fully assembled, deployment-ready platform rather than isolated capabilities.
Jan 1218 min read


Distressed M&A predicted to play a major role in European HealthTech and MedTech 2026
The European healthcare technology (HealthTech) and medical technology (MedTech) landscape enters 2026 at a profound inflection point, characterised by a transition from the speculative fragmentation of the early 2020s to a disciplined era of "industrial maturity."
Following a period of post-pandemic recalibration in 2024 and a tentative recovery in 2025, the market is poised for a robust, albeit structurally transformed, resurgence in mergers and acquisitions (M&A). The
Jan 1019 min read


This Week in European HealthTech and MedTech: 9th January 2026
European HealthTech this week is dominated by EU‑level AI and data policy moving into implementation, new EU and national funding windows for digital health, and early‑year signals of tighter but more predictable MedTech regulation in 2026. Dealmaking and startup activity continue to tilt towards AI‑enabled automation, data‑rich diagnostics and devices, and cross‑border virtual care infrastructure. European MedTech this week is being shaped by tightening but clearer EU regul
Jan 105 min read
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