Fortis, IHH launch innovation platform for medtech, healthtech startups | Company News
Malaysian healthcare giant IHH Healthcare and its Indian subsidiary Fortis Healthcare have launched IHH Catalyst, a national healthcare innovation platform designed to accelerate the deployment of patient-centric, technology-enabled solutions across India’s hospital ecosystem.
The initiative is part of IHH’s broader innovation strategy and was first introduced as the IHH Global Incubation Center in October last year.
The initiative aims to bridge the gap in India’s healthcare innovation journey by taking promising healthtech and medtech startups beyond pilots and proofs of concept to real-world clinical validation, hospital adoption and scalable implementation.
The three-month hybrid program will combine in-person and virtual participation, and selected startups will receive mentorship from IHH and Fortis leaders, clinicians, and functional experts.
Although the companies did not specify the number of startups that will participate, the platform will focus on application-ready startups with a strong relevance to hospital workflows, patient outcomes and operational efficiency.
The program will follow a multi-stage selection and evaluation process.
“Through IHH Catalyst, we are committed to taking healthcare innovations beyond experimentation into real hospital environments where solutions can be validated, adopted and scaled,” said Ashok Pandit, group corporate officer, IHH Healthcare.
The move comes despite India being home to one of the world’s fastest-growing healthcare startup ecosystems and addressing challenges around access, affordability, quality and efficiency of care.
“However, large-scale adoption across hospital systems remains a significant hurdle,” the companies said in a joint statement.
Fortis Healthcare managing director and chief executive officer Ashutosh Raghuvanshi added that the initiative is in line with the Government of India’s Startup India vision and creates a structured pathway for healthcare startups to directly engage with hospitals, clinicians and patients.
“At Fortis, we see this as an opportunity to enable scalable, technology-driven solutions that improve quality of care, operational efficiency and access, while positioning India as a global hub for innovation in healthcare,” he added.
IHH Catalyst will serve as a regional platform and future editions will be planned in IHH markets, the companies said. “This will enable Indian startups to scale internationally while contributing to innovations in global health,” they said.
