In a sector as demanding as healthcare, innovation alone is not enough. You also need the right connections, the right resources, and the right partners… at the right time.
Driven by this conviction, Benjamin Tillier founded Hive (Health Innovation and Ventures Enabler) — a European network designed as a living, agile, and results-oriented ecosystem. A serial entrepreneur and angel investor, he now puts his experience at the service of health innovators to maximise their chances of success.
In this exclusive interview, Benjamin shares the story behind Hive, its mission, its short- and long-term ambitions — and how this “hive” aims to make Luxembourg a hub for health innovation in Europe and beyond.
What is the story behind Hive Services and how does your company position itself in the market?
Throughout my career, I have launched several startups in the healthcare field. I’ve also led pharma scaleups as an interim CEO on behalf of venture capital funds. For several years, I have also been investing directly in businesses as an angel investor.
If there’s one thing this dual experience — as both an entrepreneur and an investor — has taught me, it’s that innovating in healthcare is particularly challenging. Compared to other sectors, this industry requires many more complex, lengthy, and costly steps: R&D, regulatory validation, safety requirements, clinical proof of efficacy, etc.
The result: 90% of innovation projects fail. They collapse mid-course due to lack of funding, competitiveness, speed… or proper support.
In such a demanding context, only well-supported projects stand a real chance of success — the ones that meet the right people at the right time, whether they’re partners, experts, providers, suppliers, clients, or investors.
That’s the insight that led to the creation of Hive.
In concrete terms, Hive is a European network that brings together all actors involved in health innovation, with a clear mission: to maximise its members’ chances of success.
Our team, composed of seasoned entrepreneurs and industry specialists, is dedicated to one goal: helping every member meet the right people at the right time, at every stage of their development. That’s our obsession.
And when the expertise a member needs doesn’t exist or isn’t accessible on the market, we develop it in-house and offer it as consulting services.
So that nothing holds back innovation.
What is your core mission, and how does it differ from other health innovation initiatives?
Our mission is to help our members — in Europe and beyond — overcome the major challenges of health innovation while strengthening Luxembourg’s position on the global stage.
We use a flexible approach: some members benefit simply from our network and insights, while others treat us almost like an extension of their business development team.
What sets Hive apart is its pan-European scope, its entrepreneurial and results-driven mindset, and the specialised healthtech services we provide (initially targeting digital medical devices, or DMDs):
- technological development
- strategic support (product-market fit, fundraising, go-to-market, scaling)
- clinical validation
- HTA (Health Technology Assessment)
- reimbursement dossiers for health insurance providers in Europe
If a service is lacking, we develop it internally to support our members from proof of concept to market launch. In doing so, we provide complete support that goes well beyond traditional models.
What are your key short- and medium-term goals?
In the coming months, we’ll close our fundraising round and strengthen the team that will bring Hive to life, attracting new members, consolidating partnerships, and multiplying opportunities.
Our goal is to finalise funding by the end of May.
After that, we want to organise events that make networking genuinely useful and enjoyable.
We’ll also identify market gaps and create tailor-made services to address them.
At the same time, we plan to attend major international conferences and trade shows to promote the attractiveness of Luxembourg’s ecosystem and contribute to positioning the country as a hub for health innovation.
How do you contribute to the growth of Luxembourg’s health innovation ecosystem?
A thriving health innovation ecosystem rests on three pillars:
- Collaboration between innovators, investors, researchers, service providers, and institutions
- Fast and open knowledge–sharing (clinical, regulatory, technological)
- Smooth access to resources (investment, expertise, talent, infrastructure)
At Hive, we’re committed to strengthening these pillars to help the ecosystem become more efficient and eventually become a European benchmark.
We also aim to make Luxembourg a genuine meeting point for health players across the continent (and beyond), leveraging our broad network to create connections, collaborations, and synergies between international ecosystems.
In doing so, we further strengthen Luxembourg’s momentum by offering new opportunities for collaboration and growth.
What types of projects do you support, and what problems do you help solve?
We support all kinds of players:
- the early-stage startup looking for its first client
- the SME wanting to expand internationally
- the large company struggling to innovate efficiently
- the research institute seeking to valorise its findings
We all — and I mean ALL — have a much better chance of success if we meet the right people at the right time. Don’t you agree?
That’s why we provide hands-on support. With a unique cross-border perspective, we help our members:
- Access various European markets (reimbursement strategies, HTA, etc.)
- Structure their operations and strategy (product/market fit, go-to-market plans)
- Accelerate their growth (visibility, lead generation, partnerships)
- Stay at the cutting edge of innovation (open innovation, strategic partnerships)
- Validate their solutions (clinical validation, proof of efficacy)
- Digitise their processes and develop tailored digital solutions
- Secure funding — both dilutive (VC, fundraising) and non-dilutive (grants, public programs)
By doing so, we help create high-value jobs and strengthen Luxembourg’s competitiveness. Everyone benefits.
Can you share some successful collaborations with startups or research institutions?
Absolutely!
Even before officially launching our activities, Hive was selected by the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) and the National Research Fund (FNR) to serve as Entrepreneur-in-Residence for Vocalive, a future spin-off from the research institute.
Their technology uses artificial intelligence to analyse voice patterns and detect diseases like diabetes, depression, and more.
We’re supporting them across the entire business journey and go-to-market strategy.
What are your main services, and who are they for?
At Hive, everything revolves around a simple principle: you’re far more likely to succeed in innovation when you’re well-supported than when you’re alone.
I’d go even further — based on my own experience and what I’ve seen as a business angel: in this industry, where success rates are particularly low, only those projects that connect with the right people at every stage have a real shot at making it.
That’s why we’ve built two complementary pillars of services:
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Connections
We connect our members with experts, innovators, partners, investors, and researchers.
We also regularly organise events and meetups to keep the ecosystem lively and dynamic.
Depending on their membership level, we can be more or less proactive in creating the best collaboration opportunities.
In short, we help our members meet the right people, at the right time, at each stage of their journey.
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Specialised consulting
When specific expertise is lacking (e.g., clinical, regulatory, go-to-market, etc.), we develop it internally and offer it as affordable, tailored support.
This is especially true for digital medical devices (DMDs) or data-driven innovations, where the market often lacks sharp, cross-border expertise.
In your opinion, what are the key opportunities in health innovation today?
They’re nearly endless.
Digital health is just getting started: we’re talking about e-health, telemedicine, AI for diagnostics and patient monitoring…
Prevention is becoming increasingly important, with the use of real-time data analysis and personalised medicine solutions.
Recent crises have shown just how essential public-private cooperation is for accelerating research and innovation.
On the regulatory side, new frameworks are emerging in Europe (like the EHDS), which are starting to structure the market and define a clearer path for new technologies.
These developments create a more organised environment, but also one with greater complexity.
Any project that helps deliver higher-quality, more accessible, and lower-cost health solutions has real potential.
That’s precisely where Hive comes in — to help projects successfully navigate these steps and seize these opportunities.
What role do you play in helping startups secure funding?
We make our network available to help our members connect with private investors, business angels, specialised VCs, institutional funds, or access public or European grants.
One advantage in this sector is that there are also countless foundations and philanthropic funds dedicated to financially supporting research and solutions for specific diseases (like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, childhood diseases, degenerative conditions, cancer, diabetes, etc.).
Our support extends beyond simple introductions: we work with members to identify the right path, clarify their positioning, build stronger pitches, and prepare better for investor meetings.
The goal is to maximise their chances of convincing funders and securing the financing they need.
Who do you collaborate with to increase your impact (government, companies, research institutions)?
We work closely with Luxinnovation, since our missions are highly complementary.
Together, we’re moving toward the shared goal of making Luxembourg a major health innovation hub.
We also collaborate with the Ministry of the Economy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other strategic public and private players to coordinate efforts and promote the country’s attractiveness.
Beyond that, we team up with key local ecosystem actors in:
- infrastructure (like HE:AL Campus)
- investment (like Catalpa Ventures)
- research (like LIH)
- data (like Deep/Post)
- insurance (like Foyer)
- distribution (like Hospilux)
- municipalities that want to strengthen their innovation footprint (like Esch-sur-Alzette)
This collective effort and synergy are essential to the success of our mission.
We also collaborate with other public and private stakeholders to enrich the ecosystem and boost its attractiveness: University of Luxembourg, LCSB, SnT, LIST, LuxProvide/MeluXina, LNDS, eSanté, and many more.
Our ambition is European — even global: we’re already working with key partners in Germany (Medical Valley), France (MedVallée), Belgium and the Netherlands (EIT Health, Medvia), to name just a few.
The idea is simple: bring together all the necessary ingredients to spark long-term momentum and transform Luxembourg into a true springboard for health innovation.
Are you planning to expand or launch new collaborations?
We’re gradually building a pan-European network, and we already have contacts worldwide.
The idea is to be the meeting point between ecosystems, so that when a startup from Boston, Berlin, or Barcelona thinks “Europe,” they’ll want to come through Luxembourg.
We identify strategic partners, analyse promising markets, and build bridges.
What will Hive look like in five years?
In five years, I see Hive as a key player — in Luxembourg and beyond.
A natural gateway for any organisation seeking to innovate in healthcare and expand into the European market.
Becoming a member of Hive will be the obvious choice.
And I hope we’ll be able to showcase multiple success stories born in the hive, turned into real-world solutions that make a difference in the lives of patients and healthcare professionals.
Any message for entrepreneurs and innovators thinking about joining or working with you?
In life, personal or professional, you always go further when you’re well accompanied. Who would disagree with that?
And it’s even more true in the health sector, where succeeding alone is nearly impossible.
At Hive, we believe that with the right connections and the right resources, your chances of success increase significantly.
And that’s precisely what we offer: a deep network and a specialised team whose sole mission is to help you succeed.