In December 2025, MultivisionDx, a Helsinki-based startup, secured €1M in pre-seed funding to develop groundbreaking AI-driven cancer diagnostics. This is big news for European female entrepreneurs and startup founders like myself, as it showcases a path to meaningful innovation combined with smart funding strategies. Let’s dive into what makes this story relatable and actionable, especially for women in business.
What’s behind MultivisionDx’s success?
MultivisionDx, a spinout from the University of Helsinki, introduced a diagnostics method that uses spatial biology combined with artificial intelligence to create individualized “fingerprints” for cancer patients. The idea is to help doctors predict how patients will respond to specific treatments, saving valuable resources, improving outcomes, and eliminating ineffective therapies.
The company was co-founded this year by a team of diverse experts, including researchers, tech innovators, and medtech specialists, with Karolina Punovuori as the Chief Scientific Officer. What’s inspiring is the founder mix, with two female leaders among its multi-national team. Here’s my takeaway from their approach:
- Leveraging research: They showed how years of scientific work can successfully transition into real-world, scalable solutions. That’s a strong message for entrepreneurs balancing academic backgrounds with the commercial world.
- Diversifying team expertise: MultivisionDx is not just relying on one skill set. They’ve put medtech experts, engineers, and researchers together to make their vision a reality. Women founders often understand the value of teamwork better because they naturally seek varied perspectives.
Funding details and strategy
Securing pre-seed funds isn’t easy, but MultivisionDx made it happen. Their €1M round was led by the prominent investor Antler, along with Helsinki University Funds, Kaikarhenni Oy, and a Finnish angel investor. While €1M might sound modest, for early-stage healthtech, it’s an ambitious step forward. Here’s where their strategy stands out:
- Collaborating with universities and accelerators: Partnerships with institutions like the University of Helsinki provided credibility and access to resources.
- Public grant leverage: They have already received €680k from Business Finland for earlier commercialization efforts, demonstrating that unlocking public funds is a viable option for women-led startups.
- Clear use of funds: They’ve earmarked how to spend the €1M , on completing validation studies, expanding hospital partnerships internationally, and scaling production.
Want to approach investors the same way? Learn more about startup funding strategies via Tech Funding News.
Key lessons for female startup founders
As someone who walks the entrepreneurship road daily, here’s what I believe many of us can glean from MultivisionDx’s steps toward success:
1. Be bold, but deliver results
Many female founders hesitate to take big leaps because of limiting beliefs. MultivisionDx didn’t just provide an idea or concept, they brought real clinical data from hundreds of patients and published their study in Cell. Numbers talk.
2. Build a diverse founding team
With five founders from different backgrounds, including Karolina Punovuori as the scientific brain, they combined their talents and found ways to complement each other. Diversity doesn’t have to feel forced if the focus remains on balance and capability.
3. Explore public funding opportunities
Public grants, like those provided by Business Finland, can often support women-led initiatives in healthtech or deeptech. Don’t shy away from government funding, it could be your hidden strength.
How to Take Your Startup Global Like MultivisionDx
If you’re looking to go beyond the startup phase and want to scale international partnerships, here’s a guide inspired by their steps:
- Start local and prove your model: Begin with validation studies or MVP success, preferably within your home country.
- Find the right accelerator: MultivisionDx has links with Health Incubator Helsinki. Female-led startups should aim for an accelerator that champions women’s leadership.
- Expand your technical capacity: Surround yourself with experts, from coders to researchers, and ensure your product levels up before approaching partnerships abroad.
- Network globally: I’ve leveraged platforms like LinkedIn to network across continents, but focusing on niche industries (such as healthtech in MultivisionDx’s case) sharpens expansion tactics.
- Publish your work: MultivisionDx capitalized on their research publication in Cell, which became pivotal in attracting funding and validating their methods.
Common mistakes that women founders should avoid
While MultivisionDx has admirable milestones, not every path in healthtech or AI will succeed if blind spots creep in. Here’s what founders often learn the hard way:
-
Running on tech vision alone: Don’t overestimate tech capabilities and underestimate clinical nuances, market regulations, or real-world patient challenges. MultivisionDx balanced both worlds.
-
Underestimating validation timelines: If your product’s real-world testing needs months or years, plan for it in advance. Healthtech innovation can be rewarding but slow.
-
Ignoring public or university links: Many women leaders fail to leverage academia because it feels “too technical.” Partnerships with the University of Helsinki were central to MultivisionDx.
Big takeaway: Innovation isn’t limited to big budgets
A startup like MultivisionDx reminds women in business that impactful innovation doesn’t always start with colossal funding or huge VC rounds. Personalizing products based on real pain points, whether in healthtech, fintech, or deeptech, makes all the difference.
Female founders in Europe should look at opportunities through accelerators and grants, and always, always push forward, even if the path gets challenging. We’ve seen how strong leadership like Karolina Punovuori’s turned academia into commercial triumph, it’s proof that you can start small and end with greatness.
For more startup advice and resources tailored for women, check out Fe/male Switch, a gamified entrepreneurship platform I co-created for next-generation female founders in tech.
The next time you see “€1M raised” headlines, think about how MultivisionDx started from research insights and scaled rapidly, building partnerships along the way. Ready to try your leap? I know you’re capable, and always here to guide.
FAQ
1. What is MultivisionDx and what does it do?
MultivisionDx is a Helsinki-based healthtech startup that utilizes AI-powered spatial biology diagnostics to create individualized "fingerprints" for cancer patients. This helps clinicians tailor treatments for better outcomes. Learn more about MultivisionDx
2. Who are the founders of MultivisionDx?
The company was founded by a diverse team including CEO Michael Wittinger, CSO Karolina Punovuori, Fabian Bertillot, Janos Lengyel, and Sara Wickström. Explore MultivisionDx Founders
3. What technology underpins MultivisionDx diagnostics?
The diagnostic method combines spatial biology and AI to analyze detailed tissue biopsy images, generating patient-specific biomarkers and improving treatment efficacy. Learn about the technology
4. Where did MultivisionDx obtain its funding?
MultivisionDx secured €1M in pre-seed funding, led by investor Antler and supported by Helsinki University Funds, Kaikarhenni Oy, and a Finnish angel investor. Explore the funding details
5. What prior funding has MultivisionDx received?
The company previously received €680,000 from Business Finland in 2022 to support commercialization of its technology. Learn about prior funding
6. How does MultivisionDx aim to transform cancer diagnostics?
By using spatial biology and AI, MultivisionDx aims to make cancer treatment more personalized, improving outcomes while reducing unnecessary side effects. Learn more about their impact
7. How is MultivisionDx planning to use the €1M funding?
The funds will be used for clinical validation studies, scaling hospital partnerships internationally, and additional grants for scaling. Understand their funding use
8. Why is MultivisionDx notable in the European startup ecosystem?
The company showcases a successful blend of academic research, diverse leadership, and strategic funding, serving as a model for women entrepreneurs and diverse founding teams. Discover MultivisionDx’s success story
9. What validation supports MultivisionDx technology?
The diagnostic platform was validated through a proof-of-concept study involving 650 patients and published in the scientific journal Cell. Learn about their validation study
10. What institutions were involved in MultivisionDx’s spinout?
The startup originated from research at the University of Helsinki and benefited from University partnerships and public grants. Explore their academic collaboration
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
