New Delhi, June 26: Leading healthcare startup ‘Artelus’ – an AI-based provider of healthtech solutions, aiming to enhance diagnosis and treatment for improved patient outcomes was today recognised as the winner of Startup India’s Drishti HealthTech Challenge, a joint initiative by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Roche Pharma India. This recognition is a testimony to the rapid progress made by homegrown health tech startups who are disrupting India’s healthcare landscape.
Aimed at identifying and supporting healthtech startups in India to develop transformative, scalable solutions for some of the country’s most important health challenges, the Drishti HealthTech Challenge received high-impact applications from 80+ startups working in the areas of digital health.
The Jury comprising of retinal health experts, startup mentors and select members of the Roche India leadership evaluated the applications through a rigorous, multi-stage evaluation criteria focused on problem relevance, impact potential, market readiness, leadership credibility, and regulatory, legal & IP moats. Artelus emerged as the winner and will receive a financial grant of INR 35 lakhs to co-develop, enhance and pilot its pioneering solution in partnership with Roche Pharma India.
The award ceremony, hosted at the Swiss Embassy in New Delhi in the presence of Her Excellency, Mrs. Maya Tissafi, Ambassador of Switzerland to India and Bhutan, marks another milestone in Indo-Swiss collaboration, driven by Roche’s partnership with Startup India and DPIIT to strengthen the healthcare ecosystem in India.
Her Excellency, Mrs. Maya Tissafi, Ambassador of Switzerland to India and Bhutan said, “The Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement between EFTA and India has intensified the economic relationship between our countries. It creates a ground for exactly the kind of innovation we see today – such as this initiative by Roche Pharma India and Startup India, which creates platforms for entrepreneurs and supports opportunities for collaboration and brings us closer to real-world impact. I would like to offer special congratulations to the winning start-up, Artelus. Its work shows how healthtech can make early diagnosis more accessible and bring quality healthcare closer to those who need it.”
Shri Ateesh Kumar Singh, Additional Secretary, DPIIT said, “Fostering an ecosystem where advanced technology seamlessly integrates with grassroots healthcare delivery is key to sustainable economic development. Initiatives like the Roche Drishti HealthTech Challenge underscore the immense potential of the Indian startup community to deliver high-impact solutions. Startup India, DPIIT remains committed to supporting open innovation frameworks that empower homegrown entrepreneurs to scale their impact across the country.”
Roche Pharma India Managing Director & CEO Rajji Mehdwan said, “Retinal diseases are stealing sight across India. The healthcare community has clinicians dedicated to helping people and the medicines that can truly make a difference. What we didn’t have was a way to make early diagnosis accessible to everyone. Artelus solves that. Their offline AI technology brings screening to places we’ve never been able to reach before—expanding access to a much wider group of people. That changes everything. No patient should lose their vision to something preventable. Our partnership with DPIIT and Startup India reflects Roche’s unyielding commitment to India’s innovation ecosystem, nurturing local, home-grown solutions for India’s unique healthcare challenges.”