Beyond the Pitch: How Nordic Star Winners Are Thriving in 2025
One of the most popular happenings at NLSDays is the Nordic Star Pitch Competition – where each year some 20 up-and-coming Nordic biotechs are selected by a jury to pitch on the main stage. In this article, we take a look at how it went for the winners from the three previous years.
Our review of the past three competitions shows that all winners are doing well – some even thriving. In a time of global upheavals and macro-economic challenges for the industry, it is reassuring to see that the latest Nordic Star winners are not only still operating, but also growing and succeeding.
MyCural Therapeutics – winner 2024
MyCural Therapeutics is a start-up founded by cancer researchers from Karolinska Institutet, Linköping University, and Uppsala University. The company is developing new cancer therapies for patients with high-risk tumors.
Since being awarded the Nordic Star in 2024, MyCural has continued to advance its mission. Earlier this year, it was named one of Uppsala’s Most Promising Companies by Upsala Nya Tidning (UNT). CEO & Founder Alina Castell was also awarded “Årets Innovatör” (Innovator of the Year) by WiB Capital.
The company has expanded its team to 20 people, recruited new board members, and successfully oversubscribed its latest investment round, bringing new investors on board. In addition, MyCural secured a grant from Vinnova in 2024.
NEUmiRNA Therapeutics – winner 2023
Neumirna Therapeutics, based in Copenhagen, Denmark, is a biotechnology company developing RNA-based therapies to treat neurological diseases. Founded in 2020 by Dr. Henrik Klitgaard, Prof. Sakari Kauppinen, and Lars Hellerung Christiansen, Neumirna aims to transform patients’ lives by modulating microRNAs with therapies that address the root cause of diseases.
Since winning the Nordic Star competition in 2023, the company has made significant progress. In February 2024, it received its third Innobooster grant from Innovation Fund Denmark (IFD), totaling 5 million DKK. This funding will advance NEUmiRNA’s groundbreaking disease-modifying therapy for epilepsy to the clinic.
In January 2025, Neumirna announced the first closing of its Series A funding round at €20M. The investment was co-led by new investors Angelini Ventures and Invivo Partners, with strong participation from seed investor Innovestor’s Life Science Fund and others.
In summer 2024, the company also received the CURE Epilepsy Catalyst Award ($250,000 over two years) to support critical biomarker research needed to develop and deliver its lead candidate NMT.001 to patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.
MyoPax – winner 2022 (NLS Invest Award)
MyoPax won first prize in 2022, back when the Nordic Star competition was still called the NLSInvest Awards. The company is an early clinical-stage biotech with sites in Copenhagen (BioInnovation Institute) and Berlin (a spin-off from Charité University Medicine/Helmholtz Association). MyoPax is developing a platform for regenerative stem cell therapies for the targeted treatment of multiple muscle diseases.
Since its win, MyoPax has achieved a series of notable milestones:
- Nov 2022: Received an award at Future Medicine in Berlin, focused on emerging cell and gene therapies.
- Apr 2023: Selected as one of the European women-led deep tech companies awarded the #WomenTechEU grant by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA).
- Jul 2023: Granted Rare Pediatric Disease Designation and Orphan Drug Designation by the U.S. FDA for its regenerative cell therapy for Exstrophy-Epispadias-Complex.
- Feb 2024: Won first place at the Female Funding event, organized by Business Angels Deutschland e.V. (BAND), encourageventures e.V., and the Verband deutscher Unternehmerinnen e.V. (VdU).
- May 2024: Selected for ProFIT funding by the Investment Bank of Berlin (IBB) and the European Union (EFRE).
- Feb 2025: Announced that its team was selected for the highly competitive EIC Accelerator. Out of more than 1,200 applicants across Europe, MyoPax was awarded €2.5 million in non-dilutive grant funding, with the option for additional equity investment from the EIC Fund, the EU’s venture arm.
Next edition is around the corner
In less than two months, a new group of selected startups will take the stage in front of investors, competing for the prestigious 2025 prize. Join us in Gothenburg 13-14 October to witness the birth of the next Nordic Stars.
Read more about the Nordic Star Pitch competition.