TECH PLANTER World in UK 2026 Attracts Applications from 12 Countries — Spain’s fetaLife Technologies Named Grand Winner
Leave a Nest United Kingdom Ltd. successfully held TECH PLANTER World 2026 on 7 November 2026 at IDEALondon, London, United Kingdom. The event brought together deep-tech startups, researchers and industry partners from across the world to showcase innovative technologies and explore opportunities for international collaboration.
This year’s edition attracted 41 applications from 12 countries, including teams from Germany, Finland, the Czech Republic and Spain, marking an expansion of the programme’s geographical reach. From these applications, nine finalist teams representing six countries were selected to pitch their technologies at Demo Day, alongside four additional teams participating in the Lightning Talk session.
Haruka Sakurai of Leave a Nest shares the progress of Helical Fusion, Grand Winner of TECH PLANTER World in UK 2025, and its journey towards international collaboration.
Showcasing Diverse Technologies and Expanding International Connections
The 2026 applicants represented a broad spectrum of technological fields, including life sciences, biotechnology, agriculture, food technology, marine technology and environmental solutions.
The finalist presentations showcased diverse approaches to addressing global challenges, from biomedical innovations and advanced materials to manufacturing and environmental technologies. This breadth of technologies highlighted the potential for scientific discoveries and engineering innovations to create new solutions across industries.
Beyond the presentations, TECH PLANTER World provided a platform for participating startups to connect with international industry partners and explore opportunities for technology development, commercialisation and expansion into new markets.
Jiri Kula, CEO of nullspaces, presents the company’s technology during the finalist pitching session at TECH PLANTER World in UK 2026.
fetaLife Technologies Named Grand Winner
fetaLife Technologies SL, a Spanish medical technology startup developing an artificial womb to support the development of extremely premature babies, was selected as the Grand Winner of TECH PLANTER World 2026.
The company is developing its Fetal Liquid Incubator, a system designed to recreate key aspects of the physiological environment of the maternal womb, allowing extremely premature babies to continue developing outside the mother’s body. The technology aims to address the significant risks of mortality and long-term health complications associated with extreme prematurity.
Having conducted preclinical studies using animal models, fetaLife is working towards further validation and eventual clinical trials, with the goal of advancing neonatal care and improving outcomes for extremely premature newborns.
Elisenda Bonet Carné, CEO and Co-founder of of fetaLife Technologies (centre), receives the Grand Winner award from the judging panel.
Building Bridges Between Deep-Tech Ecosystems
TECH PLANTER is Leave a Nest’s global platform dedicated to discovering promising science and technology seeds and supporting their journey towards practical applications and commercialisation.
Building upon this mission, TECH PLANTER World connects startups, researchers and industry partners across Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia, creating opportunities for collaboration that extend beyond national borders.
Through TECH PLANTER World, Leave a Nest aims to continue expanding its international network, supporting deep-tech innovators in finding the partners, expertise and resources needed to bring their technologies into society.
We look forward to welcoming more innovators and breakthrough technologies to future editions of TECH PLANTER, and to building new connections that will help address global challenges through science and technology.