Immersion in tomorrow’s healthcare

At the heart of the Hôpital Simulé La Source, discover the real challenges facing the world of healthcare and get ready to collaborate during a three-day hackathon to imagine the innovations that will shape tomorrow’s healthcare.

Submit my project
  • 12
    finalist teams for the bootcamp
  • 15k chf
    in prizes to be won
  • 40
    coaches and experts
  • 2
    live events open to all

Take part – Turn an idea into a concrete project.

Défi Source brings together healthcare professionals, students, researchers, entrepreneurs and experts around the challenges of the healthcare world.

Much more than a hackathon, Défi Source offers a four-step journey, from exploring real-world needs to supporting the winning projects.

Immersion

Test your project in real conditions

Work in a real 2,500 m² simulated hospital, alongside healthcare professionals and faithfully reproduced care situations.

Connections

Join a close-knit ecosystem

Coaches, experts, caregivers and entrepreneurs: build a strong network that will support you well beyond these three days.

Acceleration

From intuition to viable prototype

Take part in an intensive 3-day bootcamp with a dedicated coach and 7 thematic expert clinics to structure your value proposition.

Opportunities

Bring your venture to life

Benefit from financial support prizes and 6 months of free post-event support to turn your project into reality.

The journey

A 4-step journey, from inspiration to enterprise. Six months to explore, commit, act and anchor your project for the long term.

  1. Immerse

    In progress
    Date
    28 October 2026
    Location
    Hôpital Simulé, on site

    Défi Source kicks off with an immersive evening to explore the challenges of tomorrow’s healthcare, discover entrepreneurial simulation and meet the community building it. Open to all, this evening is a chance to get inspired, share ideas and bring new ones to light.

    Register for the launch evening

  2. Commit

    Date
    November 2026 to March 2027
    Location
    Online

    Time for ideation. The “À la Source” podcast, testimonials and inspiring content fuel reflection, while future candidates refine their pitch for the project submission.

  3. Act

    Date
    22 to 24 April 2027
    Location
    Hôpital Simulé, on site

    The heart of Défi Source. Nearly 3 intensive days of building, with a dedicated coach and 7 expert clinics: Value Proposition Canvas, Business Model Canvas, prototyping at the FabLab, real-world testing, and a final pitch in front of the jury and partners.

    Closing evening on 24 April, open to all — keynote, final pitches and more than CHF 15’000 in prizes awarded.

  4. Anchor

    Beyond the prizes, Défi Source is a springboard. Depending on the prize received, the winning teams are supported by H4 or its partners to move their project forward into concrete solutions for the healthcare system.

Closing evening

Open to all

Date
24 April 2027, 17:00 – 21:30
Location
Hôpital Simulé, Beaulieu, Lausanne

The kick-off of Défi Source 2026–2027. An immersive evening to discover how simulation is becoming a driver of healthcare innovation, with life-size demonstrations, discussions and role-play scenarios, at the heart of the Hôpital Simulé.

Be among the first to experience the Défi Source 2026–2027 adventure and join the healthcare innovation ecosystem of French-speaking Switzerland.

Register for the closing evening

Programme

  1. 17:00

    Opening keynote

    Louis Derungs shares his perspective on the conditions that foster innovation, adaptation to change and collective intelligence.

  2. 18:00

    Presentation of the finalist projects

    The 12 teams unveil the solutions built during the bootcamp.

  3. 19:15

    Award ceremony

    More than CHF 15’000 in prizes awarded by the Défi Source partners.

  4. 20:00

    Drinks and networking

    Connect with participants, partners and players of healthcare innovation in French-speaking Switzerland.

Public participant à la soirée de lancement
Présentation devant le public du Défi Source
Participants et participantes échangeant lors du Défi Source

They lived it

Défi Source means 7 start-ups founded, dozens of projects still evolving and, above all, encounters that matter: between participants, experts, coaches and partners who are passionate about tomorrow’s healthcare. A vibrant community, a place to learn and, for many, a real springboard.

“Défi Source gave me the structure and the legitimacy to dare to turn a clinical frustration into a technological innovation!”

Iloé Debétaz

CEO · Healio · DS 2025 winner

“Défi Source is much more than an event. It allowed me to grow, to discover the entrepreneur in me, and to embark on an adventure I would never have imagined!”

Iloé Debétaz

CEO · Healio · DS 2025 winner

Défi Source gave me access to the healthcare ecosystem of French-speaking Switzerland, something I would not have found anywhere else as a designer. Above all, it opened the doors of H4, whose team still supports us today on everything that used to be opaque to me: the regulatory framework, certification and the path to a clinical study.

Iloé Debétaz

CEO · Healio · DS 2025 winner

Coaches and experts

You will never face your project alone

Throughout the bootcamp, each team benefits from personalised support, specialist expertise and hands-on workshops to move forward quickly and in the right direction.

A dedicated coach for each team

Your coach stays with you for the entire bootcamp: they help you structure your approach, prepare your meetings with the experts and move your project forward at every stage.

Workshops to bring your idea to life

Design thinking, prototyping, business model and pitch preparation: everything is designed to help you turn an idea into a concrete project in three days.

The coaches

Christophe Barraud

Coach en développement d'entreprises chez GENILEM

François Capel

Jimi Bron

Head of Swiss HealthTech Center

Laurent Soldini

Designer industriel et de produit
Chef de projet à l’ECAL
Professeur coach en innovation au Master HES-SO Innokick

Louis Derungs

Director Health Economics & Outcomes Research MindMaze

7 expert clinics to challenge your project

Throughout the bootcamp, you meet specialists from complementary fields. Each session helps you identify your project’s strengths, the risks to anticipate and the next steps to take.

  • Clinical use and patient experience

    Clinical relevance, acceptability, patient experience

  • Regulatory and legal

    Legal framework, CE marking, health data

  • Cost-effectiveness and funding

    Reimbursement, funding, ROI, market access

  • AI and technology

    Technical feasibility, interoperability, AI in healthcare

  • Human-centred design

    UX/UI, industrial design, ergonomics

  • Experimentation

    Field work, user involvement, testing in the simulated hospital

  • Innovation and entrepreneurship

    Go-to-market strategy, IP, market, investment

The experts

Dr. Amara Osei

Integrative Medicine Specialist

Dr. Sarah Chen2

AI in Healthcare Lead

Dr. Mei Lin Zhang

Nutritional Science Director

Dr. Marcus Rivera

Mental Health & Wellness Coach

Dr. James Whitfield

Sports Rehabilitation Expert

Dr. Elena Petrov

Preventive Cardiology Lead

Discover the XYZ winning projects of 2027

Find the project that suits you.

Twelve teams, twelve healthcare challenges, one shared ambition: to meet real needs on the ground. Each project is still looking for participants to complete its team before 22 April. With a maximum of five members per team, every skill counts! Browse the projects and find your future team.

Chief Applications Designer

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  • HR management

1/12 members

Join

District Functionality Engineer

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  • AI
  • HR management

0/6 members

Join

Forward Quality Administrator

  • AI

2/8 members

Join

Global Program Technician

  • Clinical
  • HR management

2/4 members

Join

MedShift Connect

AI-driven predictive optimisation of caregiver scheduling, to reduce burnout and ensure better clinical coverage.

  • AI
  • Clinical
  • HR management

4/6 members

Join

Senior Creative Specialist

  • AI
  • HR management

6/6 members

Join

The Défi Source partners

  • Color’Box
  • Crans-Montana
  • Vaud Promotion
  • Clinique La Source
  • Biopôle
  • GENILEM
  • Incyte
  • FIT
  • Dovida
  • Innovaud
  • UNIL CHUV Knowledge Transfer
  • UCB
  • Ville de Lausanne
  • Vivactis Switzerland
  • CVCI Fondation
  • Swiss HealthTech Center
  • La Source à domicile