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.

Join the launch event
  • 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.

Launch Event

Open to all

Date
24 April 2027, 17:00 – 20:30
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 launch event

Programme

  1. 17:00

    Welcome

  2. 17:30

    Presentation of the Simulated Hospital

    By Caroline Mayor, Head of the Simulation Department, La Source Institute and School of Health Sciences

  3. 17:40

    Keynote: “Simulation Applied to Healthcare”

    By Dr Donald Glowinski, Head of Simulation and Full Professor, La Source Institute and School of Health Sciences

  4. 17:55

    Live Clinical Simulation

  5. 18:05

    Entrepreneurial Simulation

    Introduction by Dr Maxime Ros and screening of a simulation conducted with the startup Onescope

  6. 18h20

    Panel Discussion

    Featuring Dr Donald Glowinski, Dr Maxime Ros, Marion Panaget, and Yannick Ormen

  7. 19:00

    Networking Reception

    Meet key players from Western Switzerland’s healthcare innovation ecosystem

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!”

Isa Dupont

CEO · Student Pool · DS 2023 winner

"The Défi Source gave me access to the healthcare ecosystem in Western Switzerland, something I would never have found elsewhere as a designer. Most importantly, it opened the doors to H4, whose team still supports us today in navigating areas that were entirely new to me, such as regulatory requirements, certification, and the journey toward clinical validation."

Sasha Iatsenia

CEO · LittleCubes · 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

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

Nicolas Loeillot

New business models and innovation lead CSS, Co-founder the Future of Health Grant, Tech4Eva, accredited Innosuisse coach. 

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

Hafidha Benyahia

Infirmière Experte en Stratégie, Innovation & Transformation Santé

Hugo Charon

Co-fondateur & Lead AI Engineer @ BUMPSLAB

Jade Sternberg

Open Innovation Manager CSS, Future of Health Grant 

Jean Raymond

UX Designer, Project & Product Manager 
UX Lead - :ratio

Marie Gaumet

SwAPP Managing Director & Business Partner at Humanae Partners 

Laurent Soldini

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

The Défi Source partners

  • Crans-Montana
  • La Source à domicile
  • CVCI Fondation
  • Swiss HealthTech Center
  • Color’Box