Kardi Ai Becomes the First Czech Startup to Win Global Startup Awards in the HealthTech Category

Global Startup Awards

The Czech health-tech startup Kardi Ai has achieved a historic milestone. In the global final of the Global Startup Awards 2026, it triumphed in the “Best HealthTech Startup” category, becoming the first-ever Czech startup to receive this global recognition. More than 70,000 startups from around the world entered the competition, with over 403,000 people—alongside an expert jury—casting their votes. This year, the Global Startup Awards connected startups and innovation ecosystems from 154 countries across 19 regions. This victory follows Kardi Ai’s success in the regional Central European Startup Awards 2025, where it was named “Best AI-enabled Startup of 2025,” securing its spot in the global final. “The Czech Republic is a small market on a global scale, but even here, technology can emerge that stands up to global competition. We see our victory in the Global Startup Awards as confirmation that healthcare innovations from Central Europe have something significant to offer the world,” says Vlastimil Hrabal, CEO of Kardi Ai.