Healthtech’s Booming Future: Expansion, Partnerships & Challenges in 2025
If you haven’t noticed by now, the healthtech industry is on a rapid growth trajectory. Global revenue is expected to rise at an 8% CAGR from 2023 to 2028. Driving this growth is (not surprisingly) increasing demand for AI-driven diagnostics, wearable health monitoring, and digital therapeutics.
As a result, we’re seeking record investment and strategic partnerships for our clients and the industry at large – not just in pharma but also with tech giants and startups.
Read on for Sosna + Co’s take on this sector and how we’re assisting players in finding strategic partnerships to capitalize on this growth.
Why Business Development and Partnerships Matter
For healthtech companies, partnerships, licensing, and strategic collaborations are crucial for scaling innovations and entering new markets.
Large companies like Apple, Google, and Amazon are deepening their healthcare presence by leveraging acquisitions and partnerships rather than developing solutions from scratch.
Case in point:
Apple's Health Push: Apple has expanded its healthcare offerings with AirPods set to function as hearing aids and new health-tracking capabilities in Apple Watch. To navigate regulatory complexities, Apple must collaborate with medical device companies, insurers, and healthcare providers to bring these innovations to market
Meta’s Smart Eyewear Play: Meta has strategically acquired Luxexcel, a Netherlands-based company specializing in 3D-printed prescription lenses for smart eyewear. This acquisition aims to enhance Meta's development of augmented reality (AR) glasses by integrating Luxexcel's technology, which allows for embedding displays and holographic elements directly into prescription lenses.
Pharma + AI Collaborations: Companies like Novartis and Roche are partnering with AI-focused startups to accelerate drug discovery and clinical trial efficiency, licensing machine learning tools that enhance precision medicine.
Hospital and Tech Alliances: Telehealth platforms like Teladoc Health continue to strike deals with hospitals and payers to integrate AI diagnostics into existing healthcare workflows.
Challenges in Scaling HealthTech Innovations
We have been monitoring the healthtech sector as it has picked up steam over the last 20 years. Despite its massive growth potential, healthtech companies face significant hurdles:
Regulatory Uncertainty – Many AI health tools require FDA and Health Canada approvals, which can delay market entry.
Reimbursement & Monetization – Securing insurance reimbursement and payer partnerships is critical but challenging for digital therapeutics and AI diagnostics.
Data Privacy & Security – Managing sensitive patient data under evolving GDPR, HIPAA, and global data protection laws remains a major compliance issue.
Competitive Landscape – With Big Tech investing heavily, smaller healthtech firms must differentiate by leveraging licensing, exclusive partnerships, or niche expertise.
The Bottom Line: Pursuing Partnerships Will Pay Off
Healthtech’s rapid expansion in 2025 presents huge opportunities for business development through partnerships, M&A, and licensing. For healthtech startups, the right partnerships could be the difference between market dominance and stagnation.
Ready to secure your next partnership and realize success for your healthtech innovation? Reach out to Sosna + Co today and discover how our outsourced business development services can unlock new opportunities for your healthtech company.
Sosna + Co is a boutique, outsourced business development partner for the life sciences. From M&A advisory and licensing deals with Fortune 500 companies to uncovering the potential of savvy, new start-ups, the principal is simple: we work meticulously to uncover new opportunities that grow your business. Contact us today to learn more.
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