Kidney Disease
3 Kidney Disease Startups Moving Monitoring Beyond the Clinic
DealBio tracks early-stage kidney disease startups across Europe and North America. These 3 are moving kidney care beyond episodic clinic testing, from urine risk stratification to wearable monitoring and dialysis technology.
- Diagnostics
- Medtech
- Biomarkers
- Chronic Care
Kidney disease is often managed through periodic blood and urine tests, while advanced disease can eventually require dialysis. That creates room for better risk stratification, more frequent monitoring and more efficient renal replacement technology.
The three startups address different points in that continuum: identifying higher-risk patients, measuring kidney status more often and improving toxin removal once dialysis is required.
At a Glance
- Equilibrium DiagnosticsDenmark2026Urine risk stratification for CKD
- DXcreteNetherlands2025Sweat-based kidney monitoring
- M3NephronNetherlands2025Dialysis membranes and dialysate regeneration
Developing a urine test to assess kidney function and predict disease progression.
- Country
Denmark- Founded
- 2026
- Sector
- Diagnostics
- Funding stage
- Seed or earlier
Why Equilibrium Diagnostics stands out
Equilibrium Diagnostics is adding a new measurement to an established kidney-testing workflow. Its urine Ammonium-pH Index has been validated across multiple patient cohorts and adds prognostic information beyond existing kidney-risk models.
The startup was selected for BioInnovation Institute Venture Lab with DKK 4.2 million in backing, and its technology is covered by patent applications from Aarhus University.
What Equilibrium Diagnostics is building
The AP Reader measures urinary ammonium and pH from a single sample, and the software combines them into the urine Ammonium-pH Index. The score is designed to capture tubular acid-handling function that eGFR and urine albumin do not measure directly.
The near-term use is risk stratification: identifying chronic-kidney-disease patients who are more likely to deteriorate and may need closer monitoring or earlier specialist care.
02
DXcrete
Developing a sweat-sensing patch for more frequent kidney function monitoring.
- Country
Netherlands- Founded
- 2025
- Sector
- Medtech
- Funding stage
- Pre-seed
- Founders
Why DXcrete stands out
DXcrete builds on peer-reviewed wearable microfluidics. A 2024 Lab on a Chip study demonstrated on-body movement of approximately one-nanolitre sweat droplets at resting sweat rates.
DXcrete has secured €185,000 through NWO Faculty of Impact, licensed sweat-sensing IP from Philips and started moving precision glass components used in BEA’s microfluidic sweat-handling chip toward pilot production. The move into pilot production is an early step from research hardware toward a manufacturable device.
What DXcrete is building
BEA is a skin-worn patch that collects sweat from individual glands and uses electrowetting to move tiny droplets to an on-chip creatinine sensor. The system is designed to work while the wearer is at rest rather than requiring exercise to generate sweat.
DXcrete is developing sweat creatinine as a way to move kidney-function monitoring beyond episodic laboratory testing and toward more frequent measurements outside the clinic.
Developing dialysis filters that improve toxin removal and regenerate dialysate.
- Country
- Netherlands
- Founded
- 2025
- Sector
- Medtech
- Funding stage
- Seed or earlier
Why M3Nephron stands out
M3Nephron is addressing two practical constraints in dialysis: incomplete removal of protein-bound toxins and the large volume of dialysate required. Human-plasma testing showed its mixed-matrix membrane removed two to three times more protein-bound toxins than conventional approaches.
The core membrane technology is protected by a granted US patent, while Startupfonds and imec.istart.nl have supported commercialization.
What M3Nephron is building
M3Nephron combines filtration with adsorption inside a mixed-matrix membrane. The design is intended to remove toxins that standard dialysis filters handle poorly and to support dialysate regeneration and reuse.
Dialysate regeneration is particularly relevant to home, portable and potentially wearable dialysis, where water use and machine size are important constraints. M3Nephron is combining improved toxin removal with a more compact dialysis architecture.
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Kidney innovation is moving between the lab test and the dialysis machine
Kidney care has two persistent gaps: limited visibility between scheduled tests and the high infrastructure burden of dialysis once disease advances.
These startups target both ends of that problem—more informative or more frequent measurements before kidney failure, and more efficient toxin removal once dialysis is required. All three are designed to fit into established kidney-care pathways rather than create new ones.
Methodology
DealBio selected these startups from its coverage of early-stage health and longevity startups, focusing on startups that address materially different parts of kidney care. The selection spans prognostic urine testing, wearable monitoring and dialysis technology.
DealBio builds its Startup Briefs using publicly available startup materials, ecosystem sources, market references and professional profiles.