Market Conditions for AI HealthTech Startups: A Comparative Analysis of Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States

Svitlana Yermak; Iryna  Okhrymenko

doi:10.15421/cims.5.340

Authors

Svitlana Yermak✉ Odessa National Polytechnic University
- Conceptualization
- Funding acquisition
- Supervision
- Validation
- Writing – review & editing
- Methodology
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5232-6406
Iryna Okhrymenko✉ Aston University
- Data curation
- Formal Analysis
- Methodology
- Visualization
- Validation
https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8372-419X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15421/cims.5.340

Keywords:

national competitiveness, digital health markets, health technology entrepreneurship, innovation ecosystems, AI commercialisation, transnational innovation policy

Abstract

Purpose. This study examines how national innovation ecosystems shape AI HealthTech startups across Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States, revealing that seemingly disadvantageous conditions can catalyse unexpected innovation and that cultural differences shape distinct innovation trajectories. Design / Method / Approach. An adapted Porter’s Diamond Model is applied to the AI HealthTech sector via quantitative and qualitative analysis. Factor conditions are scored through a composite index of four dimensions: AI Talent Availability, Healthcare Data Access, Computing Infrastructure, and Funding Availability, operationalized via verified international databases, classified by GRADE. Findings. Each country has developed a unique AI HealthTech approach. The three ecosystems show striking complementarity: Ukraine excels in technical talent; the UK offers exceptional clinical validation and centralised healthcare data; the US provides unmatched commercial scaling. Theoretical Implications. The study extends Porter’s Diamond Model to AI HealthTech, demonstrating how competitive advantage frameworks must account for digital affordances, data access, and regulatory dynamics. Practical Implications. Policymakers should develop transnational innovation corridors connecting Ukrainian technical talent with UK clinical validation and US scaling capabilities. Startup founders should invest in trust-building and adaptive market entry strategies. Originality / Value. This analysis offers a structured comparative examination of market conditions shaping AI HealthTech startups across three distinct national contexts through the lens of an adapted Diamond Model. It introduces a reproducible GRADE-based composite index grounding scores in verified evidence, offering actionable insights into how market structures shape startup behaviour. Research Limitations / Future Research. The study relies primarily on secondary data; future research should include primary data from founders and investors and cross-border studies across multiple ecosystems. Article Type. Analytical article.

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Author Biographies

Svitlana Yermak, Odessa National Polytechnic University

Professor and Researcher in the Department of Business and Trade, specializing in inclusive development of communities and economies, innovation ecosystems, AI, and business management. She holds a post-doctoral qualification in Economics and Business Management and has authored more then 150 scientific works, including a sole-authored monograph and five textbooks in economics and business. She is an Academician of the Ukrainian Academy of Economic Cybernetics, a member of the Ukrainian Association of International Economists, and serves on the editorial boards of two Ukrainian scientific journals. She mentors doctoral students and researchers within Ukrainian Science Diaspora. Her international collaboration includes two grants under the UK-Ukraine R&I Twinning Grants Scheme (Research England / Universities UK International) with the University of Portsmouth, and participation in the Tempus IV programme (Project No. 530158-TEMPUS-2012-SE-TEMPUS-SMHES, Coventry, UK).
Iryna Okhrymenko, Aston University

PhD Researcher at Aston University, specialising in strategic AI integration in organisations, ethical AI deployment, and emotional design in digital products. Her research focuses on trust and security in AI systems. She collaborates with industry partners and contributes to The Centre of Excellence for Enterprise AI (Aston University-Capgemini). She is also an international conference speaker on AI ethics and product management, a mentor to startup founders in HealthTech and EdTech, and an assessment panel member for the CyberASAP accelerator programme (Innovate UK Business Connect). Recipient of the SPARKies Award (2025) for contributions to the UK startup ecosystem.

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