BeatHealth: A Thriving University-Based Startup
Since 2021, the startup BeatHealth has been developing a suite of apps designed to assess and train rhythmic abilities. Supported in its transition to commercialization by the Montpellier University Innovation Hub (PUI), this health innovation is now helping to improve gait through music, particularly among patients with Parkinson’s disease.
The brain structures that enable us to perceive rhythms are also the ones that enable movement. This observation led to the creation of BeatHealth: a university-based startup that places rhythm at the center of its therapeutic approach to address the effects of aging and certain medical conditions.
BeatHealth originated from a research project of the same name, launched in 2013. Coordinated by the University of Montpellier and co-led by researcher Benoît Bardy (Euromov DHM) and psychology researcher Simone Dalla Bella (University of Montreal), the project received 2.9 million euros in funding from the European Union. “The project aimed to develop a digital solution that synchronizes music with movement and movement with music in a continuous dialogue,” summarizes Benoît Bardy. “The first phase involved developing the sensors and an app; we then tested the benefits in the lab before conducting the first clinical trials.”
The research project thus demonstrated that appropriately selected music can improve individuals’ athletic performance, health, and well-being. “Encouraged by the European Commission, we then initiated several stages of technology transfer with the Occitanie region, SATT AXLR, and the University of Montpellier, with the goal of improving the sensors, conducting a second nationwide clinical trial, and testing other medical conditions.”
The PUI as an Ally in Starting a Business
“We then developed and patented our algorithm for synchronizing music with the user’s walking pace,” explains Guillaume Tallon, who holds a Ph.D. in human movement science and is president of BeatHealth. That’s how BeatMove was created: a device designed to improve the daily lives of people with Parkinson’s disease by making their walking easier and more fluid through the use of specially adapted music.“The clinical benefits were so significant that patients wanted to buy BeatMove. So we decided to create BeatHealth.”
As part of this entrepreneurial initiative, the project team benefited from several programs established by the PUI. In 2021, for example, BeatMove was selected as a recipient of the Companies and Campus program. “This funding allowed us to study the effects of our system on overweight individuals, ” explains Guillaume Tallon. “The PUI has also been an important source of visibility for us, particularly at the 2025 SantExpo conference, where we had the honor of presenting our solution.” BeatHealth also participated in the 2024 edition of the PUI’s Innovation Afterwork event.
A Strong Scientific Legacy
Thanks to its status as a university spin-off, BeatHealth maintains a genuine “scientific and research identity, ” emphasizes Guillaume Tallon. “Alongside the commercial rollout of BeatMove, we are publishing its clinical benefits across various patient populations and presenting them at scientific and medical conferences. To demonstrate its effects on older adults, our doctoral student Antoine Dufourneau is currently working on a CIFRE thesis, co-supervised by BeatHealth and the Euromov laboratory: ‘Digital Health in Motion.’”
The innovation behind BeatHealth thus represents genuine scientific value, as Benoît Bardy explains: “The BeatMove solution has two unique features that benefit biology. First, it relies on musical stimulation rather than a metronome. Since music and walking are naturally variable, combining these two forms of variability results in a more natural gait and enhances the benefits of the stimulation. Second, the app is adaptive: if you speed up, the music speeds up; if you slow down, it slows down. Again, this leads to increased benefits from the musical stimulation.”
2026: A Pivotal Year
Since its founding, the startup has received numerous awards, including the special “Researchers” award at BPI France’s 2022 HandiTech Trophy, the Rotary Club’s Startup Initiatives Award, and the Carsat Prevention Award. “The greatest recognition for our project, however, remains the feedback we receive from patients,” emphasizes Guillaume Tallon. “In early 2026, this feedback led to France Parkinson acquiring a stake in our company.”
After winning the Eurostars award and the Occitanie Region’s “Startup, Industry of Tomorrow” call for proposals, BeatHealth recently joined BPI France’s prevention accelerator. According to its president, 2026 is therefore an “intense” year for BeatHealth. He concludes: “Backed by an endorsement from France Parkinson, the leading patient association, having secured initial reimbursement coverage, and having been granted the status of a ‘Young Innovative Disruptive Company,’ our startup is now launching a crowdfunding campaign in anticipation of large-scale deployment and new development projects. Among these is a LabCom project with the University of Montpellier.”