Rare diseases are individually uncommon but collectively affect more than 300 million people worldwide. When families and caregivers are included, the number directly impacted rises to more than 1 billion people, and the total global cost is estimated at more than $7 trillion annually. Yet around 95% of rare diseases still have no treatment authorised by a major regulatory agency, and many patients still face long diagnostic journeys, fragmented care and limited visibility in health systems.
This Challenge builds on insights from the World Economic Forum's white paper, Making Rare Diseases Count: How Better Data Can Unlock a Multitrillion-Dollar Opportunity, which highlights a central issue: rare disease data is often fragmented, incomplete and difficult to use, limiting earlier diagnosis, coordinated care, evidence generation and investment. In response, this Challenge, led by UpLink and the World Economic Forum's Health For All Initiative, seeks early-stage start-ups with innovative products that strengthen foundational rare disease data, accelerate earlier detection and diagnosis, enable patient-centred evidence, and unlock secure data sharing and AI-powered insights. By improving visibility and actionability across the rare disease landscape, these solutions can help improve outcomes for patients, reduce avoidable costs and accelerate progress across healthcare systems.
Th Challenge is part of the UpLink Innovation Challenge Series – Spring 2026, a global call for early-stage solutions ready to move from innovation to real-world deployment at scale, shaping the markets, industries and systems of tomorrow.
