Successful medtech matchmaking event

[INSIGHT] Tools, Support and Capital for Innovators is a matchmaking event for start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), service providers, investors as well as academic and global players from the medtech sector. The event consists of pitches by start-ups, industrial innovators and solution providers. Additionally, there is a table-top exhibition stands and a 1:1-partnering service.

The first event, organised by medical cluster, BaseCamp4HighTech, INNOCAMPUS and supported by CTI took place this Monday at INNOCAMPUS in Biel / Bienne. Eight interesting medtech start-ups were selected for the pitching session.

Qloudlab
Qloudlab, founded in 2013 at EPFL, develops Sceptre, a remote blood test solution that enables home blood monitoring, cloud linked to the doctor, empowering him/her to remotely monitor and improve care through optimization of the treatment.

One Drop Diagnostics
1Drop Diagnostics combine the best techniques from microfluidics, biochemistry, photonics and information technology to build high performance point-of-care diagnostics devices. The company’s first clinical applications are in the screening, diagnostics and monitoring of cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, and iron store assessment.

Bodygee
The Bern-based startup Bodygee is the technological bridge between the customer and the Health Coach. The company advises health care providers with existing nutritional - or movement concepts in the introduction new technologies for sustainable weight reduction and body shaping. In addition to 3D Measurement technologies and a Web-based online -Portal for visualization and analysis of health data, BODYGEE also provides a non-invasive treatment system to support the data-driven weight management.

Dokspot
The Zurich-based company was founded in 2014. Dokspot is a cloud application that lets companies manage and distribute their instructions online. This technology allows medical device-manufacturers to deliver digital instructions to their customers in a simple and secure manner. The platform is already used by medical companies.

Calcsicon
Cardiovascular disease due to vascular and soft tissue calcification is a major cause of death worldwide and a major challenge for health-care systems. CALCISCON provides clinical diagnostic labs with the first ready-to-use in vitro diagnostic blood test kit for the measurement of calcification propensity. With this technology, the company aims at becoming a leader in the early detection of patients at an elevated risk of calcification.

Mimedis
Mimedis, located in Basel, focusses on patient specific bone implants. The start-up provides implant design software for surgeons considering given anatomical guidelines. Having the design ready, MIMEDIS produces and delivers personalized implants within a few working days using highly flexible production processes such as "3D Printing".

Optimo Medical                                                                                   Optimeyes, powered by Optimo Medical AG, is the technology leader in the biomechanical simulation of refractory corneal surgery. Optimeyes enables surgeons to simulate and evaluate patient specific interventions preoperatively and to conduct virtual clinical studies for further improving surgical treatments, increasing patient safety, and reducing time to market for new products

Pregnostics
Pregnostics is developing a diagnostic tool that measures the cervical stiffness in pregnant women. Monitoring cervical stiffness allows identifying women at risk of preterm birth, thus solving the problem of preterm birth risk assessment in pregnancy.

Advice from serial entrepreneur and investor Jane Royston
Another highlight of the event was the key note of Jane Royston. She is a serial entrepreneur and investor. Royston spoke frankly about her own experience as founder and CEO of a tech startup and as a board member and investor. One focus of her talk was the mistakes she made herself in her role as CEO. One important mistake that really hampered the growth of the company was “being alone”, Royston said. She had no one to ask when she had doubts or questions. Royston stressed the importance of a good board and gave start-up founders the advice to join organisations or networks allowing them to discuss challenges with other founders.

The second advice was to run a start-up in a professional way from the beginning. Start-ups should set up processes from the start, should select professional service providers and recruit the best people for the different tasks. “It is amazing how many companies don’t hire the best person for a job”, Royston said. Start-ups should really take their time to find the best employee.