Focus on digital health: BVMed, Earlybird, High-Tech Gründerfonds and BIOCOM publish “MedTech Radar 6”

Digitalisation has now become part of everyday life and the health sector is no exception. There are currently around 100,000 health apps on offer in the app stores and the billion dollar market is growing rapidly. Whether fitness, nutrition, disease diagnosis or doctor’s appointments – there’s a smartphone app for almost every aspect of health. The sixth issue of the joint media service “MedTech Radar”, published by BVMed, Earlybird Venture Capital, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and BIOCOM, focuses on this growing market. It also introduces the Jena-based startup Preventicus. The company has developed an app which makes it easy for anyone with a smartphone to screen for serious diseases, such as heart attacks and strokes. BVMed, the German Medical Technology Association, also presents its own view of the digital health sector. The most recent issue of “MedTech Radar” is available for download as a PDF in German and English here: www.htgf.de/medtech-radar.

The trend for self-monitoring using fitness trackers, apps and the like is virtually unstoppable. Mobile health has developed into an attractive market segment and the range on offer is fast expanding. At the same time, patients are now looking for greater participation and are more willing to take a proactive role. For this reason, there is a growing trend towards medical apps that measure physiological data to diagnose diseases or to dose drugs. These apps,however, have to be certified as medical devices in accordance with the German Medical Devices Act. The startup Preventicus has completed this certification process successfully. It offers an app that measures important vital signs via smartphone for early detection of cardiac arrhythmia.

Dr. Thomas Hübner, CEO and founder of Preventicus, says, “Many people don’t know that they’re among the potentially vulnerable. Even sporty people can suffer from a heart attack out of the blue. This is where our app can save lives.”

Thom Rasche, partner at Earlybird, and Dr. Michael Brandkamp, CEO of HTGF, describe the choice of the sixth issue’s main topic, “Preventicus is not only an app developer but also a service provider for patients. The measured data is analysed via the Preventicus health portal and users are sent suggestions relating to either their physical activity and eating habits or whether they should contact a doctor. The startup demonstrates very impressively how existing technology, such as the smartphone, can be used to pioneer new approaches within the health sector that benefit patients in Germany.” According to Joachim M. Schmitt, CEO of BVMed, “Digitalisation offers huge potential for the medtech sector in general. The task of BVMed is to throw light on the opportunities and risks of innovative technologies. The MedTech Radar is an effective tool for this.” BVMed now also represents companies offering Big Data solutions. Dr. Boris Mannhardt, CEO of BIOCOM AG, says, “On our medtech online information portal, medtech-zwo.de, we shed light on the latest medtech innovations and the startup scene in German-speaking countries. Digital health in particular has recently experienced strong growth momentum. As a partner in the MedTech Radar, we support the dissemination of information on new medtech topics.”

About the Publishers:
The High-Tech Gründerfonds, an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Economy and Technology, the KfW and 18 companies, supports young technology companies with seed financing to advance research projects at least until a prototype status or until market entry.

Earlybird Venture Capital is one of the most successful European venture capital investors and has capital of about 700 million euros under management for an international investors basis.

The German Medical Medical Association (BVMed) is an industry association that represents over 230 industrial and commercial companies in the medical technology sector.

As an information specialist, BIOCOM AG has accompanied the life sciences with journals, websites and books for more than 30 years. The website medtech-zwo.de reports on start-ups, deals and financings related to the medtech sectors of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

V.i.S.d.P:

BVMed – Bundesverband Medizintechnologie, Reinhardtstr. 29 b, 10117 Berlin
Manfred Beeres, Leiter Kommunikation/Presse; Tel. +49 – 30 246 255-20, beeres@bvmed.de, www.bvmed.de

Earlybird Venture Capital GmbH & Co KG, Münzstr. 21, 10178 Berlin
Catrin Schmidt; Tel. +49 – 30 46724700, catrin@earlybird.com, www.earlybird.com

High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH, Schlegelstraße 2, 53113 Bonn
Stefanie Zillikens; Tel. +49 – 228 82300107, s.zillikens@htgf.de, www.htgf.de

BIOCOM AG, Lützowstr. 33-36, 10785 Berlin,
Sandra Wirsching, Redaktionsleiterin; Tel.: +49 (0)30-264 921-63 | s.wirsching@biocom.de, www.biocom.de