Author: Ben Butler

Alois is on a mission to build a second brain for people with mild cognitive impairment and early stages of dementia. Their ambition is much like that of a hearing aid, where Alois will serve as a mental aid to help those with memory loss to continue living life to the full. 

In this interview we discover more about how Alois developed from a need to support caregivers and loved ones to a desire to build a platform that supports people with dementia themselves.

On meeting Co-Founders Zuzanna Bień and Franziska Seehuber you begin to discover why Alois is positioned to improve the current status of dementia. From personal experiences to forming a startup team with an aligned ambition, the early-stage founders are driven to make a positive change. Somewhat surprising is they only formed in late 2021, but they are bringing their talents together in a way that teams must do when beginning their journey. 

Startup team Alois originally came together in October 2021 after competing in the Rox Hackathon, an “invention marathon” where teams worked on real challenges facing the fields of neurology and oncology. During this experience, Alois formed and began to develop their business idea and ambition to help make a change to the lives of families who are currently impacted by the challenges of caring for someone with dementia. The inspiration for their name Alois, comes from Dr. Alois Alzheimer who was credited for reporting one of the first cases of a type of dementia commonly referred to as Alzheimer’s disease.

Zuzanna describes the hackathon experience, “Taking part in this virtual hackathon meant meeting each other for the first time via Slack after we had gravitated to the same challenge. We then finished in second place in the overall hackathon and with the feedback we received, started to get excited about our idea!” Franziska adds to this, “We were then offered to continue working on our project in an eight week program provided by Rox Health. After several conversations with experts we realised we could really turn our vision into reality and applied to the Vision Health Pioneers Incubator.”

The team hasn’t looked back since and it’s clear they are driven by not only a desire to improve the current situation but also each have a personal connection with dementia. Franziska, whose mother was diagnosed with dementia, shares why Alois is working hard to make a difference. “Having this personal experience means I have seen and continue to see the challenges. I have the ambition because it is sad to see that there is still so much stigma around this disease, making a lot of people feel like their lives are not worth living anymore. Finding support can be difficult and we believe there is nothing available that is similar to what we plan to provide.

The Alois Team 

Zuzanna and Franziska are joined by Matt Betts who is part of the wider team but not in the program. Franziska describes how Matt is a neuroscientist and is currently conducting research in dementia. “Matt’s research is in developing neuroimaging biomarkers for understanding the progression of Alzheimer’s disease which overlaps really well with our startup.”

Franziska completed her Bachelors in Medical Engineering before changing her career path to UX Design. “I really appreciate how good design can change the value of a product. I’m still very interested in the medical field and enjoy having various hats that I can utilise while working on our platform.”

For Zuzanna, her education includes degrees in Psychology and Graduate Medicine before working clinically in London. A break from this intense work during Covid 19 was also part of the reason she formed the startup Alois with Franziska and Matt. “I’ve always been interested in the startup space and healthcare innovation. Competing in the hackathon which led to us joining the Vision Health Pioneers Incubator felt like the timing was just right. Moving to Berlin on short notice was adventurous but equally exciting!” 

The duo explained more about how they have found the experience with Vision Health Pioneers Incubator so far, having joined in January 2022. “It’s been really good for us, especially as we are an early-stage startup. The structure of the workshops and the way everything progresses are perfectly matched to our current status. We have felt supported in a space we have not operated in before. Having a community around us who we can connect with for various needs is so effective as well. This is so much easier than having to network from scratch and trying to write to someone on, say, LinkedIn.” Franziska says. 

Building a second brain

The Alois product is a cross between a personal assistant and a memory bank, allowing users to store and retrieve memories in a way that mimics natural human interaction. It evolves as the team gains further knowledge. “When a person gets diagnosed with dementia, that is often it. There is no additional support for those around that person who is suffering. Yet a caregiver has to do so much.” Franziska shares. “When we entered the hackathon, we were working on a platform for caregivers but this has developed into what we are now working on today.”

The team describes the current setup as a hopeless scenario for those who are diagnosed. “Whilst there is no cure, life is not over following a diagnosis.” Franziska says before Zuzanna adds, “We have worked on our product a lot and our solution is now a personal companion for those with memory loss. A way to easily access and retrieve memories, aided by a voice first interface. ”

Franziska describes their first aim is to have their product available via a smartphone. “Dementia is often thought about in its most severe form, but in truth it can start up to 20 years before the picture many have in their minds. The early and moderate stages can last for very long time periods. We therefore focus on earlier stages and aim to benefit people over a longer period of time. At the later stage we hope to develop a physical device but for now we focus on a mobile application.”

Zuzanna adds that their ambition for the application is to have a fully functional prototype before the end of their 10 month program with the Vision Health Pioneers Incubator. “We are starting by identifying key features that would be most useful for users. With a limited spec we then plan to expand it.” Franziska adds. 

As the team works through its research and creates their first prototype, they are also exploring system architecture and what components are needed first. For Franziska she is responsible for design and prototype building whereas Zuzanna focuses on pitching and providing a front face for the company. She describes their activities, “Because we’re at such an early stage, everyone is keen to get involved in all aspects of the startup, so we all play an overlapping role but try to stay disciplined.”

The vision of Alois is to support those with memory loss with their daily living and help them to continue living an autonomous life for as long as possible. To do this they are constantly improving their application and are making it more sophisticated by adding additional features. “We want people to be able to reminisce about their memories in all aspects of their lives, by providing an easily accessible platform. We know that we can’t replace something that is lost, but we can at least try to help support those when early issues arise.” Franziska describes, before concluding, “The go to strategy for most people affected is currently to deeply rely on their loved ones or using some form of sticky notes to remember important information. We imagine that Alois can work as a replacement to this and help people to live an independent life for longer.” 

The Alois team is aware of the challenges that they will face – from building relatively sophisticated technology to complex engineering. “We know we can’t develop something over a weekend. But with the advancement of voice recognition, language and processing technology, how things look in just one year from now will be very different.” This is how Zuzanna describes their approach and Franziska joins in, “There is definitely a challenge in how accessible our product will be for those who are experiencing memory loss. We are currently trying out different approaches to see what design decisions have to be made in order to make our platform work out as a real benefit for this specific user group. Proactivity as well as working with sound and visuals will definitely play an important role in making the storage and especially the retrieval of information as seamless as possible.

Alois is positioned to help support those suffering with memory problems and loss of identity which can be so damaging for both the person and their loved ones around them. The team have recently looked for a Technical Co-Founder to help take their startup to the next level and are now focused on building their prototype. It is an exciting time and with 200,000 new diagnoses of dementia in Germany alone every year, a much needed addition to the healthcare world.

Physikit joined Vision Health Pioneers Incubator in the third cohort at the beginning of 2022 have a clear purpose: to bridge a gap which will fuel the growth of eHealth in the future. According to the Co-Founders Kilian Martin and Maros Mastrak, “eHealth will become just health and we want to facilitate that transition.” In this article we will discover how Physikit plans to do this and how prevention is at the core of it.

“A key question is: why is there still a gap between eHealth and health? The answer is simple: eHealth is limited by digital-only solutions. However, healthcare strongly relies on a holistic, physical analysis of patients. We need to close this gap so that eHealth can reach its full potential.” explains Kilian Martin. His Co-Founder, Maros Mastrek, follows up: “Current digital solutions can solve some problems, but what you don’t have right now, is the whole picture. These solutions are restricted because they lack the ability to look inside the body. For the holistic picture, you need to measure biochemical and physical parameters.”

Physikit argues that while digital health players provide quality medical advice and solid digital products, they lack the skills to effectively deal with the physical aspect of health (e.g. blood tests, laboratory analysis, sample logistics etc.), all of which Kilian describes as “a completely different world”. This is where Physikit comes in.

It became clear for Kilian and Maros immediately that their skillsets would provide a fine, complementary balance to solve these problems. Kilian is a former McKinsey consultant who brings the business and tech perspective into the startup formula, while Maros, a molecular biologist, leverages his technical, scientific expertise to challenge what is possible in (blood) testing. Putting their backgrounds into practice, they launched Physikit.

A B2B model for dried blood spot testing

The duo describes how their solution includes test kits and how this technology is already being used today. “We send physical dried blood spot kits to homes of patients. With the help of the kit, the patient pricks one of their fingers, applies a few drops of blood on a filter paper card and uses a return envelope in the kit to send the card to one of our partner laboratories. This technology has been around for more than 50 years, but was not needed beyond some specific use cases.” explains Maros. Kilian proceeds: “Some may know it from metabolic diseases testing for newborns. There, small, moving baby arms and big needles didn’t fit well together, so a solution had to be found: dried blood spot testing. Since the 1960s, within a few days after birth, each baby is pricked in their heel, and a few drops of blood are collected on a filter paper card. Beyond some use cases like this, dried blood spots were not needed, because patients would come to the doctor physically anyway. But this completely changes with the rise of eHealth.”

“At heart, Physikit is a B2B provider that takes care of the complexities of at-home blood collection by fully orchestrating it for eHealth platforms, apps and hybrid solutions. We bridge the gap between the digital and physical worlds, so these providers can focus on what they are best at. They simply use our state-of-the-art API to notify us which patient to test for what, and where they live. We take care of the physical backend processes required to collect a blood sample at home. Providers can continue to focus on their core competencies, while we help them add the critical functionality.”

Maros explains how the laboratories enter into this constellation: “Normally, they require large volumes of samples to work effectively and eHealth hasn’t been able to provide this. This is why we aggregate demand across many eHealth players and include some hybrid use cases (mix of digital and physical applications) as well. In this way, we become a significant partner for laboratories, and can work with them to innovate at-home testing.”

Originally from Slovakia with education and career at leading bioanalytical institutions in Austria, molecular biologist Maros shares more on his time of working in laboratories. “It was a fascinating experience, and I grew a deep understanding of how laboratory analysis works, but I soon realized there was a large gap between the theoretical and the practical world.” Eager to contribute to closing this gap, Maros founded a startup for virtual clinical trials. “In my home country, I leveraged the power of dried blood spots to give inputs into clinical trials, making them better and cheaper at the same time. But after some successful trials, I wanted to use what I learnt in a faster moving environment. And with a complementary co-founder. So I joined Antler in Berlin, where I met Kilian.”

After meeting in a Co-Founder matchmaking session in the Antler Accelerator, both quickly understood how well they complement one another. The duo jokes that when they have meetings, they both leave energized by different parts of the conversation. It is perhaps these qualities that teams need so much when creating their early-stage healthcare startups.

Kilian, whose excitable energy complements the more relaxed words from Maros, remarks: “I provide the business & tech side and Maros provides these essential insights from his background and experience.” Maros adds onto this, “Kilian has a great ability to look at the bigger picture and look almost from above, whereas I focus on the technical side and countless details that are required to make our solution work.”

Kilian, from Germany, shares his background. “I’ve always had two hearts beating in my chest. The first is a love of business and the second is a love for technical applications. My experience ranged from supermarkets to tax to logistics. Each brought different learnings.” After his initial business education, Kilian worked for four years for McKinsey, focussing on product management and digitization topics. “I always knew I wanted to gain a deeper technical understanding and so I completed a second masters in Computer Science. This helps me to connect the two worlds I am deeply passionate about. However, I realized that I wanted to do this in a less constrained context: within my own startup. This led to my journey to the Antler program and meeting Maros. After the first conversations around dry blood spots, I was fascinated by their potential to fix a broken patient journey in eHealth.”

Physikit would soon be born and they would shortly after become part of the Vision Health Pioneers Incubator. “We were so excited to be accepted and the timing was perfect.” Kilian shares. “We have really appreciated the expert coaching – whether topics such as regulations, insurance, software development and more. Each session has led us to further improve and refine our business model.” Both Maros and Kilian highlight mentor Johannes Starlinger in the network as someone who has helped their journey. They also share that originally it was a connection to alumni Vision Health Pioneers Incubator startup Nilo.Health (formally mila.health) that led to their discovery of the program.

Physikit quickly put everything into practice and launched its first pilots in early April 2022. “We want to solve real customer problems, and refine our offering.” Kilian explains before Maros adds, “We quickly wanted to move from ideas to actual hands-on work.”

Whilst confident, both Co-Founders recognise the work ahead of them. “We truly believe we are the missing puzzle piece between eHealth and physical healthcare. We can see that digital health can dramatically increase its value by providing blood or other kinds of analyses that can start at home.” Kilian says, highlighting their determination and desire for positive change.

Kilian and Maros outline their future vision where prevention analysis is leading the line, rather than treatment. “We could catch things earlier, we can make weekly and monthly tests more accessible and, in this way, increase the “resolution” with which we see health and disease now. And, we can provide better healthcare in rural areas while enabling doctors to spend their time in a more efficient way.”

With a spring in our step, we started the fourth month of the year with a bang as our fourth cohort joined us at our crib for the start of their ten months with us! We are pleased to present HYPT, Blended Support and Noah Therapies who began their journey with us in April 2022. Now the teams will develop in our healthcare incubator in Berlin and benefit from scholarship funding, coaching and mentoring, free coworking space and access to experts and testing beds. We can’t wait for your to meet them. For now here is a short overview.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”20313″ qode_css_animation=””][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]HYPT – We know that living with ADHD can be difficult – We Are HYPT to help! Using a unique combination of AI, genetic research, world-class experts with ongoing remote monitoring, HYPT will digitalize the process of getting ADHD diagnoses, personalized treatment and tools to unlock the full potential of our clients. We are hypt about solving the diagnostic and care delivery problem by building the leading ADHD omni-channel patient ecosystem.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”20314″ qode_css_animation=””][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]Blended Support – To support people in walking the path of healing. Our aim is to provide people who have experienced trauma with fast and effective support to overcome their experiences… and perhaps to grow from the fact that they have managed to do just that… from anywhere, barrier-free and self-effective.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”20312″ img_size=”medium” qode_css_animation=””][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]Noah Therapies – Noah is a holistic therapy management system for cancer patients. We lift the administrative weight off of patients shoulders by automatizing their therapy schedule and provide guidance for a higher quality of life on the basis of integrative medicine and data intelligence.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#ffffff”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_column_text]The first weeks in our incubator for cohort #4 include getting to know each other, beginning to attend their dedicated workshops, meeting mentors and much more. They can also benefit from interacting with cohort #3 who joined in January 2022 and have already been in the startup healthcare program for over three months. Both cohorts will be joined by our fifth cohort in July 2022 and all will be based at our free coworking space of Unicorn Workspaces in Berlin. Make sure to follow Vision Health Pioneers Incubator across social media, for example on our LinkedIn, to discover more about these exciting first-time founders in healthcare.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#ffffff”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”20322″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” qode_css_animation=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”20321″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” qode_css_animation=””][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The road to recovery for someone who is suffering can be long, difficult and lonely. For those lucky enough to have family and friends around who can and know how to support them, it can make a huge difference to the recovery process. These supporters are an essential pillar, but are they forgotten about when it comes to their own health and wellbeing? Do we need to look at how we can support the supporters as well? Should they not be supported as well? This is where the startup aidable comes in. 

aidable hold a vision of “together without eating disorders” and that no one should suffer on their own. If recovery is viewed as a team process, everyone in that ‘team’ should be supported for the best possible results. 

aidable is the vision of Anne Reisig who was inspired to do something from her own experiences. Anne suffered from an eating disorder in her late teens and even after she got better, she couldn’t stop thinking about what she had been through. These feelings have turned to drive and have led to aidable entering Vision Health Pioneers Incubator as a startup in the third cohort in 2022. Anne focused on this in her studies at University. “I really started thinking about doing something related to this area after handing in my bachelor thesis which received positive feedback. So I continued this in my master’s studies in UX and UI Design and Communication Management. Along the way I found a team who also cared about this topic.” 

This team Anne speaks of is Lukas Randig, who has experience in business administration, especially controlling and accounting and Corinna Rohr, a software developer. Combined, the team of three formed to power aidable to the next level and first met together in-person at deGUT, Germany’s largest trade fair for start-ups in 2021. Previously restricted by the corona situation, the team had worked online together. It was at deGUT that they met the Vision Health Pioneers Incubator team and would lead to them coming together in Berlin to attend the program. 

“We attended some great workshops at deGUT and were positively surprised to see some of the best ones were hosted by mentors within the Vision Health Pioneers Incubator community.” Anne explains before adding that whether inspirational figures they met at conferences or guest speakers whilst studying, the feedback they continuously receive is that the team is passionate about their topic and that they can make aidable into a solid, successful business.

As with any startup, first-time founders change their approach a handful of times. This is no expectation for aidable. What started with an original idea of a book, turned into an app. “We are always learning and trying to get better as a result of this. We now have an absolute focus for helping the relatives of those with eating disorders. But the way in which we do that is fluid. We don’t want to be too strict and our focus is to build a community. We want to do something that actually helps.” Anne explains before Lukas goes into a little more detail on this focus. “We were creating an app but we are currently working through what is the right tool, service or product to create – whether a web app, smartphone app, an online course and more. Nothing is set in stone. We want to develop something that people will use. At this stage we are asking customers what they want.”

Although early-stage, the team opening shares how they have failed at times during this process. “We tried sending messages to select groups of people on Facebook and hold online sessions but nobody came. We realised we needed to build trust and so took one step back and instead talked to everyone we knew. We asked if they were in contact with anyone who was suffering from an eating disorder and then directly and indirectly began to make personal connections. We found trust and started to hear answers such as “yes, I know someone.” We began to connect with parents whose children were suffering from these serious illnesses.” The team have clearly reflected and learnt from their experiences so far. “Corinna then had the idea of researching various institutions and clubs that tackle the topic of eating disorders.” Lukas adds. “We began to form connections with them and ask how we could help them, help their patients. We have now reached even more people.”

From a personal place.

When speaking to Anne today she is very open and it’s hard to imagine that at one point she couldn’t tell anyone about what she was going through for a long time. It is this personal experience that helps drive aidable forwards. “My parents found out after a year and my best friends after four years. It wasn’t until I began to present my bachelors project at university that I felt I needed to talk about it. A parent’s reaction may be to interrupt the eating disorder but part of the illness is that it wants you to stay sick and get even sicker. A relative may push the sufferer to eat but when you’re struggling and the sickness is telling you to ignore them, it wants you to continue to suffer until you’re dead.” It’s clear Anne had to go through something incredibly difficult. She adds, “I realise now that I didn’t have the energy to tell them and was desperate for an app that would have helped. If it could say to a parent how they should react. To not try and push their child to eat and instead work in a team. When a parent doesn’t have any input, it can cause conflict and turn relationships sour. If something like an app can support this and bring a family together, it can help everyone.”

Lukas, who has known Anne for some time, was part of her recovery journey. “I also have a relative who suffered from an eating disorder, so both experiences have made me want to do something with a purpose.” Lukas also explains how there is a stigma around eating disorders and this makes all three of them want to do more. “You can’t see a mental illness like you can with someone who has a broken leg. Equally people often don’t want to openly talk about it. But when we can open up, tell our stories and extend our trust, a safe protective space is formed.” Corinna also shares her personal experiences. “As a teenager I had friends going through the difficulty of eating disorders but no one ever explained more about it. What we should or shouldn’t do. Whether we should talk about something or not. I felt helpless and on reflection felt there needed to be an easier way to access knowledge on how to communicate and treat people.”

The unseen sufferer and supporter.

“Some people argue you can see an eating disorder, but if you are not very close to someone, you really can’t see it. Many of those with bulimia have a normal body weight. The sick behaviour only usually happens in secret. No matter what body type a person is, they may still eat tons of food and then throw up in secret. often surprise you who is suffering. In your close circles it can be helpful to know how not to trigger others. Triggers can be so easily done and begin with comments such as “I eat so much food at Christmas and now I can’t eat for a week” – without awareness, things like this can cause big problems.” Anne shares. 

Equally what the supporter is going through can be unseen. Studies have been conducted into the burden and psychiatric symptoms on key relatives of patients with eating disorders but is still relatively unknown. 

One of the main features of aidable is short concrete advice. Anne explains, “we realised you can find information online and in books on how to treat eating disorders but that information is very general. It lacks how to apply the information correctly and what relatives often want is simply solid advice. They want an answer to how they should react to a challenging situation.” It is this information that aidable plans to present so people can inform themselves in calmer situations. To make it easier to find professional help like therapy or inspiration – such as that with interviews of relatives of sufferers. 

Lukas explains that they also want to help the overall process of those who may need to go through rehabilitation. “When you are suffering from an eating disorder, you don’t always have the energy to call the bureaucratic powers between their phone line opening times. You may want and need treatment and rehabilitation but it’s a complex process.” 

Aidable hope to form close collaboration with health insurance providers or individual companies themselves. This could come in the form of programs that support the employees of a company.

Whilst it’s still early days for aidable, they are enjoying being involved in the third cohort of Vision Health Pioneers Incubator. Corinna shares, “It’s been really nice to meet each other in person when possible. To talk to the other startup teams and get to know others.” Anne adds, “we’re extremely happy to be in this program. To be financially covered and really focus on our startup and not have it as only a side project.” 

They are a young team, but the three of them are enjoying the process of building something special. Anne thrives on interviews with the relatives of those who are or have suffered because it reminds her of why they are doing what they do. “I have so much energy after speaking with others and hopefully can give them advice. My goal is that even if we only impact just one person, it will all be worth it.” 

They will go far beyond this modest goal. But it does emphasise how aidable is focused on making as much difference as possible and completed in the best way possible. Although early into their time in the program, the team is benefiting from the insights from the coaches and mentors and working hard to make aidable as successful as those who interact with the startup know it can be. 

A behind the scenes look at the first week in the Incubator. In January 2022, the third cohort in the Vision Health Pioneers Incubator stepped through the doors to begin their thrilling journey. They follow in the footsteps of the first two cohorts who have taken their startups from a vision to a reality and will themselves be followed by another two cohorts. They will join them in April 2022 (fourth cohort) and July 2022 (fifth cohort). All three will spend an extended 10-months in the Incubator and benefit from a new and improved program. This includes coaching in smaller group sessions, mentoring from some of the best experts in the world of healthcare and overall general support which ranges from access to test sites, to challenging their business models, to pitch training, to deep dives and much more. They will also benefit from a growing alumni network who have ‘been there, done that’ and can pass on their experience and wisdom.

All combined the Vision Health Pioneers Incubator is a thriving ecosystem which propels healthcare startups and fuels a growth of problem solvers. The entrepreneurs grow as individuals, grow as teams and grow alongside their fellow cohorts. Whilst the speed of growth will naturally vary between each team, they have all entered the Incubator at exactly the same time and in exactly the same position: they are all first-time founders of early-stage healthcare startups.

Here is a brief behind the scenes look at some of the things that happen in the first week with Vision Health Pioneers Incubator:

The Vision Health Pioneers Incubator Welcome Breakfast. After all Covid-related safety checks, our entrepreneurs pull up a chair, sip from a glass of champagne, nibble on a croissant and meet everyone else! An important part of any successful relationship is the welcome and this is always done with a bit of style at Vision Health Pioneers Incubator. This was the chance for the startups to find out more about each other and also get to know the Vision Health Pioneers Incubator team.

After this warm welcome our Vision Health Pioneers Incubator team introduce the program and talk everyone through what happens during their 10-months in the Incubator. Our structured program is designed to guide them all through the key phases of product development and a go-to-market launch. It’s supported by our exclusive partner network, which includes experts in healthcare, business, tech and innovation.

Strike a pose! Our trusted photographer Dominik Tryba takes portrait and team shots for all the startups which are used in all future communications about their exciting businesses. Dominik has taken all the entrepreneurs headshots and group shots since Vision Health Pioneers Incubator began and this provides a consistent style approach. His approach will always eventually get a smile out of everyone. Here is a behind the scenes look of the photography in action!

Our new crib is Unicorn Workspaces and so during the first week our latest cohort took a tour of the impressive site. With the engaging and welcoming on-site barista team, we are sure our startups will enjoy the instant availability of a coffee or tasty treat. As well as their private room, our startups can use private phone booths, a barista room for important breaks and for those who need a few minutes shut-eye, there is even a napping room.

It’s a non-stop first week for our startups when they enter the program. This welcome provides the perfect introduction to what is about to happen and is a strong grounding for the overall appreciation of everyone in the exciting journey. We love supporting startups and watching them all develop for an even stronger future of healthcare.

We welcome our third cohort to the family! In January 2022 we welcomed the third cohort into the Vision Health Pioneers Incubator. After a few months exploring many exciting early-stage startups, our team and jury reviewed all the applications we received and five startup teams were chosen. As the New Year began, their new journey started in our new coworking space and for 10 months they will receive coaching, mentoring and overall support from experts in the world of healthcare.

We are delighted to present the startups who have joined us in January 2022.

Welcome to the family to our third cohort!

aidable

“Support for the supporters: tool for relatives of eating disorder sufferers”

aidable focus on supporting family members of those suffering from eating disorders, in particular in the therapy aftercare where they want to reduce relapse rates. With their tool they want to act as a guide and as a source of information that enables the best possible support for the road to recovery.

Askalois

“Empowering carers to support their loved ones with dementia at home”

Askalois is a platform that provides a personalised plan and ongoing support to empower first-time carers to support their loved ones. With 200,000 new diagnoses of dementia in Germany every year, they aim to tailor their solution to both location and situation.

NeuriTec

“We are building the pacemaker of the brain”

NeuriTec aims to enhance the outcome of stroke patients and support their rehabilitation. With an AI based, closed-loop brain-computer interface they want to prevent the full impact of neurological deficits after a stroke and increase recovery outcomes.

Physikit

“Enabling at-home (blood) testing as a service for eHealth”

Physikit is the missing puzzle piece between the digital space of eHealth and the physical world of medicine. With its plug-and-play solution, Physikit enables at-home blood collection and subsequent blood analysis for any eHealth service on the market. Services of Physikit include lab search and coordination, selection of the best test kits, orchestrating logistics and integration with lab IT systems. The eHealth developers only have to integrate the Physikit API, and can immediately provide their users with convenient at-home blood collection for monitoring of key health parameters.

Seeme

“The first computer vision indicator for mental health in children”

SeeMe is an AI driven service that monitors the health of patients. We provide an additional layer of information to doctors and patients derived from facial analysis (valence, intensity, engagement, attention, variety of emotions, and heart rate) during video assessment. SeeMe makes sure the patient gets the best after-diagnosis care by offering automatized check-ups that monitor any changes in their behavior. Especially helpful with chronic patients, seniors, and pregnant women.

We look forward to sharing more details soon and can’t wait for you to meet them. They will be joined in April 2022 by our fourth cohort and then our fifth and last cohort for 2022-2023 in July this year. Applications are still open to join us in July – apply by 15th April 2022.