Förra veckan innebar examen för bolagen i DigitalWell Ventures, som är DigitalWell Arenas accelerator inom healttech. Sju bolag från Sverige, Norge och Finland har gått det 12 veckor långa accelerator-programmet, och under ”Demo Day” gavs de möjligheten att presentera sina affärsidéer för utvalda investerare i centrala Oslo.
Syftet med de avslutande pitcherna i Oslo är att förbereda accelerator-bolagen i att hantera de professionella kontakterna med investerare.
– Att ha en stark pitch och en tydlig uppfattning om hur mycket kapital man behöver ta in är avgörande kunskaper för att kunna skala sin verksamhet, säger Stefan Skoglund, VD för DigitalWell Ventures.
De sju bolagen täcker ett brett spektrum inom hälsa. Från Northern Lights Diagnostics verktyg som ger vårdpersonal insikt om förväntat resultat av antidepressiva behandlingar, till EasyCares programvara som hanterar hjälpmedel på lokala vårdinrättningar.
Ett av de bolagen, MeWe&You, tilldelades också nyligen DigitalWell Award i kategorin tjänsteutveckling och kommersialisering. I Oslo överlämnades priset till Helene Strandkvist och Johan Strandkvist, två av bolagets grundare, vilket gav dubbel anledning att fira. MeWe&You har specialiserat sig på att stötta kvinnor i att hantera klimakteriet genom en applikation som drivs av både AI och Machine Learning.
Den norska startupen Eupnea, under sin pitch på Demo Day i Oslo.
Generellt ligger flera av bolagen i acceleratorn redan långt framme. Exempelvis har Voice Diagnostics, som erbjuder personligt anpassade digitala röstträningsprogram, redan betalande kunder och halva sin pågående investeringsrunda tecknad. Detsamma gäller norska Eupnea, som använder en avancerad smart sensor för att proaktivt hantera högriskpatienter.
Investerarna på plats verkade nöjda med kvaliteten på de pitchande bolagen och ställde också en del utmanande frågor till bolagen.
– Tydligt är att det nuvarande lite mer frostiga investeringsklimatet på marknaden kräver att bolag som söker kapital även behöver visa traction, det vill säga resultat såsom försäljning, pilotprojekt eller motsvarande. Att bara komma med en ”bra idé” räcker inte längre, och det har våra bolag verkligen visat, säger Stefan Skoglund.
Nästa kohort för DigitalWell Ventures startar i september och ansökningar till höstens accelerator-program tas nu emot.
Johan och Helene Strandkvist från MeWe&You fick både ta emot ett examensbevis från accelerator-programmet och en DigitalWell Award.
EasyCare
EasyCare är en programvara som hanterar hjälpmedel på lokala vårdinrättningar. Den består av olika delar som hanterar specifika uppgifter och säkerställer att rätt hjälpmedel tilldelas användarna och levereras till deras hem.
Mewe&You
En applikation som drivs av ML/AI och är utformad för att hjälpa yrkesarbetande kvinnor att effektivt hantera klimakteriet. Syftet är att erbjuda stöd och vägledning under denna livsfas på ett användarvänligt sätt.
Salimeen
Salimeen utnyttjar blockchain för att koppla samman individer från Mellanöstern och andra delar av världen med certifierade experter inom mental hälsa. De betonar vikten av att prioritera mental välbefinnande i tider av isolering och frånkoppling. De har skapat en säker och skyddad miljö där individer enkelt kan få tillgång till nödvändigt stöd, oavsett var de befinner sig.
Winemill
Winemill revolutionerar dryckeskulturen genom att introducera ett nytt metod för att anpassa alkoholhalten i olika drycker. Deras multifunktionella enheter kan skapa drycker med lägre alkoholhalt, utforska nya smaker och samtidigt minska avfall och lagerbehov. .
Eupnea
Eupnea är en ledande aktör inom hälsomonitorering och använder en smart sensor för att upptäcka sjukdomar i ett tidigt skede, vilket gör det möjligt att proaktivt hantera högriskpatienter.
Voice Diagnostic
Förbättrar och förvandlar människors röst med enkla, engagerande och personligt anpassade digitala röstträningsprogram. Programmen är utformade för att ge en tydligare och mer hållbar röst. Röstövningarna tar några minuter åt gången, och gör det möjligt att spela in din röst, följa din utveckling och få röstanalyser och självskattningar som följer med dig på resan.
Northern Light Diagnostics
Erbjuder ett verktyg, Ahead Treatment Advisor, för vårdpersonal som ger insikter om förväntade resultat av antidepressiva behandlingar. Det syftar till att stödja enheter inom psykisk hälsa vid diagnos och behandling genom att tillhandahålla information om behandlingseffektivitet. I dagsläget uppnår endast cirka hälften av patienterna symtomlindring efter sex månader med olika behandlingsalternativ.
Bolagen i den femte kohorten tillsammans med DigitalWell Ventures-teamet. Sammanlagt har över 30 bolag fullföljt healthtech-acceleratorns program sedan starten 2021.
At Demo Day all of the startups of DigitalWell Ventures pitched at PierX in Oslo. One last test in meeting real investors – before graduateing from the accelerator and start scaling their companies.
One of DigititalWell Ventures’ main tasks is to attract more investment to the health tech sector. But although profiled investors from Anchora Capital, Investinor and many others attended the pitch session at the 8th of December, money on the table was not most important at ”Demo Day”.
– The purpose is to get the start-up’s ready to present their business in a clear and professional manner. These skills are critical to their future ability to attract investment and build investor networks. The experience of getting feedback and questions from real investors is something you must experience to fully understand, says Stefan Skoglund, Program Manager of DigitalWell Ventures.
The DigitalWell Ventures team celebrates graduation with the startups of the fourth cohort!
During an intense hour, all eight start-up’s did an excellent work on stage. Demo Day also marks the end of the twelve-week accelerator program – as the startups graduate.
Elisabet Kolbrun Hansen, co-founder of CanEat, points out two important take aways from their perspective:
– The first thing is that we thought we were ready for investment before entering the accelerator, but we really were not. Now we are! But the thing that really stand out is the fantastic network we have gotten access to, thanks to the DigitalWell Ventures team.
Cecilie Ågotnes and Elisabet Kolbrun Hansen of Can Eat during their pitch at ”Demo Day”.
”Demo Day” is also important for building bridges between Sweden and Norway for the dual-located accelerator. Both to create a larger market for digital health services, but also to find areas within the health sector where the neighbouring countries can cooperate. As an example, one of the startups, Jodacare, has been testing their secure service for video communication in healthcare in a project (PREVIS) involving both countries.
This far, a majority of the 25 startups that’s past the accelerator program are from Sweden and Norway. In addition to create a ”home market”, it is the niche towards digital health services that makes the accelerator stand out, David Holm, Investment Manager of DigitalWell Venture, thinks:
– The competition between accelerators is getting tougher all the time. I believe that our specialisation in health tech and the connection to the Nordic market are two important factors that have made us successful.
Magnus Bårdén and David Holm talking at Investor Breakfast Club, before the startups entered the stage.
The accelerator is also crucial for DigitalWell Arena. On the “Demo Day”, Magnus Bårdén, Managing Director of DigitalWell Arena, stated how innovative companies have an important role to play in the transformation towards a more individualised and preventive healthcare system, also mentioning DigitalWell GovTech Incubator.
– One of our missions is to make it easier for startups to meet and collaborate with the public sector – that’s why we started an accelerator and incubator. DigitalWell Arena is a “system innovation lab”. We want to work with the entrepreneurs that have the best solutions for the future, says Magnus Bårdén.
Stiftelsen Inova förbereder ett köp av DigitalWell Arenas accelerator för hälsotjänster. I går togs det första steg när Region Värmlands regionala utvecklingsnämnd ställde sig positiv till affären.
DigitalWell Ventures är en accelerator för startups inom digital hälsa och välfärd som startades av Stiftelsen Compare under 2020. Acceleratorn har snabbt utvecklats till att bli en av de mest spetsiga och intressanta för innovativa hälsoföretag i Norden och Baltikum.
Ett 30-tal bolag har redan genomgått acceleratorprogrammet, varav flera nu står på randen till ett genombrott. Bolagen har hämtats både Sverige, Norge, Island och Baltikum. Deras tjänster täcker ett stort fält inom hälsa och välfärd, från AI-drivna hörselapparater till digitala kuratorstjänster. Självklart finns även den värmländska startupscenen representerad, där DIRI Saftey Solutions som nyligen mottog SKAPA-priset är ett exempel.
– Det här är en satsning som både skapar attraktionskraft för Värmland och nya möjligheter att lösa våra stora hälsoutmaningar i samhället. Stiftelsen Inova samlar regionens mest prioriterade satsningar för företag kopplade till regionens mest prioriterade innovationsmiljöer. Detta starka regionala stöd skapar därför stora möjligheter för DigitalWell Ventures att snabbt utvecklas vidare, säger Magnus Bårdén, vd på Compare och Managing Director för DigitalWell Arena om försäljningen av acceleratorn.
Stiftelsen Inova drivs tillsammans av Region Värmland, Karlstads universitet och Karlstads kommun. Inova vill genom att införliva DigitalWell Ventures i sin verksamhet stärka sin roll som ägare av spetsinkubatorer, där Sting Bioeconomy sedan tidigare ingår. I Inovas uppdrag ligger att stötta utvecklingsprojekt, forskningsanknytande verksamhet samt projekt som främjar länets utveckling.
– Compare är oerhört stolta över att bidra till regionens utveckling och ser fram emot att arbeta tätt tillsammans. DigitalWell Ventures kommer även fortsättningsvis vara en viktig komponent i utvecklingen av DigitalWell Arena, regionens och Sveriges innovationsmiljö för framtidens hälsotjänster, säger Magnus Bårdén.
Magnus Bårdén ser fram emot att fortsätta utveckla DigitalWell Ventures i samarbete med en ny ägare.
Stefan Skoglund, Program Manager på DigitalWell Ventures, delar den bilden och ser med tillförsikt fram emot att bli en av Värmlands spjutspetsar för innovation och tillväxt:
– DigitalWell Ventures kommer att fortsätta att vara en accelerator för startups inom digital hälsa och välfärd i Norden och Baltikum som vill skala upp, hitta finansiering och nå nya marknader. Vi kommer också att vara en aktiv del i Compares tech-innovationsplattform genom en nära samverkan kring bland annat tech, entreprenörskap och kommersialisering. Vi ser stora synergieffekter i att fortsätta utveckla den samverkan som finns och utvidga de plattformar vi deltar i – både regionalt, nationellt och internationellt. Det är superspännande helt enkelt.
David Holm, Investment Manager, och Stefan Skoglund, Program Manager, är två av DigitalWell Ventures grundare. Nu blir representerar de tillsammans med Sting Bioeconomy två av Värmlands spetsacceleratorer.
Efter Region Värmlands ställningstagande ska även Karlstads kommun fatta ett politiskt beslut i frågan, innan Inovas styrelse kan fullborda affären.
Läs mer på Region Värmlands webbplats
DigitalWell Ventures accelerator startup Masano Health is the first Swedish caregiver to offer digital rehab as a complete solution. Their unique concept has also been given the opportunity to influence the health care system by Swedish Innovation authority Vinnova.
When Corona struck, Masano Health saw an opportunity to develop a holistic digitalized rehab solution, based on their expertise in the field. Their rehab solution is provided through a digital platform and meet the same requirements as traditional rehab treatments and is also influenced by recent scientific studies. Even though some digital rehab services are available in the health care system, they are used as a complement to traditional, non-digital rehab, not as a digital holistic treatment This makes Masano´s concept unique.
– We have made a digital concept from scratch. Digital rehab is our tool, not an additional service, says Susanna Freiholtz, CEO and co-founder of Masano Health.
Now Masano is a driving force influencing the healthcare system. Swedish innovation authority Vinnova have granted them funds to test their platform on patients diagnosed with ME/CFS, a neurological disease characterized by fatigue and disabilities. Together with Region Västerbotten, Masano is making an “innovation implementation” of a digital rehab clinic to address the regional needs. The project is monitored by Umeå University. The goal is to offer a more accessible, efficient, and equal rehab solution. The findings and learnings of using Masano´s platform is also to be shared within the healthcare system for the benefit of patients with similar conditions.
– The initial tests with end users have been very valuable and well recived by the patients. This work has also resulted in new insights for the service content and design, says Susanna Freiholtz.
She is convinced that digital rehab is an important alternative to traditional, non-digital rehab. Not only is it much cheaper, but it is also offering patients increased flexibility and equality, making rehab more accessible. Today in Sweden, there is no caregiver north of Stockholm offering rehab for ME/CFS.
– These patients often suffer from fatigue, and after a long trip they might even lack the strength take part in a rehab program. This is a stigma for many neurological diseases. During the pandemic, more patients diagnosed with Parkinson have taken part in a rehab program than ever before, due to the rehab services being offered digitally, says Susanna Freiholtz.
Anna H Nordström and Susanna Freiholtz talk about a new way of rehab, where the digital method offers a more holistic treatment chain for patients.
The unique niche of Masano Health sparked the interest of the DigitalWell Ventures team, and they were offered a place in the accelerator. Masano’s platform collects data about the patients’ progress, which allows automated and AI based feedback. Chat and online video meetings as a standard also make their therapists and team more available, and there are online group sessions offering a community to the patients.
Co-founder Anna H Nordström is a chief physician in rehab medicine. She believes that Masano’s digital platform marks a paradigm shift, since sharing health data with their patients, the patients can become more active and able to monitor their own rehab.
– The strong digitalization trend pushes more responsibilities towards the patients, but then we are also obliged to give them tools that allows them to take responsibility, says Anna H Nordström.
In her opinion, the main benefit for the patients is the stronger relationships and increased support that Masano offers, compared to traditional rehab.
– It’s very common that patients are given the same rehab program year after year – a program that they might not even follow. Masano provides much better tools to follow up and adjust the rehab programs. And if the rehab is successful this means that the consumption of care will drop. We can also use our online material again and again and that will really impact the costs for the health care system.
Despite the team behind Masano being a team with lots of experience within both rehab and the public sector, they highly value the support DigitalWell Ventures has offered, when bringing a new concept to market.
– When I left my old job in a rehab clinic, I promised myself never to work with public procurement again but working with innovation in the public sector is actually ten times harder. The support of DigitalWell Ventures is invaluable in that sense, says Susanna Freiholtz.
At AIM to North the companies of DigitalWell Ventures accelerator entered the investor scene in Oslo. Their pitches weren’t in vain – several of the startups got exiting follow up-meetings with high profiled investors.
In front of a packed lecture hall at Oslo Metropolitan University the nine accelerator companies entered the stage at AIM X, the startup-scene presented at AIM North 2022, one of Norway´s biggest AI-events. The startup´s were accompanied on stage by some of Norway´s most profiled investors: Christian Rangen, Link Venture Capital, Trond Riiber Knudsen, TRK Group, Jörn Lein-Mathisen, Business Angels Norway, Ane Nordahl Carlsen, Grafo Family Office and Camilla Andersson, Win Women Investor Network – also with Eduardo “X” Rodriguez, Entrepreneur Capital, adding an x-factor.
And weeks of preparation paid off. All the companies made strong presentations, which off course delighted Stefan Skoglund, Innovation Manager of DigitalWell Ventures.
– A lot is gained only when given the opportunity talking in front of these investors, and I am sure all of our companies has evolved by sharpening their pitches for this occasion. Overall, I am really delighted with their performances and the feedback from the investors, said Stefan Skoglund.
Kristil Håland, Jodacare, on stage with the investors listening carefully. A pitch that resulted in three follow up-meetings…
Some of the companies even got really good reviews by “The Sharks”. Kristil Håland, CEO and founder of Jodacare, dazzled Trond Riiber Knudsen – who described her as the most authentic founder ever, also expressing his sincere interest and admiration for Jodacares secure video communication-system and what the service can offer to remote care.
– This was really fantastic. I got meetings scheduled with three of the investors attending, said Kristil Håland, summarizing a great afternoon.
PhysAct´s Marcus Eng also was complimented for a “Great presentation and a great case” by Christian Rangen. Oculaudio was judged to have a major impact on the hearing aid industry and Flow’s digital meditation tools were praised for addressing a highly interesting area, well-being in the workplace. Anita Ramkas presentation of Asya, and the company pivoting their product to a new market also drew positive attention from the crowd.
Off course the investors were interested in the companies’ scaling plans, distribution channels and capital need to make future progress. Several of the startups could also look forward to exiting follow up-meetings with the investors after the event…
Marcus Eng (PhysAct), Melinda Persson och Magnus Olsen (DIRI Safety Solutions), Kristil Håland (Jodacare), Marie Granander (DigitalWell Arena) Anita Ramka (Asya) and Mikael Eckard (Exagard) preaparing for the pitchings session at OsloMet.
The companies of DigitalWell Ventures pitching at AIM to North:
Asya, DIRI Safety Solutions, Dugnad.ai, Exagard, Flow, Jodacare, Masano Health, Oculaudio, PhysAct
DigitalWell Ventures becomes strategic partner to the live investor forum A-match. A-match selects eight exiting startups from all over Sweden who gets the opportunity to make a live pitch of their companies in front of a network of investors.
This is the fifth edition of A-match. The event is hosted by Almi Invest, Almi Värmland, Nordea, Sting Bioeconomy, Paper Province, Karlstad University, Region Värmland, The Compare Foundation and DigitalWell Ventures. The purpose is to make it easier for startups to access seed capital and build stronger relations and networks between investors.
Even if the core partners have a foothold in Värmland the event has a national focus of attracting both startups and investors. A-match also aims to create a forum which makes it easier to become an investor to increasing the supply of venture capital.
The search of the top-rated startups who gets to pitch at A-match May 4th is ongoing. Stefan Skoglund, Innovation Manager of DigitalWell Ventures, is one of the coaches that will give pitch training to some of the eight final candidates before the live event.
– We are really happy to become a part of A-match. I believe that a livelier ecosystem of both startups and investors in Värmland also will increase the attraction and deal flow for DigitalWellVentures accelerator – so it´s really a win-win scenario, says Stefan Skoglund.
David Holm, Investment Manager of DigitalWell Ventures, also see benefits of extending the health tech-accelerators network.
– Hopefully, our partnership with A-match make more entrepreneurs considering the health tech-sector and provides our network of investors a broader palette of business opportunities. Of course, A-match also brings a possibility for the startups in DigitalWell Ventures accelerator to access new investments from Sweden, further connecting the greater Oslo region eco-systems, says David Holm, Investment Manager of DigitalWell Ventures.
David Holm and Stefan Skoglund are looking forward to cooperate with A-match, creating a larger ecosystem for both startups and investors.
The historical track record for A-match has been strong, resulting in investments for a majority of the pitching startups. Last year’s digital event attracted more than 100 investors. This year the plan is to arrange a live event in Karlstad – which hopefully will contribute to even greater interest and networking opportunities. A-match will also be available as A-match Play – a streamed product for registered investors after the event.
– The interest is great, and both the number and variety of investors has increased for each A-match. Last year we saw that we have more investors from all of Sweden and the number of female investors remains high, says Anna Lundmark Lundbergh, CEO Almi Värmland.
Allbry (f.d. Snaptive) har skapat en digital kuratorstjänst som möter eleverna på deras villkor i mobilen. Kuratorsplattformen ger också helt nya möjligheter för skolor att samla data och fånga upp problem i tid. Via samarbetet med DigitalWell Ventures hoppas Allbry få fler kommuner att öppna dörren för ett nytt arbetssätt.
Många minns säkert dörren till kuratorns rum i skolan. Cem Celepli Atci gör det, och under socionomutbildningen föddes idén om en digital kuratorstjänst för att minska stigmat i att söka hjälp.
– Det är därför vi går till jobbet varje dag. Det är lättare att öppna en app än att gå in genom en dörr när man ska exponeras hos en kurator, säger Cem Celepli Atci, vd och grundare av Allbry.
Allbrys app löser flera utmaningar som den fysiska tjänsten brottas med. Exempelvis kan eleverna kontakta kuratorn hemifrån och en tid när det passar dem. I dag saknar många skolor till och med ett digitalt bokningssystem för att få träffa en kurator.
– Det är oroväckande att ungdomar har kommit sist i den här digitala utvecklingen. I dagsläget kan man heller inte boka en tid hos psykolog via primärvården om man är under 16 år, säger Roza Azimi, medgrundare och vice vd på Allbry.
Allbrys app erbjuder både en chattfunktion och personliga möten, plattformen ger också tillgång till relevant data för skolan. Kuratorssamtal får inte registreras, men kuratorerna kan via tjänsten på ett enkelt sätt kategorisera relevanta problembilder.
– Det här är den verkliga innovationen. Det underlättar det förebyggande arbetet otroligt mycket. Idag är det svårt att hålla koll på hur många samtal som genomförs och vad de handlar om, säger Roza Azimi.
De data som genereras skapar dessutom möjlighet att följa utvecklingen i realtid, enligt Cem Celepli Atci:
– De trivselenkäter som görs i skolan idag är väldigt analoga, har du fyllt i enkäten en vecka kan situationen vara helt annorlunda när den sammanställs. I vår plattform får man statistik dag för dag och kan filtrera olika ämnen, sedan kan man aggregera och se vilka problem som kommer högts upp på listan både på skol-, klass- och individnivå.
Cem Celepli Atci och Roza Azimi ser Allabrys plattform som en dörröppnare för en mer individanpassad och datadriven elevhälsa.
Den ökade integritet den digitala mötesformen erbjuder har också påverkat elevernas beteendemönster. Allbry har funnits på marknaden sedan 2019 och i det 20-tal skolor tjänsten används har man sett att fler elever kontaktar kurator, inte minst killar.
– Traditionellt sett har fler flickor har sträckt ut en hand för att söka hjälp. Samtidigt vet man att självmord är vanligare bland killar, så redan där finns det ett gap, säger Roza Azimi.
En viktig poäng är att det fortsatt är den enskilda skolan som ansvarar för att det finns tillgång till kurator, vilket regleras av skollagen. Via Allbry kan skolan välja att bemanna den digitala plattformen med egen personal, eller med stöd av Allbrys kuratorer. Införandet av den digitala kuratorstjänsten sker alltid i nära samarbete med den aktuella skolan.
– En viktig del är att informera kuratorer, så att de känner sig trygga i att använda verktyget. Det är trots allt framtaget av kuratorer för kuratorer. Det är deras ämne och jobb – så det handlar inte bara om att implementera plattformen och tro att det ska funka av sig själv, säger Cem Celepli Atci.
Initialt har det funnits en viss tröghet i att få skolor att växla över till en mer digital elevhälsa. Bland kuratorerna har dock intresset varit desto större, något som märkts i Allbrys rekrytering.
– Det har blivit som en rörelse, det är riktigt positivt. Och i vissa skolor vi jobbar med har kuratorn varit drivande i att införa tjänsten, eftersom skolan varit underbemannad. Där får de avlastning, säger Roza Azimi.
Även om elevernas integritet ligger företaget närmast om hjärtat finns en poäng med att plattformen lättare kan hantera ett ökat elevtryck. En granskning av tidningen Läraren förra året visade att det i snitt går drygt 400 elever per kurator i de kommunala grundskolorna.
– Volymfrågan är central och relevant. Kuratorer ska utgöra en första linje och finnas där, så kvalitetsfrågan handlar också om att kunna tillgodose alla med ett behov, säger Roza Azimi.
Genom att ansluta till DigitalWell Ventures acceleratorprogram hoppas Allbry öka sina kund- och samarbetsdialoger med kommunerna. Redan nu förbereder flera värmländska kommuner att testa tjänsten i samarbete med DigitalWell Arena.
– Det som är intressant med det här acceleratorprogrammet är att det är otroligt fokuserat. Det finns en massa inkubatorer och acceleratorer, men här känns det som att det verkligen handlar om det vi jobbar med, säger Cem Celepli Atci.
Jodapro provides new insights into remote care. Their secure video communication service connects healthcare professionals in the field with medical expertise – paving the way for a more equal healthcare. By joining DigitalWell Ventures accelerator Jodapro aims for a rapid scaling of their service.
The CEO and founder Kristil Håland got the idea for Jodapro after meeting a doctor working on the ambulance helicopter in Norway. A recurring problem was paramedics consulting doctors over the phone whether a patient needed a helicopter transport or not. As important was deciding which hospital to go to – a decision that can be vital based on the patient’s condition.
– These questions were much better answered if a specialist doctor could see the patient, says Kristil Håland.
After two years of testing and developing in collaboration with Innlandet Hospital Jodapro’s secure video communication platform is now in operation in 20 ambulances and helicopters in the region of Innlandet. By the end of 2022 the service will be used in the regions whole fleet of emergency vehicles.
According to Kristil Håland the key to success for Jodapro is the simplicity of the software that doesn’t require any personal settings, which is crucial in emergency healthcare. Basically, the paramedics just put on the camera headset and use voice control to get assistance from a handful of predetermined contacts. The specialist then sees what the camera sees, and the method also frees both hands for the healthcare staff. A development when using the service have also made it possible for the patients to see the specialist doctor via a separate screen.
– The ambulance staff have been invaluable for developing the service. One example from their practical experience and input is that there should be no way to accidentally exit the system, so a lot of the development has been about the practical simplicity, says Kristil Håland.
Kristil Håland, CEO and founder, sees a bright future for Jodapro with many different areas of use for their service.
The healthcare system has rapidly identified new areas where Jodapro could contribute. During the pandemic the platform has been used when specialists have examined patients outside the hospitals, to restrain the spreading of the Corona virus.
– Covid-patients often suffer from multiple diseases. As an example, using Jodapro it was possible to contact the patient’s ordinary cardiologist, says Kristil Håland, pointing out the need to involve different areas of expertise in healthcare.
Since the start of 2021 Jodapro has also been tested in a project treating common wounds encountered in homecare, where 12 Norwegian municipalities are involved. Several of the municipalities have extended the use to other areas, like pain relief in cancer treatment and palliative care.
The expert video assistance not only helps healthcare professionals in the field to make correct choices, but it also offers more equality for the patients.
– There is basically a humane principle that every inhabitant of Norway has the right to the same treatment regardless of where they live. Support of specialist competence for assessment and treatment of elderly increases the possibilities to stay longer at home, says Kristil Håland.
The market potential in homecare is enormous, with approximately 280 000 patients in Norway. Today, about 30 cameras are being used in homecare and Jodapro has received positive reviews from the nursing association. The collaboration with Innlandet Hospital has also resulted in a risk and vulnerability analysis been made, which makes it easier for municipalities to implement the service.
The simplicity and user friendly software is what makes Jodapro stand out. Today the service is used in a headset from RealWare, but the the technique is transferable to many other hardware solutions.
This summer, Jodapro got a framework agreement with Atea, who handle procurement in Norwegian healthcare. In addition, interest to use the service in areas outside healthcare makes the scaling phase a priority for the company.
– This is the main reason for entering DigitalWell Ventures. Since the product already is scalable, we need to attract investors to develop our sales capacity and bring the product to new markets. We are talking with UK and Australia, and it is really a global problem we are addressing, says Kristil Håland.
There are companies providing similar services, but the simplicity of Jodapro have given them an edge. Today Jodapro uses a headset from RealWare, originally designed to cope with the strains in industrial use. Though, Jodapro’s software is possible to use in many other hardware solutions.
This week’s Investors Breakfast Club was focusing on GovTech. To summarize: the possibilities for startups in this field are very bright – but there are also strong interests with a different agenda. ”There are massive forces against scaling and innovation. The big consulting companies don’t want it at all,” said Trond Riiber Knudsen.
The 18th edition of the Investors Breakfast Club, focusing on GovTech, was organized by Xplorico and DigitalWell Ventures and moderated by Lina Svensberg & David Holm. Being one of Norway’s most active super angels Trond Riiber Knudsen in a way represented a backwards perspective when asked to speak at the event. GovTech is one sector that haven’t really got the investors’ attention. Basically because of two different reasons.
One is that the fragmented market in public sector makes it difficult for startups to scale fast.
– In Norway we have a big issue with enormous fragmentation in public sector. There are 365 municipalities making independent decisions about tech solutions, said Trond Riiber Knudsen, making a funny remark of municipalities rejecting existing solutions from other municipalities, even when handed over for free.
He also pointed out the dichotomy between buying from an external tech company and building with help from a consulting company, where public sector tends to be very focused on building with consultants. That’s been creating a monolithic system giving no room for startups enhancing public services.
Two of the keynote speakers of the event was Trond Riiber Knudsen and Liza-Maria Norlin. To the right the hosts David Holm and Lina Svensberg, of DigitalWell Ventures.
This creates the second big hurdle: The big consulting companies’ satisfaction with the current situation. This makes it profitable to create isolated solutions for each customer, but also stops public sector and startups benefiting from scalable services.
– These companies are living of the public sector and makes huge deliveries, but they are all one off’s, said Trond Riiber Knudsen.
Though, the need of new digital and scalable services is great. Liza-Maria Norlin of Govtech Sweden was the opening speaker of the breakfast seminar and pointed out the EU’s ambition that all key public services should be available online in 2030. The effect of those ambitions, in Sweden alone, would require 10 000 new digital services.
The potential for startups with innovative services looks great even when you put it in economical terms. In the report “The State of European GovTech” the European GovTech market in 2021 is valuated to 116 billion euro.
– We are in the very beginning, which makes this interesting. The heart part, the ethics, is very important in GovTech. Not the technology itself. The shift that we can see is that governments have become more willing to adopt to new approaches to solve public problems. We cannot work the way we have done for the past decades, said Liza-Maria Norlin, also mentioning a trend in public of favouring working with smaller companies.
Karlstad is a Swedish municipality where this seems to be the case. Thomas Wernerheim, Development Strategist, told that about half of the tenders in Swedish municipality’s procurements comes from smaller companies. Karlstad is also shifting to a more innovative approach when trying to solve their public challenges.
– The ones who can provide that best is the small companies, so I would say this is a obvious trend, said Wernerheim.
And even Trond Riiber Knudsen in the end presented a much brighter future for startups considering the GovTech sector. Strong arguments are the mixed economy, where state-owned companies have a mandate to invest in innovative startups, and the digital maturity in public sector in the Nordic countries.
– The fact that public sector has a good digital maturity in Norway makes it possible to build on top. That means when you have digital map and building data you can create companies like Spacemaker, to model much better how you can optimize plot of lands for apartment buildings. This company could only be started here, and it grew globally and become a wonderful success.
Many thanks to all speakers also including, Lars G Fröjd, Virtual Management, and Jenny Thalin, DigitalWell Arena. The Investor Breakfast Club will return January 27 – focusing on Extended Reality. More info on Investor Breakfast Club´s LinkedIn page.
Oculaudio literally changes the view of better hearing. This disruptive technology combines hearing and vision, also dealing with the stigma of hearing loss. In DigitalWell Ventures accelerator, the company hopes to get the last pieces of the puzzle in place before launching their product.
A dinner in 2017 was the moment when Norwegian tech-entrepreneur Tom Austad first came up with the idea of Oculaudio. Two of the dinner guests took out their hearing aids, as the background noise became too prominent.
– Today’s hearing aids brings a rather sharp sound experience, as they amplify mostly high frequencies you cant pick up when getting older. Our system amplifies voices, it analyses what is going on around you (!). Then our algorithms break down that analysis and determine what is noise and select voice, and minimize the noise, says Tom Austad.
Oculaudio glasses are a game changer for picking up the right voice when several people are in a discussion. The technology is partly based on the same principles as autofocus in a camera. This means that the sound from the person you are watching is identified from a camera beam, and when turning your head, a built-in gyro helps to widen the sound range. The latency when shifting to another angle in a conversation is 8 milliseconds and not noticeable to the user.
Oculaudio is a hearing aid where sight and hearing are intertwined. A camera beam identify the person speaking to you, amplifies the voice and minimizes the noise. Intelligent ear buds adapts to the situation.
The glasses are equipped with a HD face detection camera, Bluetooth, two DSPs and a total of 16 microphones.
– It’s a challenge making space for all that technology, so the glasses are crucial. Sight and hearing are intertwined. We have asked many audiologists why hearing aids have the microphones at the back, when everything you want to hear is in front of you. The answer is that there is nowhere else to place them, says Tom Austad.
Oculaudio’s ear buds adds another technical dimension. In a normal conversation the eartips are open to stop occlusion. (Hearing your own voice in your head). This is the default mode, but when listening to music, the eartips automatically expand when tapping on the temples of the glasses – and starts working like regular ear buds.
Getting rid of hearing aid cables is also about liberating the users from showing their hearing loss, Tom Austad states:
– Hearing aids brings a stigma for many users, wearing designer glasses with earbuds gives a whole new impression.
Tom Austad, Ceo and founder of Oculaudio.
Tom Austad says that today a lot of hearing aids end up in a drawer because the users are disappointed both with the sound experience and the look. But the need of hearing aids will grow rapidly in the future, according to WHO one billion young adults is in risk of hearing loss due to unsafe listening practice.
– This is also a problem in addition to getting older. Even a 60-year-old with normal hearing loses ability, says Tom Austad, who believes this new target group will have completely different requirements:
– We presented Oculaudio for HLF (Norway’s community for hearings disabilities) and they said, if you get this right it’s going to revolutionize the hearing aid industry.
The final fine-tuning, design and testing are underway and the planned launch of Oculaudio is in early 2023. The decision to join the DigitalWell Ventures accelerator is an important step to get in touch with the right investors.
– We must show that we are investor ready and undergoing a program focused on Health Tech. When you really can prove to the investors that everything is in place, it is much easier for them to make an informed decision, says Tom Austad.
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