13 Dec Digital Health Delegation 2021
After various failed attempts due to Covid-19, we finally managed to execute our first GINSUM Delegation on the topic of Digital Health! On November 21, 2021, GINSUM in cooperation with Start-Up Nation Central, hostedthe first delegation of high level German executives from the Healthcare and Industry sector.
The focus of the delegation was to introduce the executives to the pathbreaking Israeli technology in the field of digital health, to get them acquainted with the overall Israeli eco-system of Start-ups, Innovation and technology and to enable a deeper understanding of the Israel health care system.
With its 9.4 million citizens, Israel has the highest density of start-ups globally (6500+), with one innovative company for every 1,400 people. 700 companies are active in the field of digital health, 700 companies engage with Medical Devices and products, and 300 companies are involved in with pharmaceuticals. The most dominant subsectors who account for about 80% of the funding are decision support, diagnostics, and remote monitoring. Furthermore, the high number of VC investments per capita, the vibrant Multinational involvement and the unique and exquisite support system, make Israel a highly interesting source to learn from and an ideal location to scout for new digital health technologies.
In January 2021, the Federal cabinet in Germany passed the DVPMG act, a new law on digital modernization and the supply of care. As such, Germany expressed its desire and need to digitize its national systems, and first and foremost the health care system. As a first step, the DiGA (digital health application) and DIPA (digital care application) were implemented- which are the use of digital apps aiming to make health care and nursing more accessible, simpler to use and more future oriented through the appropriate digital updates.
The 5-day visit to Israel was therefore designed to focus specifically on digital therapeutics and digital diagnostics technologies, and to deepen the understanding of the overall Israeli health care system. During the visit, the members of the delegation were introduced to several digital health startups who presented their unique products and were able to engage in a conversation to deepen their understanding. The delegation met with representative of the Israeli Ministry of Health, representatives from Israeli HMO’s, VC’s, hospital-based innovation centers, health care accelerators, and academic technology transfer organizations, while all together offering a great environment for tests and clinical trials.
One of largest points of interest was the centralized and digitized healthcare system in Israel, possessing 25 years of EMR data. Israel’s 4 HMO’s who treat about 9 million people, offer a unique model which a lot can be learned from. With its massive pool of integrated data, its regulatory environment and practitioner receptivity to new methods- they constantly try to stay ahead and offer their customers the most advanced and convenient treatment options and user experience. Israel operates under a HIE platform, National Health Information Exchange Platform, which connects all health providers and enables every doctor access to the patient’s medical record and historical health data at the point of care. This convenient-easy to use system reduces error is diagnosis and treatment, avoids repetition of unnecessary examinations, saves on unnecessary spending, and avoids unnecessary suffering and unpleasantness from the patients.
We would therefore personally like to thank all the startups that came and pitched their unique product to us and enabled us a glimpse into the “behind the scenes” of the most cutting edge technologies in the field:
BreezoMeter– Health-focused environmental intelligence; Tyto Care– remote examination and consultation with a physician; Belong– All-in-one treatment management platform for cancer patients; Binah.ai– AI-powered video-based health and wellness monitoring; Genetika+ – Personalized treatment solutions for depression; Nanit– Smart baby monitor and sleep tracker devices; Sweetch– Hyper personalized engagement solutions for chronic conditions; EwaveMD– End
to end solutions for public and private health organizations; Sasa Software– Content sanitization technology to protect IT/OT/ICS networks; Eye-N-Joy– Bringing a brighter future to millions of people around the world; Powerful Medical– Support physicians with the diagnosis and personalized treatment of cardiovascular diseases; Immunai– Comprehensively mapping the immune system with single-cell biology and AI to power new therapeutic discoveries, accelerate drug development and improve patient outcomes.
We would also like to thank the representatives of the larger eco system in Israel and the individual players within it, who ongoingly support and advance this amazing outcome:
Clalit Innovation– The largest leading health organization in Israel providing health services to more
than half of the Israeli population, while developing and implementing its medical
technologies and practices worldwide; aMoon– Israel’s largest health tech fund with outstanding entrepreneurs who harness groundbreaking science and technology to transform healthcare; Israel Tech Policy Institute– Regulation in technology driven sector, data protection and privacy; Imed– A medical innovation co-working habitat for medical entrepreneurs, physicians, and startups, located at the campus of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov Hospital ); AHK Israel– The German-Israeli Chamber of Commerce; MindUp– Digital health incubator which support and nurtures early stage projects; The Israeli Ministry of Health; Hadasit– The technology transfer company of Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, which transforms the cutting-edge research coming out of Hadassah into marketable medical technologies; BIOHOUSE Hadassah– A medical technology stakeholder community with a network of spaces designed specifically for medical startups, providing core facilities, infrastructure and expertise to its members.
Finally, We would once again also like to thank our strategic partner, Start Up Nation Central, a nonprofit, neutral credible body generating much needed data and insights on Israel’s growing tech sector.
Israel’s highly entrepreneurial background, with its innovative business environment make it the perfect place to get acquainted with new ideas and possibilities to then introduce and implement within Germany in order to create a long-lasting relationship, beneficial for all sides.
Stay tuned for our next Digital Health Delegation in 2022!