For the past few years, the healthcare industry watched as other sectors experienced a digital renaissance thanks to investments made by technology entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. But in 2014, healthcare finally joined the party—investing $6.7 billion in digital health startups last year compared to just $2.9 billion in 2013, according to StartUp Health. And the industry has already seen an investment of $0.9 billion in the first quarter of this year.
We asked the following four startups to tell us about their companies, how they are transforming the industry, what they are offering, when it will reach the market and what they hope to accomplish in the long term.
Kick It Digital
MaryBeth Richards, EVP, Operations
marybeth@kick-itdigital.com
www.kick-itdigital.com
About:
Kick-it Digital (KID) is focused on kicking up efficacy of digital marketing tactics and strategies with its design and delivery of integrated competitive education and digital engagement programs.
KID strategically recommends and develops game-based engagement opportunities for HCP marketers. The company brings a robust background and comprehensive perspective on applied game dynamics and gamification principles to architect tailored web and mobile initiatives that support promotional and educational opportunities across disease states.
Transformational:
KID sees gamification as a transformational opportunity to deliver dynamic educational experiences for HCPs. The progressive end user platforms that the company launches create meaningful utility for participants and enable clients to derive valued insights in real time.
Offering:
In 2014, the company launched HealthQuest, a gamification platform that is tailored based on the strategic needs of brands. The game-based format inspires participation and engagement from targeted HCPs who compete against one another in an interactive, challenge-based, learning environment across web and mobile.
Timing:
HealthQuest is already being leveraged by a major pharmaceutical manufacturer and industry association to deliver pivotal information. HealthQuest applications can transcend MSL/sales representative training, support non-profit societies, and elevate promotional education from brand teams.
Big Picture:
Appreciating that HCPs are competitive by nature and constantly seeking alternative sources of education, KID is innovating and evolving categorical opportunities to serve education and deliver engagement by making learning fun and competitive. The company enjoys collaborating with forward-thinking digital enthusiasts and hopes to continue to shake up HCP marketing by kicking up new and exciting applications.
Gobiquity Mobile Health
Andrew Burns, CEO
andrew.burns@gobiquity.com
www.gobiquity.com
www.gocheckkids.com
Twitter: @Gobiquity & @GoCheckKids
About:
Gobiquity Mobile Health (Gobiquity) provides innovative mobile applications that bring specialty diagnostics to primary care providers so they can diagnose sooner and facilitate more efficient clinical decision-making. Their expertise is vision diagnostics and mobile applications.
Transformational:
Gobiquity launched their flagship innovation, GoCheck Kids, the world’s first and only pediatric vision screener on a smartphone, incorporating a cloud-based HIPAA compliant platform that screens a child’s eyes for risk factors that lead to vision loss.
GoCheck Kids was created for use by pediatricians to facilitate the early detection of amblyopia risk factors (ARFs) for children aged 6 months to 6 years, the period when traditional vision testing is least effective. Amblyopia is the leading cause of visual impairment and vision loss in children. Approximately 15% of children have risk factors for amblyopia and it is completely preventable with early diagnosis, yet less than 20% get their vision tested—a disparity that’s even greater worldwide.
Offering:
GoCheck Kids is making the process of testing young patients simpler and significantly more cost-effective. As a direct result, more kids are being efficiently tested, and those at risk are readily identified, directly impacting and improving their lives and health. GoCheck Kids eclipsed its 12,000th screening in April 2015, a significant milestone on its path to #EndAmblyopia.
Big Picture:
Gobiquity is committed to building upon its foundation to expand their portfolio of mobile health diagnostics, followed by adult primary care that reaches a broader audience of healthcare constituents—establishing Gobiquity as the de facto vision solution for healthcare.
ConnectMeMore, LLC
Dan Hoffman, CEO and Founder
dhoffman@connectmemore.com
www.ollieconnect.com
www.connectmemore.com
About:
ConnectMeMore LLC is a technology company focused on building and distributing tools that facilitate simple communication.
Transformational:
For seniors, the inability to conveniently access online services and communicate with loved ones can lead to overwhelming feelings of loneliness and poor health. Existing online solutions are complex and costly, leading seniors to become frustrated.
The company’s launch product, Ollie, is a tablet-based solution created first to address this growing population and enable simple connection to people and services that improve quality of life. Ollie is a patent pending/proprietary system that provides high-quality video communication and access to essential resources with the touch of only a single button. The intuitive and simple interface gives confidence to users otherwise less familiar with online communication devices.
Offering:
With Ollie, ConnectMeMore delivers its first connected health system, comprising hardware (device), a mobile app and proprietary interface and data capture. Ollie serves as a hub for convenient access to essential resources—available to businesses and consumers.
Timing:
Ollie recently completed its beta testing with more than 300 users, both seniors and caregivers. The results have been positive: 96% of participants rated Ollie “above average” (highest on the scale) and 83% indicated that they would use Ollie on a weekly basis.
Ollie is being deployed at national elder care and senior living homes to foster convenient communication between both residents and their families. It will also be made available for purchase by caregivers and loved ones.
Big Picture:
Whether it is connecting conveniently with loved ones, educating about the importance of medication adherence or communicating with a healthcare provider, ConnectMeMore is disrupting the landscape with one-touch communication devices that transcend the elderly and other populations, contributing to happier and healthier lives.
Confideo Labs
Mike Marett, Founder
info@confideolabs.com
www.linkedin.com/company/confideo-llc
Twitter: @ConfideoLabs & @DoctorVirtualis
About:
Confideo Labs is an innovation consortium focused on identifying emerging trends and advancing technology platforms to better engage and educate healthcare stakeholders. By harnessing best-in-class tools and trusted resources, Confideo Labs unlocks meaningful potential from progressive platforms and immersive digital channels.
Transformational:
As the digital landscape shifts and platforms evolve, many new mediums are being designed to deliver content in brand new ways. Above all, virtual reality (VR) devices have generated tremendous buzz and represent arguably the most disruptive and exciting platform for transformational engagement.
Confideo Labs combines the best VR technology with the finest clinical engineers to deliver entirely new ways to visualize and interact with scientific content and branded medical media. The company builds immersive visual platforms, providing 360° 3D access to re-imagined clinical content and learning opportunities without distractions, already proven to aide clinical decision-making for practitioners.
Offering:
In 2014, Confideo Labs introduced DoctorVirtualis, its first to market VR engagement platform, enabling a stimulating exchange of scientific information and enriched medical media.
DoctorVirtualis provides an opportunity for brands to educate and observe HCPs as they interact with key clinical content in an immersive digital environment. The product is a comprehensive, turnkey, proprietary application delivering premium visual experiences rendered beautifully across staged content modules that blend pre-timed cinematic experiences with free-form interactive engagement.
Timing:
DoctorVirtualis applications are being leveraged at congresses and conferences to educate and stimulate HCPs. The Confideo Labs team designs and develops the experience, installs hardware and provides on-site support, and generates advanced analytics per project.
Big Picture:
By combining world-class animation with cutting edge devices and directional data, DoctorVirtualis is setting the pace and defining best practices for effectively leveraging VR for HCP marketing at conferences and beyond.
