Munich, July 2023
Reactive Robotics is a company dedicated to providing early mobilization to patients in critical need. Their innovative solution, VEMOTION, not only assists patients but also supports nurses and therapists. Their exceptional solution earned them the prestigious 3rd place in the 11th MEDICA Start-up COMPETITION held at MEDICA.
To gain further insights into the groundbreaking idea of the Reactive Robotics team, let’s engage in a conversation with them.
- INTRODUCE YOURSELF – HOW DID IT ALL START?
After my PHD at the ETH in Zurich, I did my postdoctoral research at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, where I further researched rehabilitation robotics. In addition, I was able to shadow doctors at the Massachusetts General Hospital to get further insights into the day-to-day early mobilization routines in hospitals. I was surprised to see that, even though it would provide tremendous benefits, mobilization robotics where nowhere to be seen in critical care and decided to change that. The name “Reactive Robotics” originated from the following thoughts: again-active, reactive as in reacts to the patient, “re” as in rehabilitation.
- WHAT ARE THE KEY MILESTONES YOU HAVE REACHED SO FAR?
In 2019 we have received the CE mark of the TUEV SUED as well as the 510(k) exempt status of the FDA. Since the official launch of our system in that year, we have sold several devices and rented out even more, generating an expected revenue of 700k EUR in 2022. We have closed distribution agreements with the biggest distributors in Austria and Australia. In addition, we operate in Germany, Austria, and the United Kingdom, and we plan our market entry in the USA
- WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU HAVE FACED?
There are two things that I learned the hard way:
The generation of high-level clinical data is much more important than I anticipated. If I had known how big of a hurdle that would turn out to be, I would have tackled the issue earlier and prioritized it higher. Another thing that I underestimated, which is more general, is fundraising. As this turned out to be much more challenging as I expected, I would recommend other Start-Ups to think very well about their equity story, to make their life easier down the road.
- WHAT IS COMING IN THE NEAR FUTURE?
Our next big projects are the market entry in the US, the generation of clinical data during 2 large clinical studies in order to reach reimbursement, the rollout of our patented AI as well as the development of the next generation of the VEMOTION® System.
- DESCRIBE YOUR EXPIRIENCE IN THE 11th MEDICA Start-up COMPETITION AND BEING ONE OF THE TOP12 MEDICA START-UPS
I was very impressed by the professionalism of the organization of the event. For us, it is not the place to find customers, however, a great place to find collaboration partners as well as technology partnerships.
- YOUR THREE TIPS FOR UP-COMING START-UPS
If you want to found your own company, you should learn how to tell a compelling story, so people actually want to listen to you and care about what you tell them.
In addition, it is easy to solve the simple challenges and answer the easy questions. However, this will not get you far, you should ask the tough questions first and find answers to them.
Furthermore, do not grow you cost-base too quickly. Things usually take longer than you expect, and it is better to take your time and do things right rather than not having enough cash in the bank to endure tough times, when things don’t move as fast as you anticipated. Slow and steady wins the race!
We appreciate the intriguing insights you’ve shared, and we eagerly anticipate observing your future milestones and achievements!
Explore Reactive Robotics’ website to delve deeper into their cutting-edge solution, VEMOTION. This innovative system complements manual therapy by integrating assistive robotics, providing invaluable support to nurses and therapists in effectively mobilizing their patients.
Startups are invited to participate free of charge and submit innovative solutions to The 12th MEDICA Startup Competition The scope of innovation spans across a variety of domains, from health apps and cutting-edge tools for healthcare data collection and AI-driven analytics to groundbreaking advancements in robotics. A new category of the award is sustainability solutions, from green hospitals and the circular economy to waste management.
