Intelligent products and algorithms can help patients improve their quality of life. A particularly good example of this is the ParkinsonGo product from Portable HealthCare Technologies GmbHIn this article, I talk to Ralph Steidl about his company and his perspective on medical technology startups in Germany.
Hello Ralph, I'm very pleased that you're taking the time for this interview. Could you briefly introduce yourself and your company?
Hello Goran, with pleasure. My name is Ralph Steidl, and I am the founder and managing director of Portabiles HealthCare Technologies GmbH. Portabiles HealthCare Technologies GmbH is a startup founded in Erlangen in 2016. Our mission is to help Parkinson's patients improve their mobility and maintain it for as long as possible. We achieve this through two measures.
On the one hand, we motivate them to exercise regularly, offer individualized training plans, and give them specific advice on how to manage their everyday lives well despite their illness.
Secondly, we support treating physicians in quickly and personalized medication adjustments for each patient, thus improving poor movement patterns. Correct medication adjustment is crucial, however, and with current methods, this can take months or even require a hospital stay. With ParkinsonGo, Portable HeathCare Technologies offers a telemedicine system that enables significantly faster, more personalized, and more targeted medication adjustments using information from the patient's everyday life. The product combines an app, an intelligent gait analysis algorithm, and motion sensors. The motion sensors are attached to patients' shoes and can be worn daily. Using the data obtained, the treating neurologist can optimize therapy in a patient-centered manner.
The patient benefits from:
- A better gait
- More targeted contact with the doctor
- Higher quality of life
- More patient sovereignty
What motivated you to found the startup?
After several years of research with my co-founders, Prof. Klucken (neurologist and digital medicine expert) and Prof. Eskofier (machine learning and biomechanics expert), we realized that analyzing the gait patterns of Parkinson's patients in their everyday lives could provide a wide range of support for patients and their physicians. The company I was working for at the time was unwilling to pursue the complex and costly path to developing a medical device and commercializing it, so we decided to implement this approach in a new company.
In your opinion, what are the current challenges facing start-ups in Germany?
Financing – in the healthcare sector, development costs are particularly high due to the regulatory framework, and the path to reimbursement by health insurance companies is relatively lengthy. However, the latter has improved with the relatively new "Digital Healthcare Act" in Germany.
In your opinion, what do I need to be able to found a successful startup myself?
A good business concept, perseverance, the right people, and start-up capital are all you need. Ideally, you already have a demonstrable "minimal product" before starting your business, which makes it easier to raise capital.
How important are cooperation partners and networks?
Extremely important! Especially as a small company, focusing on core competencies is crucial. Building new areas of expertise is virtually impossible, as we don't have the capital. We strive to be professionals in our areas of expertise and complement each other through collaboration with other professionals. Finding the right people is crucial to success or failure.
You also work with us at MEDtech Ingenieur. How long have we been working for you, and what exactly have we done for you?
We've been working with you for over two years now. Initially, we had a functional prototype of the motion sensor, but it didn't yet meet the requirements for a medical device. MEDtech took over the standard-compliant documentation and development of the sensors and supported us in obtaining medical device approval under the MDR. From the selection of certified components such as the integrated battery to the development of hardware and firmware and the optimization of the mechanics, the product was significantly improved and developed in compliance with the standards, allowing us to obtain medical device approval under the MDR.
For patients, it's especially important that the product be as unobtrusive as possible and doesn't interfere with their daily routine. It should also be easy to use. MEDtech's miniaturized clip helped us find a very attractive solution that meets patient needs. MEDtech Ingenieur now supplies us with the sensors and handles manufacturing.
What do you value about the collaboration?
What I particularly appreciate about MEDtech is the short lines of communication, the fast response time, and the clever solutions. Furthermore, we have found a contact for sensor technology who is very knowledgeable about medical technology. This is very important to us. After all, this is a medical device, and the quality of our products is our top priority. Furthermore, with MEDtech, we have a partner who covers everything. This, of course, simplifies many things.
What is the future outlook for Portable HealthCare Technologies?
We've already achieved a lot, but we have much more planned! Our goal is to continue to maintain or improve patients' quality of life and autonomy through clever algorithms made in Germany. Here are some ideas we plan to implement in the future.
I'm especially looking forward to implementing the upcoming new sensor development with you. We'll be tackling some really tricky topics together—real-time measurement, energy management, sensor synchronization… It's going to be very exciting and will significantly advance our product.
Thank you for your time and the interesting interview. I recommend that all interested readers visit the website of Portabiles Healthcare Technologies GmbH.
Ralph Steidl – CEO of Portables
HealthCare Technologies GmbH
https://www.portabiles-hct.de/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralph-steidl-9284965/