On 10 October, we welcomed over 130 guests to our annual networking event for MedTech innovation, the ‘4C Unplugged’. 37 startups from all over Germany – and with Tengable from Israel even from beyond – as well as 36 of our network partners met at the Amazon Development Centre in Tübingen for a focused exchange on current industry topics and, above all, to make new contacts.
‘4C Alumni Gathering’ becomes ‘4C Unplugged’
The program was opened with a welcome speech by our Managing Director Ingo Hämmerle. The name change of the event was also discussed here: In 2022, the network meeting was held for the first time as ‘4C Alumni Gathering’. The second edition followed in 2023. “We have now outgrown the status of an alumni meeting of the 4C Accelerator,” says Ingo. The MII network is constantly growing and developing, both on the part of the start-ups and our partners. A new name should reflect this change. But why unplugged? “Because the rest of the year we work together mostly plugged in, digitally and online. Today and here it’s different. Here we meet live and in color, and it’s all about personal exchange, sharing experiences and initiating joint projects,” explains Ingo, opening up just that: a day full of exchange.
10 years of promoting medical innovation, 10 years of our foundation and the MII
To mark the 10th anniversary of our parent organization, the non-profit Stiftung für Medizininnovationen (Foundation for Medical Innovations), we then welcomed Prof. Eberhart Zrenner to the stage. Ten years ago, he initiated the foundation and, as its extended arm, the Medical Innovations Incubator GmbH, to support committed innovators in transferring their ideas from research to application at the patient level. As the founder of Retina Implant AG, Prof. Zrenner has experienced first-hand the hurdles to establishing a commercially successful company in the healthcare market. Specific expertise and a strong network are required. With the 4C Accelerator workshops, the 13-member Idea Evaluation Board and the foundation’s Board of Trustees, consisting of Annette Widmann-Mauz, Prof. Peter Frankenberg and Dr. Ingmar Hoerr, the foundation has created a stable basis over the past 10 years to be able to offer young startup projects precisely this support.
‘Innovation is the ability to convert ideas into invoices’
In the following keynote by Prof. Marc Schurr, Prof. Marc Schurr, CEO and founder of Ovesco Endoscopy AG, the 4C Unplugged guests learned what a success story in the healthcare industry can look like. “Innovation is the ability to turn an idea into a calculation,” a quote from Lewis Duncan that Prof. Schurr highlighted as an important lesson from his journey as a MedTech entrepreneur. He also emphasized the relevance of the 4Cs in all phases of building and running a MedTech company and added another C: the customer, who must always and from the very beginning be considered. For Ovesco, this was particularly evident in the step towards internationalization. It was essential to have a local sales force on site to have direct contact with the customers – a decision that has certainly paid off for the Tübingen-based company.
Finally, Prof. Schurr addressed the topic of capital requirements and financing. As a fan of “bootstrapping”, he would always prefer financing from his own (early) sales and public funding to financing from investors – especially in Germany.
To the founders among the 4C Unplugged guests, Prof. Schurr had one message in particular: Despite all the (alleged) hurdles, medical technology is an ideal industry in which to start a business.
Money, money, money!
The topic of financing was also the focus of the subsequent panel discussion. Titled “Money, money, money – How to finance my startup smartly”, the three most important “ funding sources” were highlighted: public funding, private investment and own sales. Moderator Vera Class, CFO and co-founder of MentalStark, and panelist Dr. Tina Hassberg CEO and founder of Solios diagnostics, contributed the startup perspective. Alec Rauschenbusch, CEO and founder of Grazia Equity expanded the panel with his view as a VC investor. Sales expert Catherine Gouriou, CEO of Amelior GmbH, completed the panel with her customer-centric perspective.
The different perspectives of the panelists allowed several key learnings to be identified:
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The funding landscape for good ideas in the healthcare sector is large, especially in Germany and Baden-Württemberg. These grants, regardless of how small they may be, should be used whenever possible.
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If the required capital is limited, bootstrapping is the right choice and is preferable to private investments in order to remain independent for as long as possible.
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Talking to potential customers at an early stage only has advantages: You receive important feedback for product development, you can expand your own sales skills and establish initial customer relationships.
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Such qualitative customer relationships are also an important assist for investors. Not only do they prove that there really is a market for the product, but they also show that the founder team has the ability to convince others.
Speed Dating – ready, set, go!
After plenty of input from our speakers, all guests were asked to get active in the following “speed dating”. Startups and network partners met in a total of 468 introductory conversations spread over 12 rounds of 4 minutes each. A systematic and effective networking format like this guarantees that no one goes home without making new contacts. And so once again this year the “Speed Dating” was the highlight of our event.
Get-together with buffet, DJ and networking bingo
At the evening get-together, conversations continued while enjoying great food and musical entertainment and toasting to a successful day. For those who had not yet made enough new contacts, the networking format “Ingo’s Bingo” quickly got them talking. The winners, Thorsten Göttsche (CTO, OSYPKA AG) and Erdost Yildiz (co-founder, CELLnROLL) were delighted to receive regional specialties and tickets for MEDICA 2024 in Düsseldorf, respectively.
With exciting content, organized networking formats and an “unplugged” atmosphere, we want to create a space for targeted exchange between the various players, promote cooperation and thus drive medical innovations forward – that is the aim of our annual networking event. With over 130 guests from almost 80 different institutions attending the event, we were once again able to actively work towards this goal this year.
We would like to thank our partners for their support!
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As a service company based in Tübingen, novineon CRO GmbH supports national and international manufacturers of medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics in clinical and regulatory tasks related to conformity assessment. novineon CRO accompanies their products through all phases of the CE life cycle – from suitability for use, through clinical testing to clinical evaluation and beyond to PMCF.
Regulatory Thinking Services by SLQ GmbH offers customized solutions for healthtech startups. With eQMS and eTD solutions as well as certification workshops, the company supports MedTech and IVD device manufacturers in achieving successful approval. SLQ’s experts (co-)developed the “Regulatory Thinking” concept and use smart tools to ensure efficient processes and fast results.
Andersen is an international software service provider with 17 years of experience and has a strong team of 3500 experts across Europe who can strengthen IT teams or develop projects from scratch. The healthcare division is Andersen’s second largest area of experience. MedTech startups are supported from PoC through the development phase to product release and support.
BKK Linde is a statutory health insurance company headquartered in Wiesbaden that has been growing organically since it was founded over 70 years ago. Around 400 employees look after approximately 220,000 insured persons at nine locations. With an average age of 35, BKK Linde mainly insures young people who value successful digital applications.
As an ISO 13485 certified company, BYTEC Medizintechnik GmbH has been developing and producing highly innovative medical devices for its customers since 1992. Its core competencies: Hardware, software and system development, project management and production to the highest quality standards. In addition, the subsidiary BYTEC Legal Manufacturer GmbH supports its customers in the market launch of their products – either as a consultant or as a legal manufacturer.
elbe electronic from Ettlingen/Karlsruhe is an owner-managed EEMS service provider (Electronics Engineering & Manufacturing Services). #teamelbe brings its experience from 25 years in business and over 1,000 projects to the individual, team-oriented support of every single customer. Unique in the EEMS market is elbe’s strong focus on collaboration with startups and its many successes in this area.
Erbe Elektromedizin GmbH is a long-established family business that develops, produces and distributes professional medical systems for various specialties worldwide. From the very beginning, the company has continuously adapted to changes in the medical landscape and successfully developed its business in various areas. The product range includes devices and instruments for electrosurgery, vascular sealing, plasmasurgery, cryosurgery, hydrosurgery and imaging.
HOHENSTEIN is a family-owned company with more than 75 years of experience in testing, certification and research. More than 1,000 employees around the world work on testing and service offerings such as tests for toxic substances, performance testing or biocompatibility tests for individual requirements. Hohenstein supports companies along the entire value chain, from testing and certification to the marketing of their products.
HOCHFORM is an initiative of the municipal enterprise Wirtschaft und Stadtmarketing Pforzheim (WSP) to support companies from the Pforzheim/Northern Black Forest region with a focus on precision technology. Their precision companies stand for quality worldwide. The Pforzheim/Northern Black Forest region is the competence center for precision technology.
OSPYKA is THE address for the design and manufacture of active implants and complex catheters in Europe. With additional locations in the USA and the Czech Republic the company operates worldwide. With its extensive in-house capabilities, OSYPKA covers the majority of the value chain internally, ensuring fast and efficient transitions from concept to serial production.
Qserve supports medical device and IVD startups with a hands-on approach. From classification and design definition to product testing and quality management systems, Qserve provides regulatory and clinical support for an efficient market launch. With its expertise, Qserve ensures a smooth and fast approval process, allowing startups to focus on their innovations.
VOELKER is a partnership of lawyers, accountants and tax consultants with offices in Reutlingen, Stuttgart and Balingen. With currently around 45 professionals, the firm assists companies and private individuals with complex projects, advises them on all aspects of commercial law and covers all aspects of tax and business consulting. Seminars are held regularly for interested professionals.
