“Top Disruptors in Healthcare 2021” Report

The Report corresponds, among the other things, to questions about new, interesting solutions in the medical sector and their level of advancement, who and how can use these solutions, as well as what are the needs of startups and the challenges they face. Answers to questions about the current needs of startups, the solutions they offer, as well as financing and foreign expansion enable the presentation of this information in a structured and consistent manner. SALMED International Medical Fair is a partner of the report. 

“The Report “Top Disruptors in Healthcare” is the only report in Poland to inventory the Polish medtech market. It allows you to get acquainted with innovative solutions offered by startups, which not only affect the development of the entire medical sector, but above all are created with the thought of the patient. The Report includes startups operating in the increasingly dynamically developed areas of telemedicine and AI, but also startups supporting rehabilitation, clinical trials and education. There were also startups related to the use of medical data or combining medicine with robotics,” points out Karolina Kornowska, the coordinator of the “Top Disruptors in Healthcare 2021” Report and project manager of the Polish Hospital Federation.

The Report also obtained the patronage of 11 public institutions, including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Development, Labor and Technology, the Medical Research Agency, the National Center for Research and Development, and the Patient's Rights Ombudsman. In addition, the report received the support of almost 50 other industry organizations and media institutions.

The main partners of this year's edition are Google for Startups, AstraZeneca, EIT Health i PZU Zdrowie. The supporting partners are Honeywell i DZP law firm.

EIT Health is the largest European public-private partnership in the field of innovative medicine and healthcare. Cooperation offers great development opportunities for Polish universities, institutes, companies and startups. It is an opportunity to participate in educational programs as well as partnership in leading European research consortia.

AstraZeneca, which for the second time supports the preparation of the Report, is a catalyst for the development of life sciences innovation in Poland. Research and development activities are the pillar of AstraZeneca's activities, while one of the key areas of this activity is building academic cooperation and providing support to startups.

PZU Zdrowie, as the main partner of both the 1st and 2nd edition of the Report, is one of the leaders of private medical care in Poland. It focuses on a unique model of medical care, based on the so-called patient experience. PZU Zdrowie is willing to cooperate with domestic technology companies whose solutions support the processes of treatment and patient service.

Google for Startups offers startups from the HealthTech sector not only support in the use of Google technology, but also best practices in product development, business mentoring and support in market analysis and international expansion. The mission of Google for Startups is to level the playing field in the startup community.

Some questions and answers provided by startups are visible only in the extended version of the Report, including contact details, founders track record, information whether the solution is protected by a patent and what potential competition looks like, as well as detailed financial data. The extended version of the Report will be available for fee to interested persons and organizations.

Selected statistics

In "Top Disruptors in Healthcare 2021" 115 startups took part, which is almost a half more than in the first edition, of which 44 startups also appeared in last year's edition of the Report. A large number of startups appearing in the Report for the first time (62%) may indicate a greater interest in the medical industry during the pandemic, especially since the majority of startups (51% of respondents) believe that the Covid-19 pandemic led to their significant development, especially in providing telemedicine services. In addition, there has been a sharp increase in the need for benefits related to, among the other things, mental health.

The startups that took part in this year's edition of the Report are characterized by a high level of development. As many as 90% have a product of at least MVP market value, while more than half of the respondents (53%) offer their product commercially on the market. Most startups (55% of respondents) indicate telemedicine as one of their areas of activity, followed by AI and machine learning (45%). This is a significant increase compared to last year's edition of the Report, in which less than 30% of startups declared their activity in the area of AI.

“Our statistics show an increase in the number of innovative medical startups, which is a very welcome phenomenon. Interestingly, quite a lot of them - as much as 60% - declare recurring income from the sale of the main product. This proves the maturity of startups and readiness for further commercialization and potentially foreign expansion. The medical startup market in Poland is growing exponentially, we need to learn how to use this phenomenon for the benefit of the patient,” says Ligia Kornowska, the Managing Director of Polish Hospital Federation, the President of  Young Healthcare Managers and the leader of the AI Coalition in Health.

It is also worth pointing out that the overwhelming majority of startups that took part in the Report have already developed a business model (92%). We owe such positive indicators in this regard to the dynamic activities of the startup environment, which help novice innovators develop a commercialization model for their product or service.

Another positive aspect is the fact that 81 startups create their solutions in cooperation with hospitals. It certainly proves hospitals' openness to implementing innovations and cooperation with young companies creating advanced medical technologies.

In the case of financing, the data collected in the Report show that the most popular form is financing from the funds of the founders - so-called bootstrapping. This method is used by as many as 62% of startups, which is an increase compared to last year, when only 31% of the surveyed startups financed themselves with their own funds. Nevertheless, slightly over 3/4 of the respondents indicate that they are looking for financing. Taking into account the rather positive impact of the pandemic on the medical industry and the financial results of innovative enterprises in the health sector, the authors of the Report hope to increase access to financing for medical startups in the coming years.

The full version of the „Top Disruptors in Healthcare 2021” Report is available at this link: http://www.pfsz.org/2021/06/09/top-disruptors-in-healthcare-2021-report/

Contact with the authors of the Report:

Persons and organizations interested in obtaining an extended version of the Report are invited to contact Ligia Kornowska, the Managing Director of Polish Hospital Federation.

Phone number: (+48) 690 875 075

E-mail: ligia.kornowska@pfsz.org