At the Consumer Electronics Show was held in Las Vegas this month, ESA BIC alumnus smartQare announced the intent to enter into a strategic partnership with Philips and acquire the Healthdot business from Philips. At the major tech fair CES2024, 70 Dutch startups and scale-ups were exhibiting at the NL Pavilion.
View news item on the smartQare website
At the CES 2024 fair, in the presence of HRH Prince Constanijn van Oranje (special envoy to Techleap.nl), Sachin Chaudhari (vice-president of Philips) and Walter van Kuijen (CEO of smartQare), an agreement was signed to finalise the partnership and transaction, pending approvals, in the current quarter.
Through this partnership, smartQare will merge the viQtor and Healthdot RPM (remote patient monitoring) portfolios into a single digital solution and platform, serving an increasing range of clinical use cases. The next step is that smartQare will work with the global Philips team on offering the integrated smartQare RPM solution to healthcare providers and patients around the world.
At the forefront of remote patient monitoring
This announcement marks both a recognition of smartQare’s unique vision and solutions, as well as a turning point for smartQare. Moving from a vision to innovate the world’s easiest-to-use RPM solution, responding to relevant clinical and non-clinical signals, and to being able to predict adverse outcomes and early interventions.
Both smartQare’s viQtor and Philips’ Healthdot are smart wearable sensors integrated with clinical RPM platforms. The solutions unlock relevant clinical and non-clinical data to care providers through secure mobile data network connections (4G/5G) and uniquely designed IT data systems and AI-powered algorithms. The solutions are proven in a wide range of clinical applications, both in-hospital, at home and in other (assisted) care facilities.
About viQtor: The 24-hour monitoring solution, viQtor, is equipped with a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) module. After a fall, the location is determined and transmitted automatically. When the help button is pressed, the exact location of the wearer can be determined.
Combining these leading sensors and platforms address growing challenges to healthcare systems around the world, dealing with an increasing demand for care as a result of an ageing population. Our healthcare systems are unable to deal with this demand and will become unsustainable because of staff shortages and increasing costs. Innovations like RPM are widely recognized and accepted as effective solutions to help address these challenges. Furthermore, RPM solutions contribute to reducing workload, foster increased job satisfaction among healthcare professionals, and empower patients in their healthcare journey.
At smartQare we are committed to unlocking the power of innovation to ensure future accessibility and affordability of healthcare systems around the globe. It is expected that smartQare and Philips will finalise the partnership and transaction in the next few weeks and expect closing in the first quarter of 2024. For enquiries, get in touch with smartQare.
This is an edited version of the news release that appears on the smartQare website.
About ESA BIC alumnus smartQare: On joining from the business incubation programme of the European Space Agency (ESA BIC Noordwijk) a few years ago, smartQarere began developing its e-health monitoring platform with an aim to give people the comfort and assurance that they will receive the care they need in the moments they need it, due to a connectivity wristband. With the help of GNSS satellite data, a position can be accurately determined within 5 meters square. Prior to graduating from ESA BIC in 2022, the startup was well on its way to certifying its 24/7 medical monitoring device and bringing its product viQtor to the market. Now, the company is enhancing its (remote) patient management portfolio and expanding the utilisation of wearable devices for continuous vital sign monitoring enabling personalised and precision healthcare practices. smartqare.com
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