"Biotechware effect,
startup made with the heart"
A project born in Turin in 2011 thanks to the talent of two young engineers: innovation and medicine
A winning example of innovation in the medical field.
And yet, Biotechware would have never imagined – ten years after the start of the project – to be able to boast such extraordinary numbers, obtained in a relatively short period of time.
Over 40.000 exams reported last year, more than 1.500 technological devices used, over 500 active customers/partners, as well as an equipe of doctors who every day contribute to giving value to an increasingly solid reality.
Biotechware was born in 2011: it was conceived by two IT engineers within the Incubator of Polytechnic of Turin (I3P), with a specific mission: to bring innovation in the field of telecardiology.
There is very little improvisation, given the immediate results: in 2013 the startup obtained the ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 Certifications as a Medical Device Manufacturer, while in the following year – in addition to the CE certification – the production of CardioPad Pro was inaugurated, a portable professional electrocardiograph developed for a specific use in telemedicine. The subsequent birth of the cloud platform, the agreement with Pharmacy Associations and the expansion of the various businesses allow the company to make an increasingly steep climb: the coverage on the entire Italian territory allows Biotechware to conclude in 2017 a significant contribution of capital from a multinational in the technological healthcare sector, Medme Group BV, a Russian giant that has decided to heavily invest in the product.
But what does Biotechware do? It’s a supply linked to telemedicine for diagnostic use, which covers the main basic tests in the cardiology field: resting electrocardiogram, dynamic electrocardiogram (called “Holter“, the most common test among athletes) and Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring.
The company supplies medical devices with which the customer collects patient data and carries out the examination: these are sent to the cloud platform, where they are evaluated by the cardiologists of the Biotechware diagnostic center who then draw up a report.
Then the results return, again through its cloud platform, to the customer or even to the patient himself: rapid times and total respect for privacy distinguish the service. The users are primarily pharmacies, an unexplored market niche thanks to which the startup has made itself known locally. Now the supply is also aimed at nursing associations, medical surgeries, diagnostic centers and rest homes, up to public and private hospitals and clinics. The cloud platform, in fact, being certified as a medical device, has managed to be integrated with other hospital software.
What makes Biotechware unique is the vertical supply chain: the reality born in Turin directly deals with the design and production of the devices, as well as the development of the cloud platform software. Thus it was possible to model each request according to the needs of the customer, who establishes direct contact with those who designed and developed the technology. And the Biotechware medical center, led by Dr. Sebastiano Marra, has now aslo started its activity: the intent is to tie the medical field with the technological one. After consolidating its roots in Italy, the time has come for the Turin-based company to explore new opportunities even beyond national borders. In this sense, Covid-19 has accelerated the need for telemedicine, a remote service that is now essential for everyone: for pharmacies, hospitals, but above all for the quality of life of people, the true fulcrum of the Biotechware model.
Next goals
The basis on which Biotechware rests comes from a vision. Enrico Manzini, CTO and co-founder of the innovative Turin start-up speaks openly: «In the early 2000s, we were still studying computer engineering at the Turin Polytechnic. We had had a work experience at a telemedicine center in Milan: we were systems engineers and we were fascinated by the field, mostly because we knew closely the limits that we could fill with the help of innovation and technology. A long and bumpy journey started from that awareness ». Manzini dedicates a special thanks to I3P, the Incubator of Polytechnic of Turin, essential for their idea to become marketable: “They helped us greatly to become a company: they played a fundamental role for us, helping us to set up a credible and ambitious business plan. Obviously, after the establishment of the company in 2011 we had to start a commercial network, which became operational in 2014. And now here we are, with the aim of making ourselves known also abroad, not only in Italy “.
The CEO Fred Ohle, on the other hand, highlights the verticality of the services offered by Biotechware: “Even before Covid-19 the discourse linked to telemedicine was current: by taking care of everything, from design to reporting to diagnostics, we are able to provide a very high efficiency of the service. We are able to report all the exams in a short time, which is why our methodologies have proved to be very useful even for those who provide home care. We also take care of the pre-hospitalization phase of patients in hospital, as well as post-hospitalization monitoring. We know that this is a rapidly growing market».
In fact, during the months of lockdown, in which many citizens found themselves unable to carry out diagnostic tests at conventional facilities, there was an increase in demand on channels other than traditional ones, such as pharmacies and nurses who provide home services. An unequivocal sign of an increased awareness on the part of patients. The requests for the Biotechware service, to meet this need, are constantly growing. At this time, then, the issue of telemedicine has become central to the public agenda: teleconsultations both between customers and specialists and remote patient monitoring are in sights. And from a regulatory point of view, we are beginning to shed light on these aspects: the PNRR will give a very strong boost to the sector, given that around 205 million euros have already been allocated.
The awards
Biotechware, in addition to being the protagonist of the Top Secret episode of 8 December 2021 (aired on Sky Business 24, the clip focused on the birth, development and future prospects of the company), was selected by The Startup Pill among the “101 Best Italy Medical Device Startups”. An important recognition, which testifies the social and innovative impact (it also made itself known to the genearl public in november in Naples during Pharmexpo, the pharmaceutical industry exibition where CardioPad Lite was presdented, its new latest generation electrocardiograph, designed and developed by the startup) had in recent times in the telemedicine landscape. Biotechware collected many sucess stories, while collaborating with some centers of excellence in Italy: the Villa Anna Clinic and other nursing homes of the Consapri Consortium, various structures of the Monza Polyclinic Group (including Pinna Pintor Clinic in Turin), but also the ASL TO3 (local public healthcare agency) and the Italian Heart and Resurrection Association often use the solutions developed by the Turin company. In the organization chart – in addition to the CTO Enrico Manzini, the CEO Fred Ohle and the Medical Advisor Dr. Sebastiano Marra – ten other professionals stand out only in the Turin office. In just over ten years, Biotechware has become a strong reality, with still considerable potential to be developed on the telemedicine market.
