Softlanding Boston : Paris Region Entreprises USA and Medicen Paris Region unveil the eight startups selected for the 2019 program

Paris, France, April 15, 2019 – Softlanding Boston is a program for medtech and e-health companies (medical devices, connected objects, diagnostic and monitoring tools). Designed by Medicen Paris Region and Paris Region Entreprises USA, the program aims to support French companies in developing their innovative solutions for the US market. The eight companies selected for the fourth edition participated in an intensive one-week program during the World Medical Innovation Forum in Boston in early April.

Last February, eight companies were selected by a French-American panel, composed of health and strategy experts, investors and organizations specialized in innovation: Jean-Luc Boulnois, CEO of Quadrature and business angel, Philippe Wanstok, SVP Global Sales, MicroPort, Mathieu Petitjean, CEO of Mednest, and Marie Buhot-Launay, partner, big bang factory. After a pre-selection phase, the eight companies had to pitch in front of the jury and were chosen based on various criteria including their level of innovation, the expertise of the team, the business plan and the business potential for the US market.

The program took place between April 8-12, starting with a participation in the World Medical Innovation Forum, a global gathering of more than 1,000 senior health care leaders. The conference was organized by Partners Healthcare, the largest hospitals conglomerate in Boston. This year it focused on the advancements and opportunities offered by artificial intelligence in clinical care.

The eight companies also attended a series of workshops on reimbursement, regulatory issues, healthcare economics, commercialization, fundraising strategy, employment and IP practices for medical solutions in the US. They connected with local experts through qualified mentoring sessions and had the opportunity to pitch at two dedicated local events. Thanks to this program, the selected companies will be able to better structure their US development plan and increase their visibility.

The eight winners cover a wide range of technologies, from medical devices to health monitoring and diagnostics via digital platforms:

• Therapixel transforms radiology by providing clinically efficient and cost-effective AI-based services for breast cancer screening. In 2017, Therapixel won first place at the Digital Mammography Challenge, the largest international AI competition in this field
• CardioRenal develops a telemedicine loop that aims to offer precision medicine for patients with heart failure. CardioRenal’s device relies on AI algorithms powered by biological data collected by the patients themselves
• Ganymed develops a revolutionary active therapeutic device for knee arthroplasty. Ganymed’s patent-pending technology leverages computer vision and AI in a novel architecture to offer unparalleled surgeon-friendliness, reduced operating time and operating room footprint, along with increased precision levels
• MYPL is a 100% mobile, cloud-based and secured SaaS solution in oncology. Capable of tracing all critical information thanks to blockchain technologies, MYPL software helps medical professionals make the decision process for diagnostics and treatment of cancer patients more efficient than ever
• MILVUE develops AI solutions for radiology. Based on a high-quality X-ray database, Milvue’s algorithms help radiologists better diagnose their patients thanks to improved detection of abnormalities and automated alerts
• LumediX is helping healthcare professionals obtain laboratory-quality results at the point-of-use thanks to a new generation of luminescent rare-earth based nanoparticles. These nanoparticles can be integrated into existing diagnostics test formats to increase their sensitivity by a factor of 100 to 1,000
• MORPHEE+ provides nursing homes with an enhanced intelligent life support system which not only detects falls in real time but also sends physiological and actimetric parameters. MORPHEE+ respects the patient’s privacy as it does not require any sensor or camera
• Carenity is a global patient community providing an experience sharing platform for patients and carers. Carenity develops a unique solution to bring the patient’s perspective into the medical decision-making process

“Boston Softlanding is undoubtedly a flagship program in the international actions of the cluster. After four editions, we continue to improve the process and content with tailored support to our members. We are very glad to build it alongside the World Medical Innovation Summit to maximize the impact for selected companies,” said Stéphane Roques, CEO of Medicen Paris Region.

“We are delighted to welcome these eight promising companies to Boston and help them with their US projects. The program has had a significant impact for previous participating companies: some have opened offices in the US, while others have raised funding for their international expansion,” said Baptiste Gregori, manager, corporate innovation for Paris Region Entreprises USA and program coordinator in Boston.

About Paris Region Entreprises

Paris Region Entreprises is a catalyst for business and innovation which supports international companies looking to expand in the Paris Region. As a non-profit governmental agency, Paris Region Entreprises works with local public entities to provide free tailor-made services.

Paris Region Entreprises uses its deep market and industry expertise together with an extensive network to support international companies in building tech partnerships, designing their go-to-market strategy and providing guidance to implement their local presence.

Every year, with a team of 80 dedicated professionals across Europe, the US and China, Paris Region Entreprises supports 1,000+ international companies looking to grow their business in the Paris Region, one of the leading tech and business hubs in the world.

www.investparisregion.com

About Medicen Paris Region

Medicen Paris Region is a competitiveness cluster for innovative health technologies, with national and international scope. With more than 400 startups, companies, research centers, universities, hospitals and local authorities as members, it aims to position the Greater Paris region as Europe’s leading healthcare cluster. It focuses on five strategic areas and on combined therapeutic solutions that will mix several of these areas with precision medicine: biological diagnostics, diagnostic and interventional imaging, biotherapies, digital health and the development of techno-therapies. In close collaboration with local, regional and national healthcare innovation players, Medicen Paris Region aims to:

• Foster the emergence, development and funding of collaborative or individual projects in the healthcare sector, in order to create economic value and jobs
• Increase the international development of innovative startups and SMEs and support them in their international expansion
• Strengthen the attractiveness of the Greater Paris region, which represents more than 50% of life sciences activity in France

Since the creation of the competitiveness cluster in 2005, 80 innovative products have been launched in the imaging, medical devices and biological tools sectors. The competitiveness cluster has certified 335 projects. They received funding from the French government (French Inter-Ministry Fund FUI, Structuring Projects fund for Competitiveness), the public investment bank bpifrance, the National Research Agency, the European Regional Development Fund, the Investments for the Future program and/or local authorities, and the Greater Paris region. Total investment is close to €1.9 billion ($2.2bn) and €708 million ($803M) of public aid.

www.medicen.org