Apersys: The Venture Leader Medtech overcoming organ shortage

25.10.2024 11:45, Rita Longobardi

Meet Waldemar Hoffmann, CEO of Apersys. The Medtech startup has developed a unique long-term organ perfusion platform, mimicking an ideal physiological environment, that can preserve and recover livers for transplantation. In November, Waldemar and the other nine Swiss National Medtech Team members will fly to Boston on a business development and investor roadshow.

Name: Waldemar Hoffmann
Location: Zurich
Nationality: German
Graduated from: KIT, Karlsruhe Germany; University Basel (PhD)
Job title: CEO & Co-Founder
Number of employees: 12
Money raised: CHF 11M 
First touchpoint with Venturelab: through my mentor in one of my previous roles
 

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Can you tell us who your product or solution helps, and how?
Apersys is transforming the landscape of organ transplantation with its groundbreaking Perfusion System, which preserves organs outside the human body for up to seven days. This technology offers significant benefits to patients, surgeons, and the entire healthcare system. For patients awaiting life-saving transplants, it means a greater chance of receiving a high-quality organ, as the extended preservation time allows for more thorough assessments of organ viability. Surgeons benefit from having the flexibility and time needed to ensure the best match between donor and recipient, ultimately improving the success rates of transplants. Healthcare systems also see increased efficiency, as better organ preservation can streamline logistics and expand the organ pool, giving more patients hope for a second chance at life.

What market are you addressing and what is the potential of your startup in that market?
The initial target market, liver transplantations in the US, is estimated to be USD 800M. It is based on our focus on ex-situ, normothermic (near physiological temperature) perfusion of human livers intended for transplantation (currently USD 400M) and a potential untapped market of marginal livers (USD 400M due to limitations of other technologies). Soon we aim to expand into additional organs such as Kidney and Heart and additional device applications such as clinical research and pharma pre-clinical R&D (USD 900M). 

How and where did you produce the idea for your startup?
The initial idea originated from Prof. Clavien – a project mentor to the Liver4Life project and clinical advisor to Apersys. When I joined the team as project lead, we wanted to leverage the immense potential of the perfusion platform and decided to take the next step. Hence, it was not my idea, but I am an enabler in the overall picture of Apersys.

What do you expect from the Venture Leaders Medtech roadshow, and how will it help you achieve your vision?
We hope to gain exposure to the US market and leverage the Venture Leaders' reputation to build our brand. Moreover, we intend to expand our network towards the entrepreneurial scene in the US including investors and strategic partners. Due to the distinct cultural mindsets, we want to leverage this opportunity to understand business implications for an expansion to the US. 
  What are your team’s key achievements to date?
We built the prototype approved for compassionate use at the Wyss Zurich Translation Center. This first-in-human proof-of-concept led to a patient getting back to his regular life. Moreover, we obtained the FDA “Breakthrough Device Designation” and conducted the first human factors evaluation. Currently, we are finalizing the product development activities, building our go-to-market strategy, and validating potential business model extensions. 

What is the most challenging and rewarding aspect of being a founder?
The most challenging part is the lack of a clear and linear path to follow. Every day is a new challenge and requires adaptation and resilience. On the other hand, I enjoy the dynamics and pace very much. It is high risk - high reward. Most important to me is the daily interaction with my team. To see how we as a team come together in the most challenging times to make an impact on the patients is extremely rewarding and motivating. 

What is the most important lesson you have learned as a founder?
Creating an amazing team within a strong, motivating company culture is the foundation of our success. As a founder, it's essential to balance the exciting journey of building our product, nurturing an inspiring team environment, managing stakeholder relationships, ensuring regulatory compliance, and fundraising—all simultaneously. 

What is your favorite productivity hack/tool and why?
This is our visual project management tool. We have our project plan stuck to a wall and meet once a week to align priorities and expectations.

What was your dream job when you were a child?
I guess in the early days it was to become a pathologist – probably fueled by some TV series. Later, my passion and inspiration to provide vital assistance to patients in need and to overcome organ shortages developed based on my family story, as my father underwent two kidney transplants.