BIOS Medical: The Venture Leader Medtech restoring life after hip fracture

18.10.2024 09:30, Rita Longobardi

Meet Markus Windolf, CEO of BIOS Medical. The Medtech startup develops implanted BIOSensors to transform orthopaedic after-care into 100% personalized rehabilitation. In November, Markus and the other nine Swiss National Medtech Team members will fly to Boston on a business development and investor roadshow.

Name: Markus Windolf
Location: Davos, Switzerland
Nationality: German
Graduated from: TU Hamburg (Dipl. Ing.) / Ulm University (Dr. Biol. Hum.)
Job title: CEO
Number of employees:  3
Money raised: CHF 1.2M
First touchpoint with Venturelab: Through network contacts

 
Can you tell us who your product or solution helps, and how?
Two out of five patients either die or require permanent care within a year after suffering a hip fracture. We develop the world’s first implantable sensor system helping these vulnerable elderly patients by providing continuous recovery data for 6-12 months. This enables doctors to deliver personalized, data-driven rehabilitation, potentially reducing mortality rates and nursing home admissions. We don't stop here. Our patent-pending technology platform allows for various other applications across the orthopaedic spectrum, empowering millions of patients worldwide to restore independence and quality of life.

What market are you addressing and what is the potential of your startup in that market?
Our primary market is the rapidly growing field of hip fracture care, driven by demographic ageing. Globally, hip fractures are expected to increase from 1.7 million cases annually to 6.6 million by 2050. In the US alone, our initial target market, there are currently about 350,000 hip fracture cases per year offering a significant heath-economic saving potential. Spanning the technology over various applications and expanding it globally provides a USD 10B+ market opportunity for implanted orthopaedic biosensors. 

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup?
As inventor and team-lead developer of the AO Fracture Monitor, the world’s first continuous and implanted bone healing sensor, I have brought active implants to the patient. But there is so much more potential for biofeedback technologies. After leaving the AO Foundation after 18 fruitful years, the idea of the hip sensor arose.
 
What do you expect from the Venture Leaders Medtech roadshow, and how will it help you achieve your vision?
With the US being our go-to market, a dive into the US investment and health ecosystem is invaluable.

What are your team’s key achievements to date?
At high speed, we have developed a fully functional MVP (Minimal Viable Product, externally worn), which is used in the first clinical trial in Australia and a test trial with healthy volunteers from the relevant age group. Medical device development is underway along the lines of a clearly defined pathway to FDA approval.

What is the most challenging and rewarding aspect of being a founder?
It is extremely rewarding to see your “child” grow from a small seed, but growing it is just one big challenge.

What is the most important lesson you have learned as a founder?
It’s rarely about the tech, it's mostly about communication.

What is your favourite productivity hack/tool and why?
Switch off with people and things you love.

What was your dream job when you were a child?
Somebody who makes useful things – or Winnetou.