Bearmind: The Venture Leader Medtech aiming to eliminate traumatic head injuries in sports

25.04.2022 09:35, Tracy Woodley

For the second consecutive year, the Venture Leaders Medtech will represent Swiss innovation in the United States. To select the 10 featured startups, a jury of professional investors and medtech experts reviewed 60 applications. These startups improve diagnostics, treatments, and well-being with innovative solutions covering artificial intelligence, sensors, smart devices, and robotics. Allow us to introduce you to each of the Venture Leaders Medtech 2022 ahead of the June 2022 roadshow in Boston and Cambridge: Meet Mathieu Falbriard, the CEO of Bearmind.

Bearmind protects professional and recreational sports players from the lifelong trauma of head injuries. The startup is developing and commercializing services to help sports clubs control the number of concussive and sub-concussive hits that athletes receive, therefore mitigating the risk of long-term brain damage. Bearmind’s sensors and algorithms provide real-time concussion risk assessment. Their first product, currently being tested with Swiss National League hockey clubs, is a combination of helmet-integrated sensors and an analysis platform. 

Name: Mathieu Falbriard
Location: Lausanne
Nationality: Swiss
Graduated from: EPFL with a PhD (2020)
Job title: Co-founder and CEO of Bearmind
Number of employees: 4
Money raised: CHF 245,000 
First touchpoint with Venturelab: In 2020, for the Innosuisse Start-up Training Business Creation Medtech

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup?
I have played contact sports for years and have witnessed firsthand the consequences that concussions can have on players' lives and how few resources are available to address this problem. Convinced that the technology I worked with during my Ph.D. could help control the athletes' exposure to repeated head impacts, Tom Bertrand (co-founder of Bearmind) and I committed to making this technology available to every athlete.

What do you expect from the Venture Leaders Medtech roadshow, and how will it help you achieve your vision?
North America represents a large segment of the contact sports market, especially in ice hockey and football. As a Swiss startup, addressing these markets with a MedTech product can be challenging, and understanding the mechanisms of this industry is essential to our success. This roadshow will be an excellent opportunity for us to meet with U.S. investors, test the traction of our product, learn about the startup ecosystem and its current trends, and identify opportunities for Bearmind to expand in the U.S. and Canada.

What is your favourite book and why? 
Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard, founder and owner of Patagonia, Inc. It is a fascinating narrative about the beginning and expansion of Patagonia and the company's attempts to do business in unconventional ways.

What is always in your fridge? 
Coffee ice cream. What a way to finish a good meal!

What is your favourite productivity hack/tool and why? 
I use task management tools daily. Updating them is the first thing I do when I get to work. There are a lot of tools out there. Finding the one you feel comfortable with requires some effort, but it is a worthwhile investment; there are some powerful tools on the market that can efficiently structure workflows for your whole team.

How and where do you clear your mind? 
Sport has always been an important component of my life. I try to keep a healthy balance between work and physical activities. It helps me clear my mind and distance myself from work-related topics.

Who inspires you? 
Tic et Tac, les rangers du risque. Their on-screen friendship is unequivocal and has inspired generations of people to get out of their comfort zone and take risks. If they can do it, so can you!


For more information and updates on Bearmind and the Venture Leaders Medtech 2022, follow #VLeadersMedtech on Twitter or on www.venture-leaders.ch/medtech.

The Venture Leaders Medtech program is organized by Venturelab and supported by EPF Lausanne, ETH Zurich, Hansjörg Wyss, Helbling Technik, Kellerhals Carrard, Paul Scherrer Institut, Swissnex Boston, Canton of Vaud, Canton of Zurich, and Venture Leader alumnus Dominik Lysek.