aiEndoscopic: The Venture Leader Medtech creating assistive devices for easier and safer intubation

09.05.2022 09:00, 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 Philippe Ganz, the CEO of aiEndoscopic.

The current scarcity and forecasted shortage of skilled healthcare workers will lead to increased challenges in experience-based tasks, such as endoscopy. aiEndoscopic combines artificial intelligence with robotic endoscopy to enable assistive or even autonomous maneuvering. Intelligent endoscopes support clinicians in skill-based tasks, optimize patient benefit, and allow less experienced personnel to perform complicated procedures.

Name: Philippe Ganz
Location: Zürich, Switzerland
Nationality: Swiss
Graduated from: ETH Zürich, MSc Biomedical Engineering (2018)
Job title: CEO and Co-Founder at aiEndoscopic AG
Number of employees: 4
Money raised: CHF 1.3 million (including an Innosuisse Project Grant)
First touchpoint with Venturelab: 2020 via Venture Kick


Explain in one or two short sentences what your startup does and why. 
aiEndoscopic combines artificial intelligence with robotics to enable assistive or even autonomous endoscopy. We aim for the best patient outcomes and treatment success independent of human performance and skills. Our first application is intuBot, an assistive device for easier & safer tracheal intubation.

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup? 
The startup found its origin in 2017 when Prof. Dr. med. Peter Biro, a (former) senior anesthesiologist at University Hospital Zürich, asked himself: “In the age of self-driving cars, why is there no self-driving intubation device?” With his question, he approached ETH’s Innovation center, where Dave Gage led the realization of the project. During those four years of research and design, we realized that the technology that we had developed could be applied in several complicated endoscopic procedures, thus widening the scope of aiEndoscopic.

What do you expect from the Venture Leaders roadshow, and how will it help you achieve your vision? 
For our first application in airway management, called intuBot, we identified the United States as a crucial target market. intuBot could annually save over 10,000 lives there in the ambulance setting alone. The Venture Leaders roadshow will help us gain firsthand market understanding and create an initial network to prepare our entry.

What was your dream job when you were a child?
As a child, I always wanted to become a pilot. I was fascinated by the technology that makes those vast airplanes take off and fly close to the speed of sound, transporting passengers safely around the world. It was the reason I chose a technical education path, which led to my passion for medical applications.

What is your favorite podcast and why?
My favorite podcast is Naval by Naval Ravikant. I especially love his philosophy of entrepreneurship, which he breaks down into a selection of critical topics that can help you smartly position and build a sustainable, collaborative environment for your startup.

What is always in your fridge?
Parmigiano! My girlfriend is from a village near Parma and takes food quite seriously. So, whenever we visit her family, we come back with 2 kg of cheese.

How did you come up with the name of your startup? 
The project started under the acronym “REALITI” (Robotic endoscope-automated via laryngeal imaging for tracheal intubation), which worked in academia but is a confusing name for a business venture. Therefore, we wanted a name that was as descriptive as possible for the startup. After a few glasses of wine and some brainstorming at a dinner, we broke our venture down to two key components: A.I. and endoscopes, hence “aiEndoscopic.”

What is your favorite productivity hack/tool and why?
I always try to prepare my next task as much as possible before starting it. It helps me keep an overview, prioritize the pending work, and lower the threshold for starting more “boring” tasks.

Where and when are you most productive?
I am the most productive either early in the morning or late in the evening when the usual office hours are over. During this time, I can focus on organizing and executing without any interruptions.

How and where do you clear your mind? 
I love to play chess, preferably with a shorter time control, and practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Both activities are about solving problems in stressful situations, and they force me to shift my focus entirely to the game.

What is the most rewarding aspect of being a founder?
I love the freedom. My only requirement is to deliver according to the timeline. This working style motivates you to work efficiently and complete tasks more quickly.

What is the most important lesson you have learned as a founder? 
At the beginning of the venture, I underestimated the variety of skills required to run a startup. Now, with our diverse team, we can choose the right person for the right task, making life a lot easier!



For more information and updates on aiEndoscopic 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.