S7 event: Healthcare Start-Ups and their Entry into the Reimbursement Market

Recently, market experts have been observing an increasing numer of disruptive digital health start-ups edging into the healthcare market. Since this market is highly regulated in Germany and in many European countries, experience has shown that there are obstacles hindering market entry. To provide late-stage startups, healthcare market executives and health insurers with an innovative forum for market exchange, Summary Seven initiated the event series “Healthcare Start-Ups and their path to the reimbursement market” in 2021.

The kick-off event took place live in Berlin on September 30, 2021. Among others, the start-ups pflege.de, Ecaria, Nui Care, Simply Real Nutrition, SmartHomecare and Recare were present. In addition to keynote speeches by Oliver Harks, Division Manager of Care Management at GWQ Service Plus AG, and Dominik Simler, Partner at L-GAM, discussion rounds moderated by Prof. Dr. Marc Steffen Rapp, Philipps-Universität Marburg, were the focus of the event.

Individual billing processes and skepticism about new care models on the part of reimbursers proved to be the greatest challenges for young companies. Likewise, digitalization gaps in the healthcare market were a difficulty in collaboration between digitally savvy startups and their partners, according to the entrepreneurs’ consensus. However, all participants were unanimous in their objective: offering patients better healthcare and a better quality of life was the top priority for all participants, true to the motto: “Patients are the most important stakeholders”.

We would like to thank all participants for a successful kick-off event and look forward to the next event in 2022.