Based in Toulouse, the Medinbox MedTech startup, specialized in remote technical assistance in operating theaters, has a booming business with the pandemic.
They are a part of the “lucky winners” in the Covid-19 crisis. This is said without any provocation or faintness. The startup that specialized in remote technical and medical assistance in operating theaters has been one of the solutions for medical doctors and healthcare professionals who were engaged on the front lines, as it has been for the hospitals and clinics who wished to modernize their facilities. Medinbox also helps reinforce remote proctoring, one of the major lessons to be learned out of this global crisis.
One software and one network
Medinbox, based in Toulouse, is the meeting point between the Clinic Pasteur and the production company Next Media Factory, which was already dedicated to the medical field. “Back then, the equation was the same: to literally limit our footprint in the OR as well as the number of technicians” recalls Nicolas Gausserand, co-founder of Medinbox. “This solution is a packaged tool that does not require much space and allows anyone to remotely control the whole system. We gather the pros of both a videoconference software and a professional social network; and the autonomous interface allows the medical staff to fully control the livestream from the OR and broadcast it somewhere else, whether it is still inside the same establishment or thousands of miles away” says the entrepreneur.
A booming business in the United States and a booming business in the Middle East
The Toulouse-based startup has equipped over a hundred and fifty operating theaters worldwide, from the USA to Australia, passing through Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Canada or Pakistan.
“In France, our system is used by the APHP in Paris, the University Hospital Center (CHU) of Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, even Chartres recently, and we are equipping the hospital of La Timone in Marseille this August 2021.”
Nicolas Gausserand, co-founder of Medinbox.
Primarily used in Cardiology
One of the last instances where the Medinbox system was used was in June 2021, when Canadian proctors assisted French surgeons during a procedure that took place both in Toulouse and in Rennes. “The solution is used mainly in cardiology, because cath-labs require a lot of imaging. It can be useful to train young doctors as it can be helpful for procedures, from appendicitis to much more complex surgeries such as triple bypass surgery” adds Nicolas Gausserand.
“We guarantee full data confidentiality”
The Covid-19 crisis has fast-forwarded the need for the medical industry to mutate towards telemedicine and remote assistance. “Medical doctors were not able to travel for heavy procedures. The crisis allowed the spreading of our system, with hospitals gaining interest.” And what about data confidentiality? “They are fully anonymized, and you never see the face of the patient in the OR. Before the procedure, we ask for their consent, and the patient fills a form to acknowledge his approval.”
A turnover that doubled in 2020
In 2020, Medinbox has more than doubled its turnover (3.8 million euros, including one in the USA) and tripled its sales -of which cost varies from 15,000€ to 50,000€- compared to 2019. And for the year 2021, the MedTech startup aims at a hundred sales… which would be three times higher than those of 2020! Medinbox is also counting on more flexibility by setting up a rental package of the Medinbox system through a subscription.
Hiring now
The startup is moving from Port Saint-Sauveur to an open-space office in downtown Toulouse and will be hiring five or six new people to strengthen both support and development. Medinbox is now employing about fifteen people in Toulouse, and four in the United States.
As for the future, Nicolas Gausserand sees a new emerging tendency: a patient that goes back home with a USB key containing the footage of the procedure he underwent. “We are seeing this happen more and more abroad, but also in France, when the patient has given consent. We are in a world where people want to know what is going on. And it is a security for both the patient and the hospital staff, in case of a complication or controversy regarding the procedure. Everything has been recorded”, adds the co-founder of Medinbox.
That is one lead amongst others for Medinbox, in a context where the consequences of the covid-19 pandemic are still underlying.
-Translated article from Anthony Assemat – Actu Toulouse
