An innovative startup from New York called Health Care Originals (HCO) was recently announced as winner of the WT | Wearable Technologies Innovation World Cup 2015/16 in the category “Healthcare & Wellness”. Their groundbreaking wearable device A.D.A.M.M. built for intelligent asthma management convinced the jury so much that on top HCO was chosen to be the overall winner of the innovation competition.
We had the chance to interview HCO’s co-founder Jared Dwarika and to learn more about his young healthcare company.
How was it like being on stage at the award ceremony of the WT | Innovation World Cup and being announced as WT Innovator of the Year 2016?
First of all, we were honored just to be among the 28 other WT Heroes – all the technologies were so innovative, that we felt proud as a company to be a part of that. Then, when we were announced as the winners in Healthcare & Wellness, it was an unbelievable moment for us. Took a few seconds for it to sink in. Being on stage with the very knowledgeable judges all saying complimentary things about our technology was something we’ll never forget. Then, standing there with the other winners, the sense of shared camaraderie we developed as exhibitors was continued at an even higher level. Starting a company, being innovative and trying to change the status quo is never easy, and this was great validation from leaders in the space. Multiply all those feelings and the exhilaration 1,000 times was the feeling we had when being pronounced Overall Winner. All in all, an unforgettable experience.
Please tell us more about your product. What makes it outstanding in your opinion?
Our patented technology is applicable to all chronic respiratory diseases – and there are more than ½ billion people in the world with chronic respiratory diseases. Our first application is asthma, primarily because all of the proof-of-concept work was performed with asthmatics, and also because Sharon, one of our co-founders, has asthma – so we understand first-hand what a difference this can make in the lives of asthmatics and their care-givers. As one of the judges said to us – our wearable does everything that a wearable is supposed to do – monitors and develops a baseline unique to the individual wearing it, provides notifications when there is a deviation from that baseline and allows the wearer to take preventive action well in advance of the symptoms they generally recognize. In addition, the wearable is completely autonomous – all processing is done onboard (pairing not required), so there is no need to be in range of a smartphone, making it very well suited to young children and those without smart phones. Finally, we offer physicians and other providers unparalleled access to objective data on how the asthmatic is doing between visits. Imagine the opportunities for truly configuring the asthma management plans to best suit each individual; the opportunities for hospitals to track patients post-discharge so they can reduce re-admittances; the reduction in healthcare burden and loss of productivity associated with asthma – the possibilities are endless. When we consider the other respiratory diseases that we can apply this to, we understand the potential is boundless and life-changing for many.
What are your expectations/ plans for the near future? What are the next steps in your business development process?
Our most significant milestones for the next few months are:
- Completing our Series A fund-raising round. We have already raised 50% of the total round, and hope to close it by end April.
- Completion of our commercial design, and production of our first commercial-ready devices for testing by end June.
- Raising awareness through social media so more people can understand our solution, and so we can get more first-hand customer feedback. The first step of this is the re-launch of our website by end March.
For all who wants to learn more about A.D.A.M.M.: How can people catch up with you?
People can email us at info(at)healthcareoriginals.com and we’ll get back to them directly as well as include them on our newsletters as necessary. They can also follow us on LinkedIn; Facebook – http://ift.tt/2168wft and @healthorig is our Twitter handle.
The award ceremony of the WT | Wearable Technologies Innovation World Cup 2015/16 has recently taken place as part of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference EUROPE.
Interested in becoming a WT Hero yourself in 2017? The database for new submissions will be open again in May 2016. Contact us in case you would like ot get notified as soon as the database is open or are interested in partnering or sponsoring the competion.
from Wearable Technologies http://ift.tt/2476wG6
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