Successful completion of the Female Health Incubator

Strict regulations, proof of benefit, access to players in the healthcare market, IT expertise, approval as a medical device - and patient safety at the forefront: the healthcare sector is a special terrain. For innovations, the path from invention to market is long and cost-intensive. This makes incubators such as the Female Health Incubator (FHI) from Hanover's business development agency hannoverimpuls, which has supported health start-ups, all the more important in driving forward the great opportunities of digitalization for healthcare.

Software that helps hospitals to inform relatives during rehabilitation(RehaCheck), help for caregiving relatives via a digital platform in conjunction with personal care managers(KindCare) or a platform that offers tailored information and products for people with histamine intolerance(HistaFit): The range of entrepreneurial ideas that have been advanced in the Female Health Incubator (FHI) is diverse. In three rounds, a total of 13 teams used the FHI from May 2020 to September 2022 to further develop female health services and ideas in an agile manner. This was made possible with funding from the European Social Fund (ESF) as part of the "Social Innovation" project.

For six months at a time, the teams received intensive individual support through coaching, workshops and mentoring and were networked with investors and experts. The support was designed in such a way that it was adapted to the life situation of the founders. The intensive period was followed by a three-month fade-out phase. The first companies, such as HistaFit, have already succeeded in entering the market, while others, such as RehaCheck, are currently developing the prototype.

"It's a shame that the incubator is coming to an end. The coaching and support were fundamental to our company's development," says Ana Hansel, Managing Director of HistaFit. The two founders Ana Hansel and Melina Neumann took part in the first round of FHI 2020; today, HistaFit has four employees and around 20 products on the market. The portfolio ranges from online courses and coaching to food and nutritional supplements for people with histamine intolerance. In 2021, the health start-up was able to bring two business angels on board with investments in the mid five-figure range and is in talks with other investors. The company is currently developing its own food brand. A real success story - also for the Female Health Incubator:

"The incubator was an important component of our business development program that has put Lower Saxony at the forefront of female start-ups nationwide," saysDoris Petersen, Managing Director ofthannoverimpuls. However, market entry can rarely be achieved as quickly as with HistaFit: "We have seen that a digital health offering for IT programming, necessary medical studies and access to the healthcare market requires a lot of time, money and help."

© hannoverimpuls GmbH

Funding via the FHI has come to an end, but hannoverimpuls wants to continue to be a driving force and sparring partner for health start-ups with innovative solutions in the future. To this end, the team has further developed the incubator and wants to provide even more tailored support with a new project, the "Future Health Incubator". "The promotion of female start-ups remains important, but we are broadening the focus to a more diverse view of healthcare projects to better meet social needs," adds Doris Petersen. And a key learning from the FHI is that long-term support during the process and networking with the healthcare system are essential success factors. That is why an important part of the new concept is that the hannoverimpuls project team is directly and actively involved in the project ideas - and sees itself as a cooperative and social company builder in the healthcare sector.

Petra Schulz, Head of Department at the Ministryfor Federal, European and Regional Development, who had to stand in for MinisterBirgit Honéat short noticeatyesterday's closing event, commented on the future plans of the business development agency of the city and region of Hannover: "Many incubator programs provide short-term coaching. hannoverimpuls' approach of supporting healthcare projects over a longer period of time is one of the convincing experiences from the FHI."

Specifically, the planned project includes an incubator with an eight-month program, divided into a concept and implementation phase. The ideas and concepts will then be optimized in real test environments in order to implement successful offerings on the market as quickly as possible.

Because promoting business, supporting innovation, shaping the future of digital health - that is what drives hannoverimpuls. Not least with the newly created umbrella brand Digital Health City Hannover (DHCH), which unites the players in the healthcare industry under one roof, the location has the perfect ecosystem for this.