After the acquisition of Hypros, GWA Hygiene from Stralsund is now all about 1+1=3
Last week, it became clear where the journey is heading for the Stralsund startup led by scene veteran and founder Tobias Gebhardt after the acquisition: towards a comprehensive solution for the patient room of the future. The company complements itself with the acquisition to develop and offer the leading IoT and AI platform.
Before diving into the details of the acquisition by the Gründungswerft member, let’s briefly review GWA Hygiene’s business field.
AI and digitization are addressing the challenges of the present and revolutionizing the inpatient care of tomorrow.
Infections due to inadequate hygiene and germs are one of the biggest problems in hospitals. According to the RKI, between 10,000 and 15,000 patients die annually as a result of new infections with hospital germs – often in addition to already serious underlying conditions. Around 500,000 infections occur in total.
The human suffering caused by this is almost indescribable, and against this background, we refrain from researching the monetary costs.
Why Digital Solutions Are the Answer to Analog Problems in Hospitals?
The safe and hygienic handling of patients is primarily a task of monitoring and control. If one knows the movement patterns of all individuals in the vicinity of a patient and controls the corresponding hygiene conditions, additional infections can be effectively combated. They are simply prevented.
An approach that is hardly feasible in conventional everyday professional life. Because what personnel can continuously monitor individual patients and control who had access when?
Small sensors are the beginning, a comprehensive solution is the future.
The solution is initially simple: Equip the critical areas of a patient’s room with sensors. For example, one could measure how many people have entered a patient’s room and how many have disinfected their hands at the dispenser upon entry.
Digitally, both sensors can be integrated with intelligent control systems, such as a simple touchscreen that prompts individuals to disinfect their hands.
GWA Hygiene’s existing playing field, with its 30 employees, has already established a presence in numerous clinics across 17 countries with its self-created product universe. In doing so, the startup collaborates with major manufacturers like Dräger and implements patented IoT solutions.
Against this background, one can already envision the true revolution possible when expanding, networking, and ultimately equipping the sensor technology with AI.
With the acquisition of Hypros, GWA Hygiene equips itself with the necessary resources in the areas of IoT and AI solutions.
The acquisition is the result of a long-standing success story and joint innovation projects. The companies have crossed paths in projects such as blood culture tracking and indoor navigation at the University Medicine Greifswald. This proven collaboration has revealed technical, professional, and interpersonal synergies that are now being enhanced.
Through the acquisition, not only is the newly formed team strengthened, but the partner network is also expanded. In addition to GWA Hygiene’s existing collaborations with B. Braun, HARTMANN, and Google, partnerships with system houses like AirITSystems from Hypros are now added.
About Hypros GmbH & Co. KG
Hypros GmbH & Co. KG was founded in 2016 and employs over 10 staff members. Since its inception, the company has established itself as a leading expert in asset tracking and individually tailored software-IoT systems in the healthcare sector.
In an environment where the availability and condition of medical equipment are crucial for the smooth operation of healthcare facilities, Hypros provides solutions to ensure that the right equipment is in the right place at the right time. Through their innovative real-time location technologies (RTLS), they contribute to improving efficiency and safety in healthcare.
The goal is to provide comprehensive, leading IoT and AI solutions that, with sensor technology, networking, and AI control, can not only perform tasks in hospitals but also create a digital patient room that leads to a significant improvement in patient health through informational effects.
Editor’s Note: We see good prospects that the collection of so much data could eventually lead to new treatment options and combinations. It’s going to be exciting.
Founders Note
In this transaction, 1 + 1 equals 3. We bring strong hardware expertise to the table, while Hypros contributes their profound software expertise, demonstrated in major projects in university hospitals. This is the perfect match to establish THE IoT platform in healthcare.
Fun Fact: The negotiations and due diligence extended over a year – a period of intense collaboration and planning for a shared future.
Here you can find the official press release of GWA Hygiene’s Akquisition
Question 1: What do you think is going particularly well in the startup scene in MV?
The positive momentum in the local startup scene is increasingly noticeable beyond the borders of the state. The collaborative efforts of many stakeholders contribute to an environment where our founders will find it easier in the future to enter into larger partnerships and tap into global markets.
Question 2: What do you wish for the future?
Further networking of the startup ecosystem and increased efforts by all to attract more venture capital to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Question 3: How did you find out about the Gründungswerft?
During the founding phase of the association, there was already a strong exchange as part of my involvement with the Entrepreneursclub Rostock.