Sustaining health has always been one of the major factors in our day-to-day life. The field of MedTech is making significant evolution right from the artificial organs to prosthetic robotic limbs. InnAccel, a Bangalore-based startup identifies the unmet healthcare needs and develop unique novel globally certified medical devices in India.

Analytics India Magazine caught up with Siraj Dhanani, CEO and Founder of InnAccel to gain insights on how the company is using emerging technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence. The company started out, over six years ago, as a sector-specific incubation and acceleration platform to support MedTech innovation. In 2014, the company seeded the first three teams to create novel technologies in ENT, critical care, and maternal care space respectively and about 2 years ago, it has been pivoted from the incubation model to a pure-play MedTech company, with three R&D divisions.

Technology Behind The Products

InnAccel creates novel medical technologies and patented devices which encompass disciplines such as mechanical, electrical, and electronics engineering, software programming, machine learning/artificial intelligence, and product and UI design.

One of the products, a next-generation labour monitoring technology, has leveraged machine learning extensively which has enhanced the usability of the device, and reduced the required skill levels for using the device, and eliminated erroneous readings. The training of the model is customised based on the specific needs of the customers.

The Flagship Products

InnAccel has developed products in three core verticals- critical care, maternal care, and ENT. The company’s flagship product is VAPCare, a device intended to reduce the likelihood of lung infection in patients on a ventilator. The core technology for this product has been globally patented, and it has shown strong effectiveness in clinical trials. The product has been approved by the US FDA and will be globally launched in the coming months.

Another product, Saans which is a transformational product makes CPAP therapy available in all treatment centers, and during transport. It is portable, electricity and infrastructure independent, and has a patented manual powering mode. Also, the product has been honoured with a display in Harvard Medical School’s Technology Showcase, as an example of high-impact innovation.

The Secret Formula Behind Affordable Devices

Dhanani stated, “At InnAccel, we spend 8-9 months understanding a particular problem, and the treatment ecosystem before we start working on a solution. A big part of this is understanding the affordability of our target customer- who is typically the low and middle-income Indian. So affordability, in terms of a target price of the product, is a defining product criterion when we start building the product. Our engineering process is rigorous and disciplined- I am happy to say we have achieved the target price on all our products- ensuring affordability for the average Indian.”

Also added, “InnAccel incorporates user feedback at every stage of product development. From initial concepts to prototypes to the final product, product users (typically doctors and nurses) give us feedback and help us refine the product. Such user feedback has been extremely critical in creating products that are user-friendly and intuitive.”

Hiring At InnAccel

While hiring individuals, the company focuses on the candidate’s customer-centric attitude including the top-notch engineering skills. Besides that, the company primarily look for individuals who can spend time in the hospital to identify or validate problems which are worth solving.   

Roadmap

According to Dhanani, in the present scenario, the company is at a very exciting stage in its journey. It has successfully created, and globally certified, a portfolio of unique MedTech assets. The task at hand is to successfully commercialise these products in India, and find MNC partners to commercialise them globally. Furthermore, the company is also working on the next set of products and technologies with the goal of developing 20 high-impact products by 2025 and transforming healthcare in India and globally.