French Healthcare Alliance Renews Partnership with WorldUpstart for Second Year to Boost U.S. Market Entry
Philadelphia, May 8, 2024 - Enosis Santé, the French healthcare clusters alliance (BioValley France, Eurobiomed, Lyonbiopôle Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and Medicen Paris Region), signed an agreement with WorldUpstart to provide member companies with an acceleration program to facilitate their access to the U.S. market.
The WorldUpstart Accelerator is a comprehensive hybrid 8-week program that offers unparalleled support, including guidance, mentorship, and strategic planning for U.S. market penetration in Life Sciences, MedTech and Digital Health. Among the highlights is a networking event held in Philadelphia, bringing together startups, industry leaders, and investors for an intensive period of connection and collaboration. Below is feedback directly from participants describing their impactful experience.
"Following the successful support of 5 companies during the first edition, we are delighted to renew the partnership between WorldUpstart and the Enosis Santé alliance. As players in the field, we know how difficult it is for healthtech companies to grasp and conquer new markets. This alliance with WorldUpstart is a concrete expression of our commitment to helping our members seize significant opportunities, facilitating their entry into new markets, while minimizing the risks and costs associated with international expansion", explains Christian Deleuze, President of Enosis Santé.
“We are thrilled to extend our collaboration with Enosis Santé through the WorldUpstart Accelerator program. Our mission is to break down barriers for innovative Health-tech and Live Science companies looking to expand globally. This partnership taps into the rich vein of breakthrough technologies emerging from France, providing these promising companies with the resources and networks they need to thrive in the U.S.”, says Karina Sotnik, founder and CEO of WorldUpstart.
About WorldUpstart
WorldUpstart is dedicated to assisting international companies in Life Science, MedTech, and Digital Health as they prepare to enter the U.S. market. The U.S. Market Gateway Accelerator was designed to help companies beat the odds, create a roadmap for expansion, and connect to the right players, partners, and investors. In the past three years, the program graduated 64 companies from 18 countries, with 26 now operating in the U.S. and eight with FDA-approved products and services.
About Enosis Santé
Enosis Santé, created in 2022, brings together four of France's healthcare clusters: BioValley France, Eurobiomed, Lyonbiopôle Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Medicen Paris Region. The aim of Enosis Santé is to accelerate the development of healthtech innovation and strengthen France's health sovereignty and leadership in health innovation; to represent and carry the voice of the health clusters, highlight their actions and coordinate nationwide actions as close as possible to the regions. The networking of the clusters is intended to strengthen inter-regional synergies, to make better use of an essential regional field system. Thanks to the concerted efforts of the four clusters, the networking of territories and skills will be a key factor in the development and structuring of an even more efficient 2030 healthcare policy.
Q&A with 4 of 5 French participants from the 2023 program:
3 questions for Victoria LAMOUR CHAMBON, Chief Strategy Officer, INDIENOV MEDICAL (Marseilles):
Indienov is a young medtech company marketing the Indienov belt, the first lightweight personal medical device for preventing falls and protecting against femoral fractures, which lead to hospitalization in 100% of cases, loss of independence in 50% of cases, and death in 30% of cases.
Why did you apply to this program?
To obtain the necessary elements from competent experts for entry into the American market in the form of mentoring and conferences/workshops (legal, market access, fund-raising, marketing refinement, pricing, business model, etc.).
What did you gain from the program?
The mentors selected by the WorldUpstart team were of the highest quality to answer our questions and challenge us on the business model (investors, insurers, medical device professionals, prescribers, lawyers, entrepreneurs). The relationships are not temporary and will continue over the long term.
What's your next step?
In 2024-2025: our aim is to develop sales in France and Europe, while at the same time conducting a clinical trial due to start in early 2025. Finally, by the end of 2025/2026, we will be preparing for entry into the North American market: FDA marking, commercial pilots.
3 questions for Quentin FRANCOIS, General Manager, PREVIA MEDICAL (Lyon):
PREVIA MEDICAL innovates in the field of digital biomarkers by developing tools capable of analyzing the data of thousands of patients in real time. These tools identify patients at risk and immediately alert medical staff.
Why did you apply to this program?
I applied to the WorldUpstart Program with the ambition of building our Market Access Roadmap for the United States, including action plan and budget. This program represented an ideal opportunity to achieve this goal quickly.
What did you gain from the program?
The program offered me the chance to participate in high-level webinars led by professionals I wouldn't otherwise have had the opportunity to meet. It enabled me to address a full range of crucial topics such as human resources, intellectual property, hospital access, contracting, business and marketing, in preparation for our expansion into the United States. What's more, during my three-day stay in Philadelphia, I was able to meet the entire healthcare ecosystem and establish significant partnerships for the future.
What’s your next step?
Following our meeting in Philadelphia, we plan to include an American doctor on PREVIA's Scientific Advisory Board in the very near future. We will also be launching a proof of concept to validate the technical feasibility of our project, in collaboration with an American company and a local healthcare establishment.
3 questions to Thomas BRICHART, Chief Executive Officer, MexBrain (Lyon):
MexBrain is a start-up founded in 2017 that is developing a medical device capable of specifically extracting toxic excess metals from the bloodstream. The company is now in the clinical stage with two clinical trials underway on Wilson's disease and ACLF, as well as two more in the pipeline.
Why did you apply for this program?
This is because it provides a global vision of the issues involved in expanding into the United States, from cultural aspects to legal and regulatory aspects.
What did you gain from the program?
This comprehensive overview enabled me to quickly assess the actions required for such a development and includes plenty of advice on the pitfalls to avoid and best practices for successful expansion. It's a comprehensive program that I'd recommend to any start-up looking to expand across the Atlantic.
What's your next step?
MexBrain is currently collecting clinical data. This data will enable the launch of a registration trial for the device, with a view to CE marking and development in other markets (US, Asia).
3 questions to Hugues LAJOIE, Chief Executive Officer, Deeplink (Lyon).
Deeplink is a publisher of innovative software solutions in the field of medical imaging, providing solutions in imaging management for both routine care and clinical trials.
Why did you apply for this program?
We decided to take part in this program because it sheds light on, and puts into practical perspective, the various aspects that need to be covered in order to penetrate the American healthcare market.
What did you gain from the program?
We recommend it if you're just starting to think about entering this vast market, and especially if you want to raise funds from local financiers. In fact, this is one of the tips we provide for entering this market: have local investors.
What's your next step?
Now that we have a local presence, we're looking at how best to penetrate the market through targeted partnerships with local players. In this respect, the program provides us with a number of targeted contacts.
