As Dtectio integrates the OUTSCALE for Entrepreneurs accelerator for its secure sovereign cloud offering, Dtectio positions itself as a pioneer in connected health. This promising advancement has already attracted the interest of investors and healthcare stakeholders.
The aging population, increasing sedentary lifestyle, malnutrition, and family history are all contributing factors to the rising cardiovascular risk, both in France and around the world as explained by Yves Mboda, founder of Dtectio. Dtectio is a solution that uses sensors embedded in a smartwatch and artificial intelligence trained to interpret biological signals to provide the wearer with a continuous, artificial electrocardiogram (ECG).
“Today, in both developed and developing countries, one in every two adults has at least one risk factor. The numbers are alarming. 17 million annual deaths are due to cardiovascular events, making it the world’s leading cause of mortality. In 30% of cases, these events are attributed to heart rhythm disorders, often unsuspected by those who suffer them.”
An Artificial Electrocardiogram using AI
It was with this premise in mind that, in 2021, Yves Mboda decided to found Dtectio and develop his connected watch, having previously worked in the telecoms and healthcare sectors. “Traditionally, a patient with symptoms of a heart rhythm disorder is initially subjected to ECG Holters, devices with adhesive patches placed on the chest and connected to a box. However, since they are worn for only 48 hours – due to their bulkiness – these Holters are only able to detect 3% of arrhythmic episodes. A person considered to be at high risk, must undergo implantation of an invasive and costly device, whose effectiveness in terms of detection is not optimal. The Dtectio watch, on the other hand, offers constant monitoring,” explains Dtectio’s founder.
While companies like Apple and FitBit highlight their watches’ ability to produce a 30-second ECG, the health tech startup’s founder is keen to clarify their products’ performance. “To detect an arrhythmic anomaly, the owner would have to experience it during a limited period,” shares Yves Mboda before adding, “However, certain biological signals collected continuously by PPG sensors in watches like ours can feed a deep learning system capable, subsequently, of artificially generating an ECG. This is precisely what we have achieved.”
An Accelerator That Facilitates Fundraising and Partnerships
In order to develop its business and secure the data crucial for training the artificial intelligence needed to produce artificial electrocardiograms (ECGs), the startup Dtectio recently joined the OUTSCALE for Entrepreneurs acceleration program. Yves Mboda, founder of Dtectio, explains: “The support provided by experts, the opportunities for partnerships with companies in the Dassault Systèmes ecosystem, as well as the advantage of using a French sovereign cloud, were all factors that encouraged us to join Dassault Systèmes’ OUTSCALE. Our application was accepted, and as soon as our solution was deemed market-ready, we joined the accelerator.
For the past two months, we have been regularly in contact with technical and commercial specialists who help us identify potential partners, which is a real efficiency booster for our fundraising campaign. Additionally, as a healthcare player, we are required to host patient data in a HDS-certified (Health Data Hosting) cloud.“
In addition to the legal requirements, the founder of Dtectio acknowledges that opting for hosting on a secure sovereign cloud like OUTSCALE can make all the difference when seeking for financing. Yves Mboda emphasizes: “Investors, whether public or private, particularly appreciate Dtectio’s partnership with OUTSCALE.”
Speaking enthusiastically of the goal for Dtectio to equip all at-risk patients in France and Switzerland by 2024, before expanding to the USA, the founder reveals plans for an omnichannel strategy involving the integration of his algorithmic technology with watches already on the market. Yves Mboda is convinced that the OUTSCALE accelerator and its secure cloud will facilitate the contract closing process, adding that a first organization has already expressed interest in this innovative feature.
“Our partnership with Dassault Systèmes has confirmed this. The hospitals we are currently working with on clinical trials, and with whom we expect to establish partnerships in the future, are also reassured by this French sovereign cloud,” he adds.
