The Era of Leonardo da Vinci is Over: How to Succeed in the Med and HealthTech Industry

The Era of Leonardo da Vinci is Over: How to Succeed in the Med and HealthTech Industry

utworzone przez | | BUSINESS, COMMUNICATION, HEALTHTECH, HEALTHTECh of the week

Last year, I created the HealthTech of the Week series as a way to highlight exceptional Polish projects that combine new technologies with medicine or mental health. Starting in September 2024, together with our team at Come Creations Group, I am taking it further. We aim not only to showcase the most interesting ideas and developing businesses to the world but also to actively support startups in their growth.

We are kicking off the second edition of the HealthTech of the Week series.

The title of this article wasn’t chosen randomly, just to grab readers’ attention. It is actually a quote from one of the experts we interviewed for this year’s edition of our series. This quote is significant because it encapsulates what every representative of a company operating broadly in the health sector was saying, more or less explicitly.

You will be able to read on our blog in the coming weeks about how investors and Aleksander Kłosek from the Venture Capital fund YouNick Mint understand the idea that „the era of Leonardo da Vinci is over.” I already want to address how I understand this issue from the perspective of communication and building a recognizable brand for medtech companies.

Press Release

Everything for Now

For many years in Poland, we have believed in the American myth of going from rags to riches, and we enjoy reading about how major companies like Google or Microsoft started in a garage, or how ideas like Facebook were implemented by bored twenty-somethings in a dorm room. TikTok somewhat revives these old stories, where you can achieve millions of views with a single video recorded by a teenager during a school break. On Instagram and other platforms, we are still bombarded with content promising quick profits, learning a new language in two months, or completing a short course that will not only change our career but even catapult us to the earnings level of experienced managers. The introduction of GenAI into everyday use in 2023 has only fueled this trend, showing that technologies are within arm’s reach. After all, you just need to wait a few seconds to get a translation generated by ChatGPT, thirty ideas for Facebook posts, or several lines of code to implement on a website. Everything is instant. And businesses and startups are expected to be the same. Preferably made in one evening by two people with a mission, and then—everything will somehow work out.

A Few Years for Development

And then the medical industry and health-related projects come into play. It turns out that a good idea is just the beginning of an entire process that takes months, or even years, of scientific research, clinical trials, research, and testing. Suddenly, this highly structured, regulation-bound field clashes with technology, where everything is supposed to be optimized and even faster. In startups from this industry, you can’t just hide at home and write a very good app; even the typical startup duo won’t suffice—one person knowing the product and technology, and another with business acumen who knows where to knock to sell the idea. No. Here, you can’t juggle many functions at once like a Renaissance person, combining skills: a bit of legislation, a bit of marketing, and finance. In the Health Tech industry, you need to quickly realize that only a company composed of a competent team and surrounded by competent specialists has a chance.

Press release

A Team Game

When you can’t fully rely on yourself, you have to rely on people. And this brings us back to the topic of communication. Although working in this area may be associated with preparing content for the media and working on social media, in the Health Tech industry, it is essential to utilize what used to be the domain of business communication specialists—building relationships, understanding nuances, and finding connections between different entities so they can work together.

Especially in this market, where trust and time to implementation play a crucial role. This is also our mission for this year’s edition of the series, which will differ from the previous one. We aim not only to showcase interesting success stories but also to inspire others, show mistakes and how to avoid them, present a unique perspective from the other side: the fund or investor, and create a community where others’ experiences make it easier for new companies to operate. We help communicate what is most important, regardless of whether the recipient is an investor, a B2C customer, another company, or perhaps an internal team that needs motivation and workshops for better understanding of the mission and vision. After many months of conversations and cooperation with organizations in the healthcare industry, we understand that creating innovative solutions is a uniquely long Formula One race. The driver in the racing car, whom everyone sees, needs a team of mechanics and experts who work faster and more efficiently than others to win. For HealthTech startups, we are that team.

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I invite you to continue following the HealthTech of the Week series, where we will uncover more fascinating stories from the realm of medical technologies that are changing the face of healthcare. If you are leading an innovative project in new technologies and medicine or want to recommend an interesting solution, please contact us at: [email protected].

Health Tech of the week: Help people with depression using Virtual Reality

Health Tech of the week: Help people with depression using Virtual Reality

utworzone przez | | BUSINESS, COMMUNICATION

VR TierOne is a Polish technological company that enables the treatment of depression and anxiety using virtual reality. They’ve been listed among the most interesting Health Tech startups and projects due to their utilization of tools commonly associated with entertainment (VR glasses) to support doctors in improving patients’ mental health. Their activities are described in the following passage.

 

New technologies offer us various forms of „escape” from everyday problems into what’s termed virtual reality. While playing video games is a beloved entertainment activity for many, it’s still stereotypically seen as a waste of time and something that can harm our health in the long run. Is that perception justified?

 

Specialists at VR TierOne demonstrate that solutions commonly used only for entertainment can effectively expedite the treatment of patients suffering from depression or anxiety. The creation of this solution involved two seemingly unrelated industries. Paweł Pasternak, the CEO of VR TierOne, has been involved in virtual reality for years, seeing it as an opportunity for an innovative approach to many contemporary world problems. However, it was only after meeting with his high school colleague, Professor Joanna Szczepańska-Gieracha, a psychologist and therapist working in neurological departments and conducting scientific research on the impact of mental health on patients, that he fully realized how VR could support the healing process.

Press Release

Supporting patients in hospitals

During conventional therapy, patients not only grapple with their conditions but also contend with the unpleasant environment of certain hospital wards. The cold colors of the rooms, equipment worn by time, and the necessity of sharing unfamiliar space with other patients constitute the reality of Polish hospitals. Patients undergoing necessary treatment experience additional stressors that do not contribute to their recovery. Hence, the idea of using a „virtual escape” tool and creating a calming reality within the unfriendly walls of medical facilities.

 

Expanding conventional treatment

The VR program designed in collaboration with doctors, based on Ericksonian psychotherapy principles, serves as an additional „antidepressant” that doesn’t disrupt conventional therapy. It’s a toolset support for psychologists, therapists, and rehabilitators who often face the challenge of patients’ poor mental state, resulting in a lack of motivation for exercises. The goal of VR TierOne is to quickly mentally prepare the patient for therapeutic or rehabilitation sessions within their treatment cycle.

Press release

Health Tech of the Week

One of the reasons VR TierOne is a noteworthy Health Tech company worth observing is their prioritization of patients’ mental health. Instead of solely focusing on physical symptoms and restoring „body” functionality, the startup emphasizes the role of well-being in the healing process. Medical personnel can also benefit from this solution, as they, too, require appropriate relaxation during or after work due to their significant responsibilities. Currently, users of this solution include public hospitals, private clinics, rehabilitation centers, therapy practices, as well as foundations and higher education institutions where the need for mental relaxation and mental health care is also appreciated. The company has also created a mobile relaxation device called VR TierOne GO and is working on developing a therapeutic game. They plan to leverage the knowledge gained in the Polish market in international markets and are currently in the phase of seeking international distributors.

How was the Strong Women in IT 2023 report created?

How was the Strong Women in IT 2023 report created?

utworzone przez | | BUSINESS, COMMUNICATION

Recently, I put a lot of effort into creating the Strong Women in IT 2023 – global edition report, which premiered in September. Today I would like to share with you some insights related to this year’s recruitment and the creation of this unique study.

The 2023 edition is the 3rd report in the „Strong Women in IT” series (5 counting all reports thematically within the initiative). Its aim is to present enterprising women leaders who inspire other women to achieve their professional goals. We are committed to developing a community of inspiring women from the IT world and initiating global communication that supports women in their further development.

This year, our report focuses on several key areas:

  • Professional and personal experiences of female leaders
  • Challenges faced by female leaders in the current market situation
  • Technology overload – do women in IT experience 'technology fatigue’?
  • Top trends in the IT industry

What are the stages of creating a report?

1. Substantive preparation, development of questions and concepts
2. Development of a recruitment communication strategy
3. Establishing the terms of partnerships
4. Technical issues – survey design and system implementation
5. Report recruitment and promotion
6. Constant contact with candidates
7. Collecting materials and confirming the candidates’ answers
8. Preparation of statistical data for the report
9. Designing the report
10. Preparing communication for the launch of the report
11. Organization of the premiere event and the start of recruitment
12. PR activities

The results of the Strong Women in IT 2023 report

The results of the Strong Women in IT

Work on the report lasted 7 months! The result of these activities was the creation of the Strong Women in IT 2023 – global edition report. The study comprises a statistical section developed based on over 12,750 responses submitted by women in their surveys, expert comments from the report’s jury members, and 251 pages dedicated to distinguished female leaders, where you will find answers to 4 selected questions.

What distinguishes this report from other studies is an individual approach and a thorough analysis of answers to closed and open questions, as well as in-depth interviews with respondents, which allow not only to obtain quantitative data but also to take a closer look at the women and learn about their professional path.

What we are very pleased with is the large increase in interest among women leaders and their willingness to join our community.

Let’s summarize this year’s recruitment:

 

  • 372 nominations – over 70% growth of nominations edition to edition.
  • 251 qualified candidates – over 25% growth of distinguished women edition to edition.
  • 568 female leaders in the global SW in IT community.

Partners

Strategic Partners

This year, for the first time, the creation of the report was supported by involved strategic partners: Billennium, BNP Paribas and UiPath.

The report was also supported by many organizations with a mission close to ours: CIC Warsaw, Dare IT, Digital University, European Network for Women in Leadership (WIL Europe), Geeks Like Us+ Foundation, No Fluff Jobs, Fundacja Mamo Pracuj, OMGKRK, Talenti.pl – bank women’s talents, WomenTech Network, Venture Café Warsaw Foundation.

The support of partners is important because you can use their substantive experience, their recommendation strengthens the communication message and allows you to reach members of their community.

partners

You already know the background of the uprising, so I encourage you to download the Strong Women in IT 2023 – global edition report.You will find it on our website.

How to prepare for a webinar in the new technology industry?

How to prepare for a webinar in the new technology industry?

utworzone przez | | BUSINESS, COMMUNICATION

Webinars have a relatively short history, having emerged with the development of Internet technology and video conferencing tools. The first video conferencing appeared as early as the 1960s, but its costliness and difficulty of use meant that it was mainly used for business and academic purposes. It was not until the development of the Internet and the popularity of online platforms that webinars could be conducted easily and seamlessly.

Webinars gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic when many companies and organizations began using webinars as an alternative to traditional meetings and conferences. Today, it’s still a great way to gain new customers and increase awareness of our brand. However, to be successful you need to know how to prepare for such an event. What to keep in mind when planning a webinar, how to increase sign-ups, and how to communicate the event? In this article, I will also tell you how to prepare an attractive landing page, use email marketing, content marketing, and get traffic from your own website.

Prepare an attractive landing page for your webinar

A Landing Page is a webinar registration page. It has one purpose – to convince visitors to sign up for the training. The key to success is proper content optimization. Remember to include details about the conference and presenters, the date and time of the event, and the registration form in the text. If you’re not hosting a free webinar, include a ticket payment gateway on your site as well.

Send an email to potential customers

According to statistics, the best time to promote your registration page is 8 days before the webinar – this is when up to 54% of attendees sign up for the event. You can use email marketing for web advertising. It is no coincidence that this very marketing channel is mentioned as one of the first. This is because it represents the best way to promote an online training course.

If you already have a contact base, then you can send information about the webinar you are organizing to your subscribers. Include attractive calls to action in the email in addition to information about the webinar. You can also share a video with a personal invitation, ask them to recommend the training, or offer an additional incentive such as a product discount for each referral.

To make your promotions more effective, you can automate your emails. This will ensure that messages and reminders about webinars will reach interested people at the right time already without your participation. It’s also an interesting idea to add email signatures with a call to sign up for the next online training.

Email

Take advantage of content marketing

Want to generate interest in the webinar? Create content about it – well in advance, of course. In your texts, give your audience a preview of the event. However, focus primarily on presenting the benefits that the participant of the online training will receive. While doing so, remember that your posts should not be saturated with promotional formulas.

Take advantage of social media

There is no doubt that social media is one of the most effective promotional tools. Take advantage of the opportunities offered by platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Choose the platform that is most popular with your target audience. Post information about the webinar there, as well as interesting content related to it, such as infographics or promotional videos. Remember to target appropriately to reach people interested in your offer.

Social media

Prepare an interesting presentation

Preparing an interesting presentation is the key to a successful webinar. Make sure it is clear, aesthetically pleasing, and contains valuable content. Also, make sure that the presenter speaks in understandable language, avoids convoluted terms, and properly highlights the most important information.

Prepare for Q&A

Often during webinars, there are question-and-answer sessions. Prepare for them accordingly, think about the most frequently asked questions, and prepare answers to them. Also, don’t forget the opportunity to ask questions during the webinar, managing them properly is crucial to the success of the training.

Deliver value

Remember that a webinar is not only a tool to promote your company, but more importantly, an opportunity to deliver value to participants. Focus on making the training truly valuable, giving a lot of information and ideas, rather than just advertising your product or service. This will make participants more likely to attend future webinars and recommend your company to others.

Value

Summary

Preparing an effective webinar is quite a challenge, but with the right preparation, a well-optimized registration page, email marketing, use of content marketing, social media, an engaging presentation, preparation for a Q&A session, and providing value to participants, you can achieve success. Remember, a webinar is a chance to reach more customers, increase your brand’s reach and build loyalty among attendees.

Image source: Canva.com

HealthTech in the media. How to practically create a good press release?

HealthTech in the media. How to practically create a good press release?

utworzone przez | | BUSINESS, COMMUNICATION

When communicating with technology startups, it is worth betting on longer content, such as a press release, in your efforts. An article or a traditional press release, used at the right moment, can give us very good coverage. Why?

 

Not just social media. What’s the purpose of media relations?

 

Healthcare startups often use modern forms of dialogue with target groups. These can include social media, mailing, or blogs. Some of the proponents of these solutions claim that this form of communication is now more accessible to the audience and thus – more effective. Our inclination towards short forms also stems from the belief that the ideal texts are short texts (because they are more memorable). Not only is the message shorter, but you can also use emojis and include multimedia content. This may seem to make it much easier to show how our technology works in more detail.

 

What’s more, it is said that the most searched content on the Internet is that which contains about 1,400 words. However, let me assure you that a universal text length does not exist. Often, by shortening the text, we create content that does not sound natural. In the case of the HealthTech industry, we run the risk that our short message may abound in too many foreign-sounding names, and nomenclature known only to us, and thus become incomprehensible to the „ordinary” user. 

What should you pay attention to?

Thus, the length of the text should be adjusted each time to the purpose and place of publication. By the same token, not only short posts or testimonials are important for the effectiveness of a communication campaign – especially in the HealthTech industry. Our consumers should understand exactly what benefits they will gain by deciding to buy our product or choose our service. Therefore, a longer form may be better for us than even a Facebook post.

Press Release

A press release (press release, press deposition) is one of the basic tools of every promotional and PR specialist used in contacting the media. By virtue of its formula, it significantly helps to convey information about technology products or services. This is especially important in communicating new solutions of the HealthTech industry, when it is worth explaining to consumers how our product works and what benefits it provides. Keep in mind that our audience may be ( by virtue of age) accustomed to traditional forms of communication, and treat social media rather trivially. What else should we keep in mind?

Press releases are not as long as they used to be.

Nowadays, a press release should be concise and clear, in order to quickly convey the most important information – without unnecessarily wasting the reader’s time. While a few years ago the standard press release was 1.5 – 2 pages, now many PR consultants suggest that our announcement should not exceed 1 A4 page in volume.

Invariably, our press release should answer three basic questions: what happened, who is involved, and why it is important. These questions help you quickly understand the information, what the article is about, and who it might be of interest to.

Facts are always more important than opinions.

In a press release, the focus should be on facts and documented information, not on the author’s subjective opinions – then we are talking about a feature, which is unlikely to work in our promotional campaign. Facts are more reliable and can be verified by the reader.

Press release

Avoid success propaganda in a press release.

In a press release, avoid excessive self-promotion and false information to boost a positive image of a company or organization. Let’s not write that our product is revolutionary. It would be better if we write about the standards, technical standards that the product meets and in what everyday situations it will be used. 

After writing the press release, take care of its dissemination.

After writing a press release, it is important to take care of its dissemination, for example, by sending it to the media or making it available on the website.

Technical aspects of the press release are important.

In a press release, technical aspects such as text layout, headlines, photo captions, etc., are important and determine how accessible our publication is. This is especially important if you are communicating new technologies. Sometimes quoting an expert in communication allows the reader to understand what benefits he or she will get by using our product or service. In the HealthTech industry, it’s best to use the opinion of a doctor or other health care professional or foundation that conducts activities related to a particular disease entity.

The devil is in the details. 

In a press release, details are key because they help readers better understand the article and increase its credibility. A paraphrase works well, such as „The technology used in the solution nullifies the problems of sinus disease. With the XX device, we will get rid of runny nose, and sinus pain and breath easier.”

Stand out or die.

Imitation can be harmful and mislead our audience. In a press release, it is important to be original and present your own opinion, and innovation of your service/product.

Follow up

Follow up, or stay in touch with journalists.

Journalists are often looking for interesting topics to write articles or videos about. By contacting them, we can introduce our new products or services, which will help build our brand in the media. When contacting journalists NEVER send a collective email to all of them. Approach each of them individually, and write individual emails. Each journalist needs different arguments to get them interested in your topic. 

Want to learn more? Use our checklists, which are available for download here.

Image source: Canva.com.

How Do You Engage the Community? Organize Online Challenges!

How Do You Engage the Community? Organize Online Challenges!

utworzone przez | | BUSINESS, COMMUNICATION

Building a community around the brand is one of the most important tasks a company has to face today. Customers are becoming more demanding, less involved, and thus very often, „temporary”.

You don’t have to convince anyone that it’s better to keep a current client than to look for a new one. Creating a community around the brand, however, is neither a simple nor a quick solution. I have already written about how to build it here and here.

The worst time related to the pandemic is behind us, but the vast majority of us still work online. The days when almost all of us worked in offices are gone. According to the research company Gallup, in 2022 as many as 53% of employees will perform hybrid work. This will certainly translate into consumer behavior, whose commitment to brands will be visible primarily on the Internet. The vision of a committed group of people who follow our activity, comment on it, and willingly participate in our projects is tempting, and certainly, many of us dream about it. Below, I present some factors that determine the establishment of such communities and give you some tips that will help you create their foundations. I believe that they will prove helpful despite general fatigue and jadedness with online work.

Let’s start with the most important question: what do you do to start building a community around your brand?

Where to Start Building a Community

 

1. Define a common goal and values that you want to follow, and that will attract other people.

Are you a fan of healthy food? Perfect!

Show your community that this is an important topic for you. By sharing your knowledge, show what your healthy approach to nutrition is—describe what you eat every day and what tricks and techniques you have to improve things. Show your actions behind the curtain.

Is your company engaged in creating online stores, and do you want to go to a higher level of service and standards in e-commerce? Show examples of your work regularly, ask about the experiences of others, and share your thoughts.

A few years ago, we organized events under the name of Wenusjanki (Venusians). Cyclical meetings were held in Krakow, Warsaw, Wroclaw, Tri-City, Kielce, and Poznan. Their main goal was to present interesting people who worked in three areas: business, fashion, health, and beauty. Meetings were organized exclusively for women, and each time attracted crowds of women who wanted to learn about interesting issues related to these areas. Over 2,500 women attended our events every year!

 

2. Find a place for your community.

It can be, for example, Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube. This should be the space you like, feel comfortable in, and where you can meet many people who represent your views and values. Your task will be to gather interested people and provide them with appropriate content regularly.

However, I advise against persuading others to switch their platform. Even when you know that a person prefers Instagram to Twitter, don’t focus on it. You will needlessly devote time and energy to this, and the effect cannot be assured. Instead of reinventing the wheel, it’s better to paint it in patterns that you like.

 

3. Take on common challenges.

Every community has its challenges! If you are interested in sports, you may often have a decrease in motivation, or, on the contrary, you are looking for people with whom you will also be able to train. Or maybe you want to ask about diet or health issues because when you do specific exercises, you feel pressure in the body and want to know if others have similar ailments. Or do you just want to be sure that you are doing the exercise correctly?

Talking openly about passions or the pros and cons of advertising methods, using selected platforms, and showing how to deal with them are plenty of reasons to create a community.

And here we come to a very, very important aspect of building it. No community is created just to celebrate something together. People have been gathering for generations to grow and support themselves. When planning the development of your community, ask yourself what kind of problems arise from a given job, technology, or service. Looking at what people you care about are struggling with shows how you handle similar challenges. And so, we move on to the next point about community building.

 

4. Create an opportunity to get to know each other and identify each other.

The more we allow others to get to know each other, to talk about common values and experiences, the greater and more integrated our community will become. We do not know when events will return on the same scale we know from before the pandemic. Relations between the participants of such meetings were replaced indefinitely by contacts on social networks. The space under the posts, or during the open webinars, became a place as important as the pre-pandemic conference room.

In addition, it is ideal when people can name themselves and define themselves as members of a group. That is why this last point is equally important here.

 

5. Use names to identify yourself as a member of the community.

After some time, the participants of the Wenusjanki meetings began to call themselves that. We’re Venusians, they said! It was assumed that a Venusian is an active woman, eager to learn new things and meet new people. We are currently creating the Strong Women in IT community, i.e., women who create Polish and global technologies.

But it is enough to look at other people to notice that this mechanism really works well; Michał Szafrański has Financial Ninja, Ewa Chodakowska has members of Chodagang, and Pani Swojego Czasu has women interested in managing their time more efficiently.

The same thing is true in many other aspects of our lives: I am a runner, a karate fighter, a singer, a politician, an entrepreneur. Naming yourself is an important aspect of your sense of identity. I encourage you to take advantage of this need also at home.


Online Challenges as a Way to Engage the Community!

 

Now that we have summarized what is needed to build a community around your brand, let’s focus on one issue that has recently been particularly visible on the Internet: challenges.

I honestly admit that I am delighted with how some people have gotten to the master level of this kind of community activation.

An example is #fighterchallenge by Anna Lewandowska. The challenge encouraged active training. During the challenge, meetings with experts were held, and nutritional and healthy lifestyle advice was presented. For me, it is a win because…

  • it promotes the Sportswoman app,
  • it shows the people who work with her, so it is not only a challenge, but it also shows appreciation to others,
  • it promotes the catering service she offers.

There are certainly even more business benefits. What is particularly worth paying attention to is the name—anyone who faces their weaknesses wants to see a fighter, a person who does not give up easily and fights to the end. When we face a challenge that means changing our habits and lifestyle, and putting in the physical effort; the name can strengthen our perseverance to the end.

This should be accompanied by showing the efforts of others and their transformation. It’s very motivating to see the woman who joined the challenge lose three or four kilos in the process. “If she could, then so can I.” (This is an interesting way to present Point 4 of the principles of community building—we show other ordinary people who are with us in this challenge; we are not alone.)

A similar mechanism is also used by Ewa Chodakowska in her #body&mind.

animacje filmowe

What Speaks in Favor of Creating Such Challenges? Why Is It Worth It?

 

1. They make us better.

It can be a monthly course in writing SEO-friendly texts, setting up Facebook ads, or creating communication in webinars. You can select any challenge and translate it into an interesting one for your target group activity. There is only one condition: they should help us acquire a new skill or improve our current skills.

 

2. It develops a sense of identification with the brand.

If someone teaches us something, we start to trust them more and believe in the effectiveness of the services they offer.

 

3. Challenges are defined in time.

That is why you will be able to verify their impact on your business relatively quickly. Has the number of orders, inquiries, or recommendations increased?


If you want to develop the community around your brand, write to me. We can plan activities tailored to your needs.

 

Fot. Unsplash oraz archiwum prywatne agencji Come Creations Group