The spin-off Dipneo, created by the Eurecat technology centre and Mobile World Capital Barcelona, has started an investment campaign through the crowdfunding platform specialised in biotechnology and health, Capital Cell. The capital increase is intended to raise 300,000 euros to accelerate the development of an innovative medical device in the field of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
With a valuation of 2.4 million euros, Dipneo will use the funds raised during the campaign to finalise the commercial prototype and begin the regulatory procedures to bring the new device to market. The device differs from the airbag-based insufflators currently available in the fact that it operates autonomously and hands-free.
Dipneo’s new device is based on a new system patented by Eurecat which allows air to be blown into the patient autonomously, a feature which makes it suitable for non-expert users as well as professionals.
According to Dipneo CEO, Xavier Castells, “Dipneo’s goal is to bring the first version of the medical device to market in 2026” with sales expected to reach €2.5 million by 2027.
The company seeks “to be the perfect partner for automated external defibrillators with a market potential of €4.2 billion and expected growth of 8.8 percent per year,” adds biomedical engineer Julio Díaz, Dipneo’s CTO.
Dipneo “will have an impact in out-of-hospital settings such as medical emergencies, intra-hospital settings such as primary care centres, traffic emergency and rescue services, and also in cardiac protected areas such as retirement homes, businesses, sports facilities and municipal venues, among others”, explains the company’s co-founder and head of industrial product development at Eurecat, Ferran Soldevila.
Out-of-hospital cardiorespiratory arrests; a major problem
It is estimated there are 700,000 out-of-hospital cardiorespiratory arrests per year in Europe and they are a serious health problem as the survival rate is 10 percent. “This ratio can be improved to 45 percent survival just by being able to perform successful CPR as quickly as possible”, notes Castells.
Based in Barcelona, Dipneo is made up of Xavier Castells, CEO, who has senior management experience as CFO and director in several businesses and start-ups and as an investor in health sector start-ups; and Julio Díaz, CTO, a biomedical engineer who has extensive know-how in resuscitation devices. It is also backed by a committee of experts and the input of Dr Marc Bausili, an anaesthesiology and resuscitation specialist and entrepreneur in this field, and David Osorio, director of the Red Cross medical emergencies division in Catalonia.
Capital Cell campaign link: https://capitalcell.es/campaign/dipneo/
