CHF 150’000 to fuel Sensawear’s development

Currently, no continuous monitoring methods exist for the prevention of pressure injuries. For example, paraplegics— who cannot feel pain in injury regions— rely on strict movement schedules without tissue health feedback. In hospitals, nurses and caretakers must invasively inspect patients for signs of early stages of pressure injury formation, which can be difficult as the injury often starts below the skin. When the skin shows signs of the injury, the damage is often done and the path to recovery is long, painful, difficult, and expensive.

Using trusted, proven, non-invasive near-infrared spectroscopy, Sensawear developed a wearable, textile-based, tissue oxygenation monitoring sensor with specially integrated fiber optics that give users real-time feedback on deep tissue oxygen saturation without adding pressure against the skin.

The solution will help prevent painful and dangerous pressure injuries and pressure ulcers from forming, provide continuous monitoring in post-op and traumatology wards to improve surgical recovery and replace invasive monitoring procedures, thus improving quality of life and care for millions of people around the world.

Sensawear’s sensors are single-use disposables that can be continuously worn between 24 and 72 hours. Being breathable, waterproof, and gentle on the skin, these sensors can be worn without irritating the skin with friction or moisture. This makes Sensawear’s sensors ideal for pressure injury prevention and post-op monitoring.

Sensawear will use the CHF 150,000 Venture Kick funding to work with industrial partners to further advance and market the sensors to hospitals and clinics, addressing an estimated USD 850 million market potential across multiple applications.

The company’s team comprises Ursula Wolf, co-founder, CMO, and Chairwoman of the Board of Sensawear. She brings expertise in near-infrared technology and decades of clinical and medical research experience. Oliver Kress is a co-founder and the CEO of the startup, with a background in physics and a strong desire to commercialize revolutionary technology in the med-tech field. Co-founder Tarcisi Cantieni, CTO will direct Sensawear's research and development. All three co-founders are based at the University of Bern’s Institute for Complementary and Integrative Medicine (IKIM).

“Before we started Venture Kick, the idea to start our own company and bring our innovation to market was just an idea. After winning stage 1, everything changed. Our focus dramatically shifted from pure research to lay the groundwork needed to successfully build a start-up and reach the market. With each stage, we developed ourselves further, using our newly acquired funds to transform our product development, regulatory, and market entry strategies. In addition to the funding, the help and support during the Kickers Camps gave us the feedback we needed to reshape our priorities and stay on target,” said Oliver Kress.

(Press release/RAN)