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UKRAINE
Doctors save lives, but in order to do this, they must go through intensive training. They need to rehearse endless medical scenarios, so they can respond to each situation appropriately. Software can help speed up that process.
The innovative Ukrainian company ClinCaseQuest does exactly that. This simulation training platform helps doctors and students gain clinical experience. The platform is based on the technology of cognitive branching. Users are presented with a medical scenario and need to make choices to handle it. Every choice has consequences, and the scenario develops as decisions are made.
Today, the company is expanding in the European market, setting up partnerships with hospitals to train doctors. It was not easy, however, for ClinCaseQuest to get this far. They did it while their country was at war. Throughout the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ClinCaseQuest team has managed to keep the project going while expanding the company. A feat that was made easier because of help from the Enterprise Europe Network.
"The Network's support was crucial, not only in our educational achievements, but also in maintaining our operational processes during challenging times," said founder and CEO of ClinCaseQuest, Nataliia Lopina. "Their support was invaluable and helped us sustain our momentum during critical phases."
War and growth
Today, ClinCaseQuest is experiencing step-by-step growth. Their team has grown to five people, with the support of 15 external experts. In 2023 they managed to reach a turnover of EUR 22 000. Their platform has just completed its 1 000th training session. ClinCaseQuest also managed to enter the ‘Life Science Accelerator’ in Heidelberg and an ‘Onboarding Program’ as a medical start-up with the support of NEXT MANNHEIM start-up ecosystem in CUBEX One and GiG7.
Doing that while working from a country at war, has proven quite challenging. “At the onset of the war, we even lost contact with three employees who were under occupation,” said Nataliia. “Fortunately, they eventually managed to reach safer areas in Ukraine, and some have moved to Europe. The war in Ukraine has significantly impacted our operations in several ways. Most notably, many of our team members, originally from the Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions, have had to relocate.”
Nevertheless, the company remains ambitious. “Our commitment to development has not waned,” said Nataliia. “The war has indeed posed difficulties, particularly with a noticeable decline in foreign medical students in Ukraine. However, these challenging times have also opened up new opportunities for growth and innovation within our industry.”
Bridge to Europe
All of this would not have been possible without the support of the Enterprise Europe Network. Olena Fesenko, presently general manager of the Enterprise Europe Network-Ukraine Consortium, worked with ClinCaseQuest from 2022, right after the start of the Russian invasion. The Network acted like a bridge to Europe for them.
"Nataliia started her journey with the Network after the start of the war," said Fesenko. "We analysed the needs of ClinCaseQuest and understood that her product could attract great interest inside the European single market. Their product isn’t just interesting for doctors and medical students in Ukraine. It could offer great advantages to hospitals across Europe."
Through the Enterprise Europe Network, Nataliia Lopina could get connected to the European start-up ecosystem. "She was selected to take part in the ‘BW Start-ups Summit and Discovery Tour’ in September of 2022," said Fesenko. "After that, the company was selected to take part in two German acceleration programmes. Through these, the company managed to gain new knowledge and scale up. They secured several grants, developed their product, expanded their team and met key players in the European health tech ecosystem."
The experience made quite an impression on Nataliia Lopina. "The start-up tour and summit programme were packed," said the start-up founder. "It was almost a test of endurance. We had so many places to visit, things to learn, people to meet and things to change in our company. I was also highly impressed with Olena Fesenko. At night, all the start-up participants were exhausted. She, however, would just keep working. I was amazed at this woman's dedication to her work."
Today, ClinCaseQuest works partly from Ukraine, and partly from Berlin. "The Network’s assistance enabled us to find free co-working spaces in the German capital," said Nataliia Lopina. "They provided us with the necessary conditions to continue our work when relocation disrupted our usual operations."
Artificial intelligence
In the meantime, ClinCaseQuest is continuing the development of its platform and stepping up its commercialisation. After the initial rocky start at the beginning of the war, the Ukrainian start-up is now ready to scale up.
"The future of ClinCaseQuest looks very promising as we are set to enhance our platform by integrating artificial intelligence," said Nataliia Lopina. "We have already begun developing the first modules for an AI-based simulation training platform. This advancement will allow us to offer even more precise and personalised clinical simulation training experiences. It's a thrilling journey ahead, and we are eager to see where these innovations will take us in the field of medical education and simulation."