Munich Startup: What does Curevision do? What problem do you solve?
Richard Fobo, founder and CEO: Curevision has developed an innovative system that is revolutionizing wound analysis.
Over 20 million people worldwide suffer from chronic wounds and one in four families has a relative with a chronic wound. These wounds are not only painful, but also long-lasting and cost the healthcare system over 150 billion euros each year. Current wound assessment is often done by visual inspection and the use of paper rulers – a subjective and time-consuming process that leads to misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment. In fact, 50 percent of patients do not receive the correct treatment.
This is where our solution comes in: With our AI-supported technology, healthcare professionals can record precise data in just two clicks – from wound size and depth to tissue types and temperature. This saves up to 90 percent of time, reduces the workload on nursing staff and ensures significantly more efficient and precise wound care.
Curevision: Highly precise, user-friendly and fast
Munich Startup: But that’s nothing out of the box!
Richard Fobo: There are already smartphone solutions via apps, but these lack the sensors to record the temperature, for example. Other hardware solutions are usually specialized devices that focus on a single wound parameter – for example, only measuring the surface of the wound. This means that several devices are required to record all the important parameters and complete the wound documentation. This means more work, more time and higher costs for the customer. But customers need everything in one: highly precise, user-friendly and results in just a few seconds.
Munich Startup: What’s your founding story?
Richard Fobo: Our founding story began in 2020 when we became aware of how the healing progress of chronic wounds was being tracked – namely with paper rulers. After realizing the scope of the problem involved, we founded Curevision in 2021. We were supported very early on by the Munich ecosystem, especially by the Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship. After we received the EXIST Business Start-up Grant, we were able to really get going.
“X-ray machine for your pocket”
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Richard Fobo: One of the biggest challenges was to integrate the wide range of practical requirements into a compact and user-friendly solution. Right from the start, nursing staff and doctors made it clear to us that our solution offers huge added value and is urgently needed. But at the same time, we were always told with the first prototypes: “Please make it smaller, please make it lighter, please make it easier to use”. It was almost like squaring the circle; we often compared it to the demand for an “X-ray machine for your pocket”. The fact that we have now succeeded in doing exactly what our customers wanted from the outset makes us really proud. And makes nursing staff and doctors happy.
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, where would you like to be in five years?
Richard Fobo: Of course, we have goals from our business plans. But our most important goal is to ensure that as many patients as possible are treated with the support of Curevision. In nursing homes, outpatient care facilities, specialist wound care providers, surgeries and clinics. We are making good progress in Germany and have only just started to expand in Europe.
“We are very grateful to the partners”
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
Richard Fobo: Munich has turned out to be the perfect location for us. The universities and colleges in Munich are a very good breeding ground for tech startups. TUM’s Venture Labs and the Strascheg Center for Entrepreneurship contribute to the networking of startups. Then there is the Munich Technology Center MTZ, which offers fantastic conditions for startups. And support from the BioM network, Bavarian programs such as Bayern Innovativ and, of course, Baystartup. We are very grateful to the partners who support us.
Munich Startup: Hidden Champion or Shooting Star?
Richard Fobo: Is that an “either – or”? We were recently honored with the Health-i Award from Techniker Krankenkasse and Handelsblatt, the Eugen-Münch Prize from the Rhön Foundation and the Bavarian Innovation Prize – but does that make us a shooting star?
In any case, chronic wounds are often not so present in public perception, although patients and their relatives suffer greatly from them, often for months and years. In this respect, the “hidden” applies here. Fortunately, there are more and more fantastic startups, associations and care providers who are bringing this important issue more into the public eye. Because only together do we have a chance of overcoming the silent epidemic of chronic wounds.
