Gut Feeling is a Munich-based digital health startup. Together with co-founder Tobias Wasle and a team of physicians and developers, CEO Caroline Lutz has developed an app for people with chronic gastrointestinal complaints. We asked the founder our 7 questions.
1. Who are you and what do you do?
Gut Feeling is a coaching app for people with chronic gastrointestinal complaints. With a recommendation program suitable for everyday use, it guides sufferers back to an individually health-promoting lifestyle. This app can be seamlessly integrated into medical treatment and supports patients in implementing their recommendations in everyday life, even when the doctor is no longer at their patient's side.
Accompanying app, complementary to the doctor's visit
Unlike many other digital apps for a "healthy life," we don't focus on diagnostics (often without therapeutic relevance). Our goal is to increase and support patient compliance in implementing the (correct) recommendations through practical, everyday offerings and support. Furthermore, unlike most of these apps, we don't see ourselves as an alternative to a doctor's visit, but rather as a valuable complement that significantly increases the effectiveness of therapy.
The core team consists of me, Caroline, who has spent the past few years working in private equity and developing business models in the healthcare sector. I studied business administration and medicine. Tobias has led IT teams in various corporations over the past few years and has already led a startup to success as Head of Development. He has a degree in computer science. We've gathered a small medical and technical team around us with whom we're building our business together. We met through a founders' network; the other team members largely came from our network.
2. But that's been around for a long time!
There is no digital product that focuses on implementing a therapy and can be integrated into medical treatment. In the physical world, there are, of course, various practitioners (often alternative medicine practitioners) who take a very root-cause, holistic approach to their patients' problems and recommend lifestyle interventions. However, even these practitioners lose contact with their patients when they are not in the practice – unlike the Gut Feeling App Coach. Care-intensive treatments in the field of "lifestyle medicine" are also very expensive and, for single practitioners, have significantly less evidence-based foundation than our expert system, which was already validated by a larger number of experts upon its market launch.
“Be bold, but structured”
3. What are the three main ingredients for your recipe for success?
• Be bold, but structured: Push ahead with unconventional ideas, but always have a concept and a plan in the background.
• One for all – all for one: unconditional solidarity as a team.
• Don’t give up: fall down, get up, straighten your crown (in Tobias’ case: comb your beard), move on.
4. Let’s get down to business: How is business going?
We are satisfied so far. We created a very ambitious milestone plan at the beginning of the year and regularly and critically monitor our progress. Important goals that Gut Feeling has achieved so far include:
- the establishment of a small but interdisciplinary team (business development, medicine, development),
- the integration into a completely new network (we have both been at home in the corporate / finance environment for the last few years),
- the development of a business model, creation and follow-up of a business plan,
- Building a brand and website,
- a finished prototype
- and beta tests with 25 customers.
Location for “founders who are really serious”
5. What does Munich mean to you?
Tobias is a native of Munich; I've lived here for seven and a half years and don't want to leave either. As a location for "founders who are really serious about their work," Munich seems like an excellent location. There are many high-quality funding programs and institutions, and with the TU and LMU, leading universities with whom we are in discussions regarding collaborations.
6. How will your startup become the next unicorn? Or will we see you soon at Epic Fail Night?
In our view, there are so many reasons why something can fail. Some are within the founders' control, others simply aren't. We focus our resources on working with the factors we can influence.
Whether it's a unicorn or an epic fail, we're having so much fun being entrepreneurs right now, diving into new adventures, learning new things every day, and achieving exciting goals, both big and small, at the end of the week. That makes every day worthwhile!
7. Helles or Prosecco?
For Tobias it would definitely be a Helles or sometimes a Radler, but I definitely prefer Prosecco.
Thank you for the interview. And if you want to hear more from Gut Feeling, check out the PassioMed podcast.
