A ventilator can be a lifesaver. Therefore, optimal adjustment to the individual patient is crucial. And that's exactly what the Munich startup Ebenbuild is working on.
Who are you and what do you do?
Until now, artificial ventilation for patients with acute respiratory failure has been manually adjusted on the ventilator based on often very non-specific parameters such as body weight. This demonstrably contributes to the high mortality rate of almost 40 percent in this type of emergency. We want to change that. Our software uses computed tomography (CT) scans and machine learning to create a virtual, patient-specific model of the lung. This enables an automated, personalized, and precise prediction of the optimal ventilation method. We want to offer the entire solution as a clinically integrated software-as-a-service solution. However, our simulation methods can also be effectively used in other areas: For example, personalized predictions can be made for the treatment of severe respiratory diseases and the optimization of pharmaceutical and medical devices.
Kennengelernt haben wir – Kei (33), Jonas (35), Karl-Robert (32) und Wolfgang (55) – uns während der Promotion an Wolfgangs Lehrstuhl. Nach der Promotion sind wir dann zunächst getrennte Wege gegangen, bevor wir nun gewissermaßen zurückgekehrt sind, um gemeinsam Ebenbuild to start.
The first financing is a real challenge
But that's been around for a long time!
No, actually, that doesn't exist yet. There's no other technology that even remotely allows for similar predictions for the lungs.
What has been your biggest challenge so far?
Finding initial funding for our idea wasn't easy. We only received approval for EXIST Research Transfer funding on our third attempt.
Let’s get to the point: How is business going?
Thanks to this funding, we are fortunate enough to be able to develop our product over the next year and a half, conduct initial clinical trials, and begin the approval process.
At the same time, we want to use our technology to help medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers accelerate and digitize their research and development processes. We are currently in negotiations with our first willing customer.
What does Munich mean to you?
What we value about Munich is, of course, its active startup scene and the current spirit of optimism and entrepreneurship. Personally, we like the beer garden culture and the variety of leisure activities Munich offers.
“A long road ahead with a lot of work ahead of us”
How can your startup become the next unicorn? Or will we see you soon at Epic Fail Night?
Well, these mythical creatures are very shy animals and, especially in Germany, quite rare so far. But we hope that will change soon. Seriously, since we're in the healthcare sector, it will unfortunately be a while before we can release our product to patients. We're all quite optimistic at the moment, but there's still a long way to go and a lot of work ahead of us.
Isar or English Garden?
Why not? Lounging, barbecuing, and hopping in the English Garden on the Isar River is pretty enjoyable.
