Jiang Li, CEO of Vivalink, talks about the company’s biometrics data platform as a data service that’s designed to support virtual healthcare applications, in response to emailed questions.
Why did you start this company?
During an incidental visit to the ER, I saw how overwhelming the hospital machines, monitors, and instruments can be to a patient. I identified significant opportunities of using state-of-art electronics and new advancements in software to improve the patient experience. I realized there was an unmet need to connect patients and physicians through less-invasive and clunky measures.
As a result, Vivalink was created based on a belief that a simple digital link could build a communication bridge between patient and provider that is capable of sharing valuable diagnostic and monitoring information. This empowers patients to be more involved in their care without disrupting their daily lives.
What need are you seeking to address in healthcare?
Jiang Li
Developing healthcare applications for virtual healthcare requires new expertise and domain knowledge in technology, including but not limited to, wearable sensors, Internet of Things (IoT) networks, data management, and cloud infrastructure. However, if you’re a company that builds healthcare applications, your domain knowledge is focused on medical and clinical issues, not technology.
Realizing this, Vivalink architected a platform designed to provide the human physiology data infrastructure for virtual healthcare applications, thereby making it much easier and faster to develop and deploy healthcare applications.
What does your product do? How does it work?
Vivalink’s biometrics data platform is designed to take the complexities out of real world data capture and analysis, providing actionable insights for real-time detection, diagnosis and intervention. It is an open platform that can be easily integrated with virtually any healthcare application for ambulatory or remote monitoring.
Our regulatory-cleared platform consists of wearable sensors to capture human vitals and biometrics, edge-to-cloud IoT network, data management, and algorithms. All are fully integrated and designed to be easily connected to clinical applications.
Is this your first healthcare startup? What’s your background in healthcare?
This is my first healthcare startup, but not my first startup. Prior to Vivalink, I was vice president of engineering at Thin Film Electronics, managing product and technology development relative to sensor technology and IoT, as well as trailblazing flexible electronics technology.
I also hold 11 patents related to healthcare in three fundamental areas: wearable sensor technology, product features and design, and health data algorithms. I helped pioneer the development of the first ever electronic tattoo, which we patented at Vivalink under the name eSkinTM .
What is your company’s business model?
We offer the biometrics data platform as a data service, and it is primarily bundled and sold through healthcare application partners. These partners sell the complete solution directly to hospitals, physicians, and pharmaceutical companies conducting decentralized clinical trials. That said, we often get approached directly by the end-users and at times, we will sell directly to them.
Who is your customer?
Our customers consist of healthcare application solution providers in various domains such as mobile cardiac telemetry, remote patient monitoring, acute patient monitoring, and decentralized clinical trials. We have over 100 commercial partners in 25 countries around the world.
How do you generate revenue?
We sell the platform as a service that encompasses sensors, network, data management analysis, and cloud hosting.
Do you have clinical validation for your product?
Our products have clearances from the FDA, CE, NMPA and have been used in significant research, including clinical trials conducted by AstraZenaca, Stanford, and UCSF.
Photo: metamorworks, Getty Images
