Medical simulation company moves HQ to Gothenburg
Norwegian technology startup Skillup is relocating its operations to Gothenburg. The region’s capabilities within medical simulation, its strong startup infrastructure and the ability to attract international investments were a few of the reasons behind the move.
The company, which is registered in Sweden as Simlogic AB, specialises in the use of virtual reality (VR) and gaming technology for medical simulation.
“There is a lack of sufficient practice time for clinicians to develop and practice emergency medical competencies and clinical decision-making skills. While conventional simulation is the gold standard for medical training, it has limited accessibility due to physical constraints and is often resource-intensive and expensive to maintain and operate,” says Ole Olsen, co-founder and co-CEO of the company.
Recent advances in medical imaging technology are providing new benefits and opportunities for patients and healthcare providers. Surgeons and emergency teams, for example, are being trained using advanced methods, including VR, which offers remote, immersive, and on-demand capabilities for complex team training.
However, high development costs, as well as fixed content and scenarios found in many available simulators are hampering their widespread adoption for medical training. The Norwegian company is looking to address these barriers.
“Our platform will give medical educators the freedom to customise their own patient and simulation scenario, giving them control over what they want to train virtually without incurring expensive development costs. Clinicians will have increased access to team training of complex scenarios that were limited or not possible with conventional simulation, helping them be better prepared to help patient in real-life situations,” says Ole Olsen.
To date, more than 20 hospitals, trauma centres and medical training centres in Scandinavia and Singapore have participated in beta-testing. The company is now looking to grow.
Gothenburg, the natural choice
To help make this happen, the company wanted to relocate its main operations. The criteria were a bigger market, strong startup infrastructure and an ability to attract international investments.
“Gothenburg is the natural choice because it is one of the fastest-growing regions in Europe. It’s a hotspot in life sciences and innovative technology, with leading medical simulation companies like Mentice, Orzone and Surgical Science located in the region,” says Angie Lim, Co-CEO of Skillup, also in charge of business development.
“Furthermore, Gothenburg’s proximity to Oslo means that it is close enough for us to continue serving our customers in Norway,” she adds.
Looking to scale up and tap into the local ecosystem
The company has moved into Gothenburg’s Sahlgrenska Science Park, where it has joined healthtech accelerator, CO-AX. The programme helps companies to unlock the potential of their innovations and to scale faster.
“CO-AX has the connections and network to the international healthcare sector, and an experienced and dedicated team of business advisors that can help us accelerate our market access and growth. They quickly understood our business, growth potential, and challenges. Thus, we are grateful for the opportunity of joining the accelerator and establishing our offices at Sahlgrenska Science Park,” says Ole Olsen.
Sights set on growth and expansion
Iris Öhrn, our investment advisor for life science is supporting the company to establish operations here and become part of the region’s life science sector. She explains that the company has completed several pilot projects, entered several collaborations in Singapore and is focused on getting more hospitals and universities to join their early-adopter programmes. Distribution agreements are being discussed in several locations.
“As part of its expansion, the company plans to raise funds and recruit new talent to advance its software development. We at Business Region Göteborg aim to support these efforts by facilitating relocation processes and establishing local connections within the life science and other relevant ecosystems, such as ICT and mobility,” says Iris Öhrn.
*The image used in this article is the property of Skillup AS and is protected under copyright law. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of these images is strictly prohibited.
Read more
