High-Tech Gruenderfonds invests in internet-based- assistance systems for elderly people and signs a share of the exelonix GmbH

The on-going demographic change will lead to a growing population of elderly customers that are looking for means to ensure a long independent and safe life at home despite the increasing limitation they face from their personal health condition. More often relatives live far away without the chance to help in case of emergency. The exelonix vision is to provide the growing population of elderly people with cost efficient, easy-to-use products for instant personal assistance, smart audio/video communication and innovative means for health care. The extremely user-friendly ASINA tablet is outperforming existing telephone emergency solutions for those who need care or 24/7 assistance. This vision has brought together a unique team and has convinced the HTGF to invest in exelonix GmbH.

Dr. Frank Schäfer and Dr. Matthias Stege, both serial entrepreneurs and passionate engineers will form the exelonix management team. Both had founded exelonix in April 2013 together with Prof. Gerhard Fettweis, a renowned researcher and head of the Vodafone endowed chair for Mobile Communication Systems at University of Technology Dresden, and Prof. Frank Oehmichen, head physician of the Bavaria hospital and Prof. for ethics in medicine. Thus the exelonix team brings together science, engineering and medical experience, a combination hard to find somewhere else.

The HTGF investment will enable exelonix to further develop the product from the current prototype into a pre-series status that than will prove its market relevance in friendly user trials. Partners for this trials are health care service providers along with telecommunication network operators. The market launch is planned as a ‘Life Style Product’ mid 2014 including features such as: home emergency call, video call with relatives, special offerings of the health care service providers and easy-to-use Web-access ect. In the future vital monitoring and tele-medicine applications will added to the system.

„Many achievements of the digital age and the internet in general are not be available for elderly people due to technical and mental barriers.  This is what we at exelonix will change with our extremely user friendly and easy-to-use assistance– and communications system.“ says Dr. Matthias Stege managing director of  exelonix. „We consider assistance systems to be a market segment with high growth potential in the near future. We are happy to have the HTGF among our investors that also shares our vision. “

“With exelonix we are strengthen our Life Science Portfolio in the area of ‘ambient assisted livings’ (AAL) and eHealth-Cares”, explains Marco Winzer, investment director at High-Tech Gruenderfonds . ” We were convinced by the skilled and business driven founder team of serial entrepreneurs as well as the B2B sales concept, were customers of exelonix are among the communication network providers as well as healthcare companies  and rehabilitation centers.”

About exelonix GmbH
exelonix develops and sells internet-based assistance systems for elderly people which offer home emergency call functionality along with easy-to-use internet  & communication applications. This will enable  participation oft he elderly in the information society without the usual barriers.

Kontakt:
Dr. Matthias Stege
Matthias.stege@exelonix.com
phone: +49 176 20833650

About High-Tech Gruenderfonds
High-Tech Gruenderfonds invests in young, high potential high-tech start-ups. The seed financing provided is designed to enable start-ups to take an idea through prototyping and to market launch. Typically, High-Tech Gruenderfonds invests EUR 500,000 in the seed stage, with the potential for up to a total of EUR 2 million per portfolio company in follow-on financing. Investors in this public/private partnership include the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, the KfW Banking Group, as well as seventeen commercial enterprises ALTANA, BASF, B. Braun, Robert Bosch, CEWE Color, Daimler, Deutsche Post DHL, Deutsche Telekom, Evonik, Lanxess, media + more venture Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG, METRO, Qiagen, RWE Innogy, SAP, Tengelmann and Carl Zeiss. High-Tech Gruenderfonds has about EUR 573,5 million under management in two funds (EUR 272 million HTGF I, EUR 301,5 million HTGF II).

Contact:
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH
Marco Winzer
Investment Director / Prokurist
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH
Schlegelstraße 2
53113 Bonn
phone:  +49 228 823001-06
fax: +49 228 823000-50
m.winzer@high-tech-gruenderfonds.de
www.high-tech-gruenderfonds.de