Disrupting the smart wearables industry - Leo Grünstein - Spiden

Wearables are a form of technology that has rapidly become a part of our lives over the past 15 years, with the introduction of devices from Fitbit, Apple, Samsung, and others to the market.Initially informing us about our heart rate and daily step count, they have evolved to incorporate increasingly sophisticated features, allowing us to track our sleep relatively accurately, monitor our overall physical activity, and sometimes even include recognized medical functions (such as the FDA-approved atrial fibrillation detection of the Apple Watch).However, no device of this type allows for real-time quantification of molecules circulating in our blood or other bodily fluids, through optical methods.And that's exactly the challenge that Leo and his team at Spiden have set for themselves: to create the most advanced wearable, capable of continuously and non-invasively measuring multiple biomarkers circulating in our bodies.This could redefine our understanding of our own physiology and change our approach to medicine, by providing insights for the prevention, diagnosis, and monitoring of several conditions, that were previously inaccessible.Since its creation in 2017, Spiden has been operating away from the spotlight, but Leo does us the honor in this exclusive episode to reveal the first secrets behind Spiden’s technology.We discuss its functioning, its initial applications, who the future users will be, and also the incredible team of world-renowned scientists Leo has managed to bring together in the fields of optics, electronic engineering, and machine learning (three fields that were originally completely foreign to him) to achieve his vision.A fascinating conversation about the future of personalized medicine with a bold and successful entrepreneur!
Timeline: 03:43 - Leo’s background as a serial entrepreneur from fintech to deep tech 04:56 - Why Leo found Spiden and works towards improving our health 07:14 - The mission of Spiden 11:00 - The technology behind Spiden 14:47 - The biomarkers that Spiden can track 19:02 - Target users of Spiden’s future wearable 22:28 - Designing a health-dedicated device 24:10 - Attracting world talents in fields you are not initially from 34:01 - The importance of in-person interactions in a scientific and multidisciplinary team
What we also talked about with Leo: Continuous glucose monitoring (Abbott Freestyle Libre) Bits & Pretzels HealthTech Photoplethysmography (PPG) Biohacking Glucose Goddess Whoop Oura Garmin Huberman Lab induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)
We cited with Leo some of the past episodes from the series: #4 - Filtering the blood with nanoengineered beads - Lukas Langenegger - Hemotune #11 - Turning the lab into a wearable platform - Esmeralda Megally - Xsensio #21 - Transforming hypertension care with a bracelet - Jay Shah - Aktiia
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