H4 x Bewe: when the field reinforces innovation

Bewe is developing a video game to improve eating habits. By joining H4, the team was able to test its solution in the field, talk to healthcare professionals and better understand their needs. This was a valuable step in a process supported by several players in the field of healthcare innovation.

To better understand their approach and what the H4 experience has really brought them, we asked the Bewe team a few questions. Between vision, fieldwork and adaptation, we look back on a journey in full evolution.

Can you introduce yourselves in a few words: who are you and what does

your start-up do?

Bewe is a spin-off from the University of Fribourg. We develop innovative video games that aim to improve eating habits implicitly, without requiring any conscious effort on the part of users. Our approach is based on behavioural science and neuroscience to offer a fun, scientifically-based intervention.

What convinced you to join H4 and meet

healthcare professionals in the field?

We joined H4 after receiving an innovation grant from Biopôle. This opportunity allowed us to become part of an ecosystem directly linked to healthcare and to benefit from easier access to healthcare professionals.

How was the hands-on experience? Was there a particular meeting or

moment that stood out for you?

The H4 experience allowed us to interact with a wide variety of professionals involved in the treatment of overweight and obesity: nurses, doctors, dieticians, psychologists, health coaches. We started with a focus group with nurses, then organised a series of individual interviews with other professionals.

The multidisciplinary nature of these exchanges was particularly valuable. It enabled us to better understand the specific constraints of each profession as well as the potential synergies around our tool.

How did this direct contact with healthcare professionals help

your project evolve?

These exchanges played a key role in validating and guiding our solution. They enabled us to assess the extent to which our application met the needs expressed by patients and professionals. Several features were identified as particularly relevant and will be included in future versions.

And now, what are the next steps for your start-up

after the H4 experience?

We will incorporate the lessons learned in the field into our development strategy, both in terms of product and sales.

What message would you give to a start-up considering going

through H4?

We recommend this approach. Contact with healthcare professionals enables accurate and useful field studies to be carried out, which go far beyond what a theoretical analysis can offer. H4 is well established in the Lausanne ecosystem and facilitates access to qualified, committed and innovation-minded contacts.