Healthy Mind: the evidence-based virtual reality therapy solution reinforces the portfolio of Axeltim group, business accelerator

 

Axeltim continues to diversify its skills and is now interested in virtual reality with the aim of strengthening the link between technology and well-being in the hospital sector. Healthy Mind, a technological nugget that helps reduce anxiety and pain in patients using it, was the perfect candidate. 

 

Paris, 09 February 2022 – A true accelerator of digital companies, Axeltim’s ambition is to help and support innovative start-ups in the transformation of the healthcare system, through the acquisition of a minority stake and strong support in its ecosystem. Through its portfolio of innovative e-health solutions, the group also aims to position itself as a market leader. 

 

Healthy Mind, combining technology and neuroscience for the well-being of patients in hospital

Healthy Mind was founded in 2017 in Paris by Reda Khouadra, Timothée Cabanne and Malo Louvigné, as engineers specialising in healthcare, and is now based at Station F in Paris within the iPEPS incubator of the ICM (The Healthtech Hub de l’Institut du Cerveau). This solution offers healthcare professionals a medical device that combines immersion through virtual reality technology, medical hypnosis and advanced psychology principles to reduce pain and anxiety of patients. 

While more than 44 million operations are carried out each year in Europe, it is estimated that nearly 55% of patients undergoing surgery suffer from anxiety¹. Healthy Mind provides an answer to this problem.
Thanks to a virtual reality headset and a monitoring application on a tablet, the Healthy Mind solution can be easily used before, during or after an anxiety-provoking or painful procedure. The benefits are observed at different levels of anxiety and pain, either as an alternative or as a complement to sedation. Its effectiveness allows it to be used in a wide range of applications and to be part of the therapeutic tools of many medical services.

 

Areas of application and benefits

Healthy Mind’s solution is already used in hospitals in more than 20 different medical departments such as anaesthesia, surgery, paediatrics, oncology and palliative care. It is also available in clinics, private practices and medico-social establishments such as nursing homes for the comfort of the elderly. Employees can also use the solution, on a personal basis, during breaks to reduce fatigue and improve their Quality of Life at Work (QWL). 

 

Initial scientific results from Healthy Mind’s medical device have demonstrated a 57%² reduction in anxiety before surgery, an 80%³ reduction in morphine after surgery and a 70%⁴ reduction in pain in palliative care.

The clinical benefits of using virtual reality to reduce pain and anxiety in hospital are also now being demonstrated in hundreds of international publications and for many different medical use cases.

 

A complete medical device

Developed in close collaboration with doctors and neuroscience experts, this software solution is designed to provide a high quality 3D visual and auditory experience. By integrating medical hypnosis and therapeutic principles, such as relaxation through music and cardiac coherence, it can be used on its own or in addition to sedation for the well-being of the patient. The Healthy Mind software is a class 1 “CE” (Product Conformity) medical device, which allows the manufacturer and the product to demonstrate their commitment to compliance with the requirements set by European regulations and the ISO 13485 standard.

 

An investment with many economic and technological challenges

For Axeltim, the challenge is to continue to invest in the future leaders in digital healthcare and patient well-being.
By supporting this strategy, Axeltim is committed to a market fluidity approach by supporting the development of companies like Healthy Mind, but above all by deciding to help them grow and collaborate within the same ecosystem. Axeltim’s aim is to establish its legitimacy in the health and e-health market.

“For us, investing in Healthy Mind’s VR solution marks a real turning point in our development, as it is the first time that Axeltim is addressing the solution of Virtual Reality applied to health. Thanks to this investment, Axeltim is one step closer to becoming the leader in the health and e-health market”, explains Arnault Thouret, Managing Director of Axeltim, before adding: “Today, given the lightning technological progress we are experiencing, it is essential for companies to adapt to it, and VR has become essential”.

While video games and education are the two historical axes of its development, VR applied to the field of health and well-being is experiencing very strong growth, which should reach 5.1 billion dollars in 2025 (Grand View Research). In Europe, France is the leader thanks to its national know-how, which can be found in more than 300 specialised start-ups gathered in one of the largest centres dedicated to the VR industry.

 

As an accelerator of digital companies, Axeltim’s aim is to propel innovative start-ups in the health sector by providing them with the best possible support in their integration and exchanges between e-health nuggets. The three founders of Healthy Mind are joining the Axeltim ecosystem. This investment will allow Healthy Mind to keep its entity and its free will.

“Joining Axeltim is a great opportunity for Healthy Mind which, thanks to the support of the accelerator, will now be able to continue to shine in the field of e-health and well-being at European and international levels. We are delighted to be able to contribute, on our own scale, to the transformation of medical care for patients thanks to a non-drug and attractive technology”, says Timothée Cabanne, CEO and co-founder of Healthy Mind.

 

 

About Healthy Mind

Healthy Mind is a medical device that combines immersion through virtual reality technology, medical hypnosis and advanced psychology principles to reduce patients’ pain and anxiety. An innovative medical device that the start-up has been commercialised since mid-2018 to healthcare institutions in France and Europe with the aim of improving patients’ well-being and helping to reduce the consumption of medication and the length of hospitalisation.

About Axeltim

As a true accelerator of digital companies, Axeltim’s ambition is to help and support innovative start-ups in the transformation of the healthcare system in order to improve health for all. The Group’s objective is to integrate these innovative solutions into the healthcare market and to provide them with strategic support so that they can develop on a long-term basis. This involves securing the first life cycle of the company to ensure post-Axelim development.

 

 

 

 

Sources : 

• ¹ OMS, data base for the European region, 2007 and Annual Healthcare facilities statistics in France in 2016
  Pain Prevalence in a French Teaching Hospital Laurence Salomon, MD, MPH, Stéphanie Tcherny-Lessenot, MD Groupe
• ² Marsac, L., Azale, M., Dahmani S. (2019, September). Evaluation of a virtual reality headset in prevention of peri operative anxiety in children. Presented at the 61th Congress of the French Society of Anesthesia & Intensive Care Medecine (SFAR), Paris, France.

• ³ Assaker, R., Azale, M., Nesa, C., Julien-Marsollier, F., Dahmani S. (2020, September). Effectiveness of virtual reality in reducing anxiety and pain in pediatric idiopathic scoliosis surgery. Presented at the 62th Congress of the French Society of Anesthesia & Intensive Care Medecine (SFAR), Paris, France.

• ⁴ Yves Gremion Y., (2020, Novembre) Contribution of virtual reality in the management of pain and anxiety. Presented at a Pallia-Vie Foundation webinar.