Israel is well-known for its thriving start-up ecosystem and advances in technology, including in the healthcare sphere. At a

Chamber event on 27 June, representatives from nine Israeli start-ups in the digital healthcare sector each gave a short presentation on their products and services. 

Products discussed include Master Caution, a smart garment developed by HealthWatch. The comfortable wearable garment uses sensors to constantly monitor the patient and can alert remote teams if issues such as heart problems arise. 

Another example is the iFeel Healthy App, which measures the user’s heart rate to help determine relaxation levels and set an optimal breathing rate. This can be used by people with asthma and other respiratory issues and can help reduce anxiety. 

The other companies at the event were: Alango Technologies, BSP Medical, DALI Medical Devices, DigiSense, MelCap Systems, MYOR Diagnostics and Wearable Devices Ltd. They demonstrated their innovative products in areas including alternatives to hearing aids, drug delivery and diagnostics.

Racheli Ben Onn, China Collaboration Manager from the Israel Innovation Authority, also spoke at the event and provided an overview of the latest digital health developments in Israel. She explained that the Israeli Government had contributed US$300 million to the sector as part of its plan for Israel to become a world leader in digital health. 

Ben Onn also highlighted that Israel already has dedicated incubators and that start-ups can access seed funding from the government and investors. Besides the vibrant tech start-up scene, more than 400 multinational technology companies are based in the country. The country also has a national genomic clinical database with records covering 98% of the population going back several decades, which is of particular benefit to developers of innovative healthcare products.

After the presentations, members had the chance to have one-on-one meetings with the start-ups to explore potential collaboration and investment opportunities. 

The event was co-organized by the Chamber’s Young Executives Club and the Consulate General of Israel. Guests were welcomed by Ahuva Spieler, Consul General of Israel; Martha Hao, Chairman of the Hong Kong Medicaland Healthcare Device Industries Association; and YEC Vice Chairman Elsa Wong.