Innovation in European healthcare – what can Sweden learn? - LIF

Sara established a successful business
and the business environment got a 25 %
owners share in return
• Sara did not know anything about financing or running a business, but being a
midwife Sara wanted to expose her knowledge about optimal treatment for
women who had recently given birth. She wanted to pass on her knowledge by
offering an online research based education programme for students.
• By making it online, the teaching could become interactive, effective and
always up to date. ”I wanted to make a educational book with electricity”.
• From the beginning she didn’t know anything about running a business. Nor did
she know that there was an innovation environment that offered both money
and competent feedback.
• This changed when her mentor and professor at the clinical institute on Aarhus
University Hospital told her about Østjysk Innovation A/S (Eastern Jutland
Innovation) a state authorized innovation-environment that invest public and
their own means in business development in new innovative and high
technology business ideas.
• The environment could see a potential in Gynzone ApS and made a loan of 1,7
million DKK with a return of an owner's share of 25 %. Equally important,
Gynzone gained access to important knowledge and relevant feedback
regarding everything from Business development, licence agreements, supplier
contract, marketing, tax consultancy etc.
Sara started the company
Gynzone ApS in 2008
together with two doctors. As
the only employee in the
company, she has
developed the e-learning
material which has been
sold to hospitals and
educational institutes all
over Scandinavia. It has
recently been translated to
German and soon there will
be developed an English
version.
“It has been a very secure
and confident way of starting
up a business, where I didn’t
risk my house and personal
economy” – Sara
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