Munich Startup: What does your startup do? What problem does Azuma solve?
Matthias Berger, Azuma: At Azuma We are convinced that we all deserve sustainable healthcare. One building block for this is that digital health focuses on its core competencies – the best diagnoses, the best therapies, the best medical processes. To achieve this goal, we develop 'sustainable tech for digital health': We offer and operate cloud modules and cloud functionalities that are explicitly tailored to the requirements of the digital health ecosystem. Specifically, our first product, 'Azuma Doa,' solves the following problems:
- We simplify access to digital health solutions for all users.
- We enable digital health providers to focus on medical problems while simultaneously reducing the costs of developing and operating their solutions.
- In many cases, we increase the security of our solutions through the latest technologies and concepts.
Azuma: Impact on the healthcare industry
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Matthias Berger: Generally, there are providers who develop generic cloud modules and functionality. However, the context is particularly complex in the healthcare sector. This makes specific customizations that we haven't seen on the market before very useful. With our first product, 'Azuma Doa,' users can take their created account with them. This allows a doctor to access all applications via a central login. We also map the complex access rights of hospitals and doctor's offices. This facilitates the development of digital health solutions.
We also explicitly aim to connect all participants more easily. An ideal ecosystem connects not only patients and healthcare providers, but also research, development, and providers of medications and therapies – and their services.
Munich Startup: What is your founding story?
Matthias Berger: Our founding story is a team story. We had already worked together in various constellations at our previous employer on the implementation of digital innovations and cloud platforms and software. Each of us was somehow each other's boss. We wanted to bring our experience to another industry, with more personal responsibility and greater impact. The impact of the pandemic also led us to the healthcare sector. The concrete ideas emerged through a joint ideation process and prototype development. What binds us together is that we share a very similar vision of what drives us: We simply want to develop good software and use it to change established structures – and improve them!
Biggest challenge: the right sales strategy
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Matthias Berger: The biggest challenge right now is finding the right sales strategy. Our expertise lies in developing state-of-the-art software. We're currently learning how to sell it in the complex B2B environment of the healthcare sector. In this sector in particular, there's a reservation about the cloud, which we believe is unfounded. This mindset is difficult to break, partly because many people lack the technical know-how and understanding of the technologies. Accordingly, what we do requires a lot of explanation. Finding the right path has been a major challenge for us so far, and will continue to be.
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, where in five years?
Matthias Berger: Our goal is to have established our first product, 'Azuma Doa,' as a component of the digital health ecosystem in Germany within one year. Specifically, this means having the first satisfied customers and users of the product. In five years, we will, at best, be an integral element and have contributed to bringing the patchwork of digital health together into a sustainably functioning ecosystem.
Fun, motivation and endurance
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
Matthias Berger: Even before we founded our own startup, we had many different connections to the startup scene in Munich. And let's just say: It didn't scare us off. There are a lot of creative minds here who want to make a difference and have good ideas. The founders are mostly open and receptive and want to learn from each other. That's very positive. There are an incredible number of opportunities and points of contact, including at the universities.
Munich Startup: Quick exit or long breath?
Matthias Berger: If you want to advance digitalization in the healthcare sector, you can't avoid perseverance. "You need a lot of patience" has become a kind of mantra for us. But that's perfectly fine. We have a lot of fun, plenty of motivation, and plenty of endurance training. We believe that with our products, we can have a real and positive impact on the vital healthcare sector.
