Digital Health Rewired Pitchfest 2019 finalist profile: ByzGen

Having already worked with the government and in the defence sector, ByzGen saw a need to expand its innovative work on safe and efficient data sharing into healthcare. It saw the firm reach the final of the first ever Digital Health Rewired Pitchfest. Tom Bright – the company’s head of business development – tells us more.

Tell us a little about what your innovation does.

Our innovation enhances existing applications and allows you to assure data across a fragmented network. We use decentralised capability, accessed via an API to enhance data security and realise efficiency.

What was the impetus behind the product?

We have a varied track record in business, IT, government and the armed forces.

We realised that, the further you get from the front line, the bigger the issue with decision inertia as decision makers can’t trust the information in front of them. So we hunted for a technical capability which could guarantee data provenance.

How have you got to where you are now?

We’ve delivered a number of successful prototypes in UK government, defence and manufacturing. Those successful deliveries have informed our platform development, which now allows organisations to access our proprietary capability with a simple integration.

Why did you decide to enter the health space? 

The 21st century digital patient cares about their data, they care about the ownership of that data and where it is used. Then, when you look at existing pathways and how information flows, there are obvious efficiencies to be achieved.

We have a technology that can not only work across the existing infrastructure – we can enhance it and allow data to flow effectively across a fragmented network.

Have you faced any barriers?

The biggest barrier we’ve faced is that we haven’t worked within healthcare before. We know we can deliver value given the opportunity.

Why did you decide to enter the Digital Health Rewired Pitchfest?

ByzGen saw this as a good opportunity to engage an audience that encourages innovation for positive patient outcomes.

Looking to the future, what do you hope your product will achieve and what’s the next step in achieving that goal?

We’re already achieving success in other industries, however we’re passionate about the healthcare sector. Therefore that first integration into our platform to deliver better patient outcomes is crucial.

What advice would you give to someone looking to enter the health start-up space? 

Get someone clinical on board at the earliest opportunity.

The Digital Health Rewired Pitchfest competition gives innovators from across health and social care the chance to pitch their idea to sector leaders. Over 70 start-ups applied to take part in the 2019 event, sponsored by Silver Buck, with the final taking place at Digital Health Rewired on 26 March. 

Want to pitch your start-up or idea to NHS IT leaders and investors? Entries for Rewired Pitchfest 2020 are now open; you can apply here.