The people behind healthcare innovation: Interview with Dominik Sievert, Co-CEO and Co-founder of inveox

As part of my work, I have the privilege to speak with many inspiring innovators. However, the business community usually focuses more on companies, pitches, and valuations, and less on the innovator. I think it would be interesting to learn a bit more about the people behind healthcare innovation. Therefore, I’m sharing some of my conversations with innovators in a condensed format: six questions and six answers about their experience, their opinions, and their learnings.

This latest conversation is with Dominik Sievert, Co-CEO and Co-founder of inveox, which aims to streamline cancer diagnoses by digitizing and enhancing connections among histopathology laboratories, physicians, and patients.

Tobias: What’s your story, and how did you become an innovator in healthcare?

Dominik: My interest in healthcare, and more particularly histopathology, has a family-focused cause. When I was 17, my grandfather was diagnosed with cancer for the third time. We were told that he didn’t have much time left, but four months later, we were given a different time frame. I came to know what it means to live with the uncertainty of whether a loved one will still be there tomorrow, and I started understanding time differently: how much time did we actually have together?

This was the question that eventually led me to turn towards studying molecular biology. If I could not cure cancer right away, I at least wanted to make cancer diagnoses more efficient by providing the right tools to the right people. I decided to study in Munich because of the potential to learn from the vast medtech network in the area.

At the same time, I learned more about the work in histopathology labs; I observed how samples were taken and processed, which is when I realized that technology could prevent potentially severe mistakes and simultaneously save time. I came to know Maria, later my wife and business partner, who had also started looking at improving processes in histopathology labs. Together, we founded inveox with the mission to digitize, automate, and enhance workflows in histopathology labs in order to enable fast and safe diagnoses for patients.

Tobias: Where do you see the pathology space moving to in the next ten years?

Dominik: The histopathology space has already started transitioning to incorporate new technologies into workflows and to become more digital, integrated, and connected—for physicians who send their samples to labs, to other medical fields and professionals, and potentially even to patients. Historically, histopathology has been behind the scenes even though it has always been key to diagnosis and treatment. With this necessary change towards a digitized workspace, the field will hopefully gain greater visibility and attract interest from new specialists in the near future.

The technologies for digitized and automated workflows in histopathology are already available or being built right now to form a basis for the diagnostics of tomorrow. Whether in ten years or later, the goal is to have the pathology space fully digitized and standardized so that patients have access to a quick, accurate, and reliable diagnosis regardless of where they live—even in the remotest parts of the world.

Tobias: Looking more broadly, what are the biggest opportunities and obstacles you see for innovation in the healthcare environment?

Dominik: I see great opportunities for innovation: new treatments, therapies, and technologies are always around the corner. In terms of diagnosis and treatment, I see more personalized healthcare arriving. Also, I see a high level of interest from potential investors - investment will benefit the medical system as it evolves to offer more digital services.

Regarding obstacles, as a medtech company offering both software and hardware, interoperability standards are a major topic for us—although there are several initiatives around this topic happening at all administrative levels (country-specific, EU-wide, global). Other obstacles are rusty healthcare systems, a lack of medical personnel, as well as macro factors such as the pandemic, politics, changes in regulations and difficulties in the adoption and implementation of new technology. New technologies should become part of the curriculum for all healthcare professionals, from nurses to doctors.

Tobias: When you look at the health system as a whole (providers, payers, doctors, patients) who do you see driving innovation the most?

Dominik: People who wish to fill an unmet need or see an opportunity to improve on something are the real innovators. There is no single group or type of person. What ultimately drives people towards change is need. We see a lot of (promising) developments in literally every field and aspect of healthcare, from early detection to diagnosis to personalized treatment. One of the major challenges will be “connecting the dots” and bringing the different innovators and technologies in our system to work together.

Tobias: In your opinion, what is the single most important change that will better enable digital transformation in health systems?

Dominik: Interoperability standards—avoiding single, stand-alone solutions but creating an integrated, digital healthcare system, supported by government programs such as KHZG for Germany or the decade against cancer on EU level.

Tobias: What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were starting out as an innovator?

Dominik: Mainly these three things: First, the influence of the right (or poor) timing. When COVID-19 struck Germany, we opened a second line of business selling much-needed protective and testing equipment worldwide. As much as this second line helped inveox, it also slowed down commercial aspects of our core business which is still having an impact on our product development today. Second, there is no automation product without software (or digital services). Third, how much of a rollercoaster ride founding a company actually is and how important it is to have a support crew on your side.?

For more information, see Dominik Sievert and inveox.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and his guest contributor and do not reflect the views of McKinsey & Company.