World shaper of tomorrow: MindMaze creates the universal platform for brain health

“My mission is to use the power of the brain to help improve the world,” explained MindMaze founder Dr. Tej Tadi. We picked Tej’s brain to find out more about the vision of the Lausanne-based company that was the first TOP 100 Swiss Startup to reach unicorn status. The engineer turned scientist turned entrepreneur shared how he and his team use advanced neuroscience and digital therapeutics to accelerate humanity’s ability to recover, learn, and adapt.

MindMaze’s journey to develop digital therapeutics started with a research paper: In 2007, Tej—an electronics engineer and neuroscientist with an advanced master’s in virtual reality and computer graphics—explored how virtual reality helps modulate our sense of self. The paper turned into a virtual-reality-based neuro-rehabilitation prototype, which was developed at EPF Lausanne and supported patients’ home-based rehabilitation. This prototype laid the foundation for Tej’s brainchild MindMaze, which was founded in 2012.
A year later, the first MindMotion™ PRO, MindMaze’s VR-based neurorehabilitation system, was sold. Since then, more than 3,300 patients around the world have benefited from this game-based digital therapy solution that promotes the kind of movements a patient would typically practice with a physiotherapist. “The results speak for themselves: You show the key opinion leaders that it works in patients and tell them that families start asking for it,” commented Tej on the success of the therapy solutions. “Patients often find it fun. A lot of these patients want social contact and to be motivated. That is the hook. Clinicians and hospitals, on the other hand, they just need to know that they’re not being replaced.”

Becoming the global leader in brain technology
Since 2012, Tej and his team have carefully invested in clinical trials with thousands of patients, obtained four FDA clearances and ISO certifications, opened offices in seven countries, and acquired four companies. “Our biggest achievement is to take different cultures from different countries and make everyone aligned and motivated and join our journey,” said Tej. In 2016, Hinduja Group invested USD 100 million at a USD 1 billion valuation. MindMaze became the first TOP 100 Startup to reach unicorn status.

 

“Get your hiring right and be ruthless. If you do not hire right, you’re not doing justice to yourself and to every penny that’s put into the business.” – Dr. Tej Tadi

In 2019, the company expanded its impact of digital therapeutics from healthcare to applications in everyday life: “Helping to improve the quality of life of people who’ve had brain injuries, strokes, and other kinds of mental deficits, such as Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease, has always been our priority, and that is what MindMaze Healthcare is about. With MindMaze Labs, we work with healthy people and improve how they perform and interact with the world,” explained Tej. With MindDrive, the MindMaze team added another industry to its portfolio in 2019: MindMaze works with Formula 1 teams to develop and test innovative safety and performance features to transform the entire mobility sector.
 

“The brain is so complex. The name MindMaze reminds us that it is a puzzle that we will probably always try to solve. Anyone who says that we've cracked the brain is just kidding, but we at MindMaze are relentlessly trying to decode it to help everyone—patients and healthy people—live better, more fulfilling lives.” – Dr. Tej Tadi

MindMaze also developed the first-of-its-kind mobile neurorehabilitation therapy system that allows patients to continue their recovery at home with virtual support from clinicians. Therapists with Johns Hopkins’ Outpatient Physical Therapy are using MindMaze’s technology with patients who recover from COVID-19 and help them remotely to regain physical strength. With the goal of finding a universal solution for brain health, Tej and his team have taken pioneering steps toward shaping the future of brain repair and reimagining our relationship with technology. However, they are just getting started with unlocking the true power of our most complex organ to help create a better world.






 

About World shapers of tomorrow: Startups building our future

The TOP 100 book World shapers of tomorrow: Startups building our future shows the impact of the TOP 100 Swiss Startups over the last 10 years. On 100 pages, the publication features the facts and figures about the startup ecosystem in Switzerland, shows the sectors and geographic distribution, and lists the investors behind Swiss deeptech startups. The book also highlights disruptive companies that changed their industry: Beekeeper, Bestmile, Climeworks, Covagen, DeinDeal, Doodle, GetYourGuide, MindMaze, Scandit, and Piavita. The founders of these startups share anecdotes and discuss their successes, lessons learned, and visions for the future. A selection of 10 verticals illustrates how Swiss deeptech startups transform our lives and help us build a better and more sustainable future in relation to health, longevity, digitalization, and decentralization.
Learn more and download your copy at www.top100startups.swiss/10years.

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