Sending people to sleep isn’t normally something a company would boast about, but in the case of ExciteOSA, that’s exactly their aim.
Founder Professor Akhil Tripathi set out to invent a medical device which would enable better sleep for those with sleep apnoea – which affects an estimated 10 million in the UK alone – as well as alleviating snoring which impacts around 40% of adults.
To date, the results from clinical trials and user feedback have been astonishingly positive.
Tell us about your background
I’ve spent my career working within healthcare as an educator and an innovator of medical devices.
Over time, I became focused on finding practical ways to improve patient outcomes, which then led me to founding ExciteOSA. The company solves a very real, often overlooked problem within sleep health; sleep apnoea can be responsible for co-morbidities like hypertension, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
And, while perhaps seen as a minor issue, snoring has an untold impact on health and wellbeing too.
What traits do you think are essential for founders in health tech, compared to other startups?
You definitely need perseverance and patience to start up a health tech company. Healthcare, and specifically the medical device sector, moves slower than other industries. Of course, there is also a lot more regulation around the healthcare sector than in many others – and rightly so.
This requires you to generate clinical evidence and real-world evidence, as well as enabling both patients and physicians to understand and experience the benefits of your device.
All of which means you need to be focused, consistent and comfortable with the complexity of various aspects of clinical medicine, medical devices and health technology.
Can you give us an overview of ExciteOSA and your role?
ExciteOSA is a treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea. It’s simple to use, worn during the day, and helps people avoid or reduce reliance on CPAP machines; clinicians around the world have seen how well it works and now recommend it to their patients, citing it as ‘revolutionary’, ‘unique’, ‘convenient’ and ‘successful’. I founded the company, and my role includes product direction, partnerships, and growing our reach in the USA, UK and beyond.
Why did you start ExciteOSA and what makes it different?
I saw how many people were struggling with traditional treatments offered for sleep apnoea. CPAP works, but many people experience side effects such as a dry mouth and nose, skin irritation, swallowing air and nasal congestion. ExciteOSA offers a non-invasive option that fits better into daily life. It’s evidence-based, clinically proven and easy to use, and helps improve adherence.
Tell us about your customers and how you help them
Our customers are people with sleep apnoea and the clinics that support them. Our product gives them an alternative to surgical intervention or overnight solutions such as CPAP, and is easier to use and less disruptive. That leads to better results, fewer symptoms, and better sleep. It’s also being used to great effect by people who struggle with snoring, and the night-time disturbances this can cause both for them and for their partner too.
How are you funded?
The company has been self-funded, and also supported by investors who understand healthcare and believe in the long-term need for better sleep solutions. We have been extremely careful about the investors we bring in, as we wanted to ensure we didn’t just generate capital but also brought on board people whose values aligned with the company’s.
If you could change one thing in health tech, what would it be?
I would shorten the time between innovation and adoption. At the moment, a lot of good ideas get stuck in the complexity of regulations and Government bureaucracy which either delays or completely derails them being available to patients.
If we could bring solutions to patients faster – crucially without compromising safety – it would help everyone.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of starting their own business?
I would tell them to be clear about the problem they are solving: find a gap that matters and work backwards from there, rather than chasing trends. Build slowly, test everything, and listen to the people you are trying to help.
What’s next for you? Are you focused only on health tech?
Health tech is still my focus, and I believe there is much more to do within that sector. But I am also interested in how behaviour, technology and long-term health outcomes interconnect. Over time, I may explore other areas where I can make a real impact – but right now, my priority is ensuring as many patients as possible have access to ExciteOSA’s sleep solution to improve not only the quality of their sleep, but also their overall health and wellbeing.
