Innovating Point-of-Care Molecular Diagnostics

When innovative startups have breakthrough scientific concepts, translating vision into practical products requires both ambition and specialized expertise. EXOKĒRYX came to us with promising technology and clear market potential. Through collaborative engineering and our deep expertise in biotech instrumentation, we worked together to optimize their architecture for both performance and manufacturability. The result was a refined design that maintained all the scientific capabilities while dramatically improving reliability and reducing cost. This case demonstrates how the right partnership can accelerate the journey from ambitious concepts to market-ready solutions.

Small healthtech companies face an impossible equation: they need world-class expertiseacross multiple disciplines, but can't afford to hire permanent specialistsbefore proving market demand. EXOKĒRYX solved that challenge by partnering withour established development teams. Instead of doubling their workforce withindividual hires who would need months to get up to speed, they gainedimmediate access to engineers who already knew how to work togethereffectively. This approach not only provided the technical capabilities theyneeded but also gave them the flexibility to respond to marketconditions—whether demand accelerated faster than expected or took longer tomaterialize than planned.

Successfullyfunded health tech companies understand that development timelines must alignwith investment cycles. EXOKĒRYX needed to show consistent, measurable progressto secure follow-on funding while building a complex life sciences instrument.We structured their development process around investor-friendlymilestones—each phase delivering working prototypes or validated technicalcapabilities that could be demonstrated to current and prospective investors.This approach not only helped them maintain funding momentum but also ensuredthat each development dollar was being used efficiently. By understanding boththe technical and financial requirements of their journey, we helped them buildinvestor confidence alongside their actual product.

Complexengineering challenges benefit from collaborative problem-solving and diverseperspectives. EXOKĒRYX was working through sophisticated requirements thatnaturally led to an increasingly complex system architecture. While the designwas technically sound, the team recognized an opportunity to explorealternative approaches that might offer better manufacturability andreliability. Our collaboration brought fresh perspective and specializedexperience with similar instrument challenges. Together, we developed afundamentally different approach that met all the core requirements whilesignificantly reducing system complexity. This partnership demonstrates howcombining internal expertise with external specialization can unlock elegantengineering solutions.

In healthtechnology, timing often determines market success. EXOKĒRYX had identified asignificant opportunity but faced the reality that traditional developmentapproaches would take too long to capture it. By partnering with ourexperienced team, they compressed what could have been an 18-month internaldevelopment process into a 6-month sprint to working prototype. This wasn'tabout rushing—it was about applying specialized knowledge and provendevelopment processes to avoid the learning curve that comes with buildingcomplex instruments for the first time. Our deep experience with similarsystems allowed us to anticipate challenges, select appropriate technologies,and focus development effort on the unique aspects of their application ratherthan reinventing established approaches.