The IMCAS Innovation Shark Tank is session within IMCAS Annual World Congress that gives an opportunity for startups to pitch their unique solutions in the fields of dermatology, plastic surgery and aesthetic science to a jury of renowned physicians, inventors, investors and industry leaders, who selects the startup with the most innovative solution for the Innovation of the Year Award.

The third edition takes place in 2020.

How did you hear about the IMCAS Innovation Shark Tank?

Dominique Du Crest, whom I know through his blog SkinAid, and who is coordinator of the Shark Tank, told me about this event.

What kind of solution did you propose?

At DAMAE MEDICAL, our purpose is to make skin cancer management non-invasive, personalized, efficient and reliable. Skin cancer is a major health issue. It’s classified into two categories: Melanoma, the deadliest form, and Carcinoma, the most common type. We are providing a medical device that is capable of imaging the different skin layers up to the dermis, at a cellular resolution. We are capable of seeing both melanoma and carcinoma. It’s like optical biopsy in fact. And thanks to our device, the dermatologist will be able to see the first sign of skin cancer very early, but also to diagnose without doing biopsies, and to put in place immediately the treatment.

How would you summarize your experience on stage in one word?

Opportunity. The IMCAS Innovation Shark Tank is an event bringing together several players in aesthetic medicine and plastic surgery, where we had everything to gain. Business opportunities, network and visibility.

Are there any new developments that took place for your product since your presentation?

In the last one year, we have developed a completely new device allowing visualization of skin layer not only in 2-dimension, but in 3-dimension. And this is a major clinical advantage, especially for margin assessment.

We have also developed an algorithm for segmentation and quantification of the structure we can see in the skin. For example, the thicknesses of the layers – epidermis, dermis – the density of keratinocytes, melanin, collagen fibers and so on.

We obtained a CE marking for our device in 3-dimension in June 2019, and we equipped several hospitals for the clinical validation.

If you could give some advice to the startups that will be presenting during the Innovation Shark Tank 2020, what would you say?

My advice would be to clearly explain the unmet needs of the markets you target, and then to detail the medical and economic impact of the solution you develop.

What was another concurrent, innovative product(s) on stage that caught your attention during your participation in Innovation Shark Tank?

I would say IRISIOME. It’s a French startup that develops dermo-aesthetic lasers that deliver ultra-short pulses for better patient comfort.