Healthcare · Software Consulting & Engineering · Technology Talent & Teams
Clinical Ideation to $3.7M Seed-Funded Growth
Engaging Care, a Swedish healthtech startup, turned a clinical vision into a secure, gamified B2B self-care platform adopted by three of Sweden's largest university hospitals, raising USD 800,000 in 2018 and EUR 2.5 million in 2019.
USD 800K
Raised in 2018, followed by EUR 2.5M in 2019
7.71M SEK
Revenue generated by the close of 2019
3 hospitals
Sahlgrenska, Karolinska and Lund university hospitals
Starting situation
Founded in 2015 by clinical expert Annica Carnbring Belfrage and Charlotta Tonsgard, Engaging Care set out to digitally empower patients in lifestyle change and self-care. That meant creating an engaging digital intervention that promotes healthy choices and supports long-term compliance, validating a B2B model with clinics and major university hospitals that lets clinicians securely assign and monitor digital care plans, and meeting the highest Swedish standards for medical data security including GDPR and two-factor authentication. Initial investment came from the founders' personal capital, so the product had to reach the market fast enough to validate the model and secure external funding.
What we advised
We advised building the product as a responsive web application with a single gamified engagement mechanic at its core, so limited founder capital went into proving patient engagement rather than into platform breadth.
What we built or changed
The platform used a flower metaphor as its central game mechanic: the flower grows taller, sprouts leaves and blooms as the patient reads educational material and completes assigned tasks, and withers when the program is neglected. Clinics assign personalized care pathways, monitor structured follow-up and verify compliance with health recommendations. A dedicated cross-functional team of three developers, a business analyst and a scrum master worked in two-week sprints, each closing with a mandatory demonstration, with the founder acting as product owner.
Architecture, data and integration
Responsive web application with Node.js on the back end and React on the front end, with advanced security protocols including two-factor authentication and GDPR adherence for sensitive patient data.
Engagement and commercial model
Full product partnership covering product definition, UX and graphic design, development, release and maintenance, with executive support on business matters and CxO-level recruitment.
The #riteway in action
A real agile partnership with the clinical founder as product owner, proving that disciplined sprint cycles and honest demos deliver high-value products in a regulated domain.
Delivery timeline
From founding vision to funded product and hospital adoption across the 2015 to 2019 period.
Handover and ongoing operation
The company had a proven, compliant enterprise-ready product, commercial traction and the funding needed to scale.
“I really appreciate the collaboration with you — it was a very engaging and successful journey. I can warmly recommend you!”
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