Why health innovations are rarely successful

However, not a week goes by without someone telling us how much our project means to them. Not a week goes by without someone encouraging us to keep going. Not a week goes by without someone telling us that they hope we can make a real difference in their lives. And that someone is sometimes a psychologist, a physiotherapist, a dentist, a doctor, a patient...

One of the facts that often comes up throughout this maze of comments and exchanges is that several companies have already tried to tackle nearly the same problems as us and that they have all ended up failing. In fact, this partly explains why investors have become very "cautious" about investing in health projects. Nevertheless, we understand that health professionals want to talk to each other more easily and collaborate better. The need is there. Our solution meets their needs just as the solutions of previous startups also responded to this necessity. So then why are there so many failures if there is a need and a solution? You will realize that there is a great paradox.

In order to understand this paradox and how we try to face it, we were interested in the concept of innovation. A few days ago, I came across this definition: "Creativity is thinking of something new. Innovation is the implementation of something new."

This definition is rather interesting because it gives nuance to the concept of innovation and exposes its complexity. It shows that innovation is more than just having a great idea: it is an arduous process that can succeed or, as is the case most of the time, fail.

Upon further research, we also discovered a fascinating document produced by the Réseau Québécois en Innovation Sociale. We then realized that our goal, as much for ourselves as for the startups that preceded us, is to bring not only technological innovation, but also social innovation. As the definition requires, the project that we are trying to make a reality meets a social need and will produce a measurable benefit for the community. This project, if successful, would involve health professionals and patients interacting differently, more effectively, for the benefit of all.

Braver is therefore a social innovation project, and what is exciting about the definition of a social innovation is that "such innovations are 'social' in their purposes as well as in their processes". Ah, so this is the answer to the paradox that persisted in the area of health! It is almost impossible to want to make a drastic change in the practice of health professionals if we approach this market with a traditional "B2B" strategy, i.e., to validate a service with a handful of potential clients, then proceed from clinic to clinic, trying to sell the said service.

The very process of social innovation must therefore inevitably be inclusive, i.e., it must involve players in the target environment. What's more, leadership must come not only from the project initiators, but also from the organizations and the community where the innovation will take place!

In practical terms, what this means for Braver is that we must not only innovate by creating cutting-edge technology adapted to the health field, but we must also innovate in all our other processes. Whether it's in our governance, in our human resources management or in our market development strategy, we will innovate! And that's why we're taking the first step with the Braver Talks. We want to involve the healthcare industry in the leadership of Braver.

Let me share with you an excerpt from the above-mentioned document: "In social innovation, partners are bold, they accept the uncertainty inherent in an innovation project, the presence of an ‘unknown stranger'. They recognize the risk and assume it to the end".

If you're a healthcare professional, will you join us on June 10th?