At the Make It Lean Contest 2020/21 there was something special this year:
Due to the very close vote between the two top-placed teams in the “Lean” category, the jury recommended awarding two special prizes this year as an exception. The Startup Incubator was happy to follow this recommendation and is awarding both prizes to teams that devoted themselves to a highly relevant social challenge — one with software, the other with hardware — and demonstrated their methodological approach in the best possible way.

One of these winners is the team from Novaheal. For their idea of a learning app specifically for nursing education and preparation for a successful nursing exam, which combines proven learning methods with modern AI-supported learning analytics, they received €1,500 and the distinction of the special “Lean” prize. How did they come to participate and develop their solution, and what’s next for the founders? We asked them…

How did you become aware of the Make It Lean Contest?

We came across the Make It Lean Contest on LinkedIn, as I (Turan) have someone in my network who had shared a post about the competition. So it was more of a happy coincidence for us.

How and when did you come together as a startup team?

Samuel and Turan have been close friends since their school days, and Valentin and Samuel met in 2018 during their human medicine studies and quickly realized that both had nearly identical ideas about a “modern complement to nursing education.”

How did you come across the problem you want to solve with your founding idea?

Valentin and Samuel are both trained healthcare and nursing professionals and independently noticed during their training that many areas of the program could be improved. These include, for example, appropriate digital learning resources, engaging and interconnected learning content that truly bridges the gap between theory and practice, practical engagement with professional policy and ethics, and so on. In short, many things that ultimately help develop a professional nursing identity and learn this incredibly enriching profession.

What is your most important goal in the next 3 months?

We are fortunately currently receiving the EXIST founder’s grant and can keep ourselves afloat. However, we still need capital for our product development, so we are actively looking around. We are looking for someone who shares our vision with Novaheal and feels the same drive to make an impact.

Who would you like to have a coffee or tea with? Why?

A classic question — Ranga Yogeshwar and the Dalai Lama. The way Mr. Yogeshwar explains scientific topics is simply enjoyable, and our co-founder Sam would love to ask the Dalai Lama a few things.