dpv-analytics ensures healthier hearts with myritmo
The Hamburg-based startup dpv-analytics combines two promising topics with its business model: medical technology and artificial intelligence. Under the name myritmo, it offers a mini ECG device and has also developed the software for analysing the data.
Experienced doctors as founders
Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death in Germany. According to the Federal Statistical Office, they were responsible for 22.9% of all deaths in 2023, or 348,300 in absolute figures. The first indication of an impending heart attack or stroke is often cardiac arrhythmia, most commonly atrial fibrillation. The good news is that these disorders can be reliably measured and analysed using a long-term ECG so that preventive measures can be taken if necessary. The bad news is that the devices commonly used for this purpose are relatively expensive and not very comfortable to wear, especially for applications lasting longer than 24 hours.
At a time when technological developments are enabling ever more compact and powerful solutions, three experienced medical professionals from Hamburg thought there had to be a better way. Dr. Ekkehard Schmidt, Dr. Stephan Kranz and Dr. Matthias Glawe have decades of practical experience in dealing with heart disease. On this basis, they founded their startup dpv-analytics in 2018 as a spin-off of Cardologicum Hamburg.
ritmo is a small device with great performance
They called their invention, a mini ECG device, ritmo, and the startup now mainly appears in public under the brand name myritmo. The system consists of three components: Firstly, the mini ECG ritmo, which is about 4.5 x 4.5 cm in size, is attached directly to the chest via a waterproof, latex-free patch and can record ECG data for up to 12 days. The second component is software that analyses this data using artificial intelligence (AI). Around 250,000 patient data collected by the founding team as doctors over more than two decades serve as the basis for this. The ritmo has been a Class IIa medical device approved throughout the EU since 2020, and this also applies to the analysis software. One of the most important hurdles for the success of a medtech startup was therefore overcome relatively quickly.
A major advantage of ritmo is its ease of use. Patients can stick the data recorder to their chest themselves using the plaster, after which they don't have to worry about anything else. The device can be worn in the shower but should be removed when swimming. Moderate sporting activities are possible, and it should not interfere with sleep at night. It is precisely at this time that particularly meaningful data can be collected. At the end of the recording phase, the recorder is sent by post to the dpv evaluation centre, where the data is read in and evaluated. And that is the third component: All results are checked by medical specialists and then made available digitally. If necessary, treatment can be started immediately as validated findings are already available.
AI helps doctors with diagnosis
Specialists remain the last resort when it comes to diagnosis, but AI can provide them with crucial assistance. On average, the heart beats around 100,000 times a day, and the resulting volume of data is almost impossible for a human to cope with. The software from dpv-analytics takes into account a total of 22 factors relating to cardiac activity and therefore enables the best possible early detection of potential heart disease. The application can initially be used completely independently, but the startup prefers to distribute it via doctors who do not necessarily have to specialize in cardiology. The offer is called “Diagnostic as a Service” and saves doctors the acquisition costs for the ECG devices and the associated software, which can otherwise quickly exceed 3,000 euros. Billing is only per diagnosis. For patients, the costs are not guaranteed to be covered by health insurance, but in many cases they are.
In 2020, when ritmo was ready for the market and approved as a medical device, doctors' surgeries were initially to serve as multipliers and sales channels. However, the Covid pandemic made it difficult to reach them. The breakthrough therefore came with a cooperation with the health insurance company Hanse Merkur, which also became a shareholder and offers ritmo to its policyholders for preventive care. Dr. Ekkehard Schmidt, one of the founders, summarises the principle as follows: “The practical thing about ritmo is that this mini ECG can be used by anyone, anywhere. This digital screening for atrial fibrillation is quick and highly accurate, even for high-risk patients in rural areas where there is a shortage of doctors. Many strokes can be prevented in this way.”
dpv-analytics is growing and still has a lot of potential
Medical expertise has been abundant at dpv-analytics right from the start, while economist Dr. Philip Nölling, who has been Managing Director together with Dr. Stephan Kranz since January 2021, provides the entrepreneurial expertise. Nölling previously worked for the retail company Otto, the publishing house Gruner + Jahr and various logistics companies, among others. Another important personnel decision in 2022 was the appointment of Stefan Gazinski as CIO, who had previously worked as Head of Information Technology at edding for over 18 years. The team now comprises around 20 people, with a focus on sales and IT, and is set to grow further.
The scaling potential is as large as the target group. It potentially includes anyone over 50, people with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, anyone suffering from stress or even burnout, as well as patients who have already been diagnosed with cardiac irregularities. Fans of hard rock music are also being eyed. The startup has already presented itself twice at the legendary heavy metal festival in Wacken, using a Carrera racetrack to playfully introduce visitors to the topic of heart health.
The fact that the ritmo device is not absolutely necessary for data collection can ensure additional growth as well; smartwatches can also be employed, which more than a third of Germans over the age of 16 already use according to a survey by the industry association bitkom. They are not suitable for a long-term ECG, but even a 30-second data recording allows valuable conclusions to be drawn. The data can simply be sent as a PDF document, and dpv-analytics ideally delivers an initial analysis just one day later.
Successful in Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Las Vegas
At the world's largest tech trade fair CES in Las Vegas in January 2025, dpv-analytics announced that myritmo with immediate effect was integrated into the Withings smartwatch app. Withings is a French electronics company and a leader in the development of digital health devices. The number of customers who can now use the service is in the millions. The cooperation will further simplify the transmission and analysis of data from the short-term ECGs. The startup's CES appearance was not the first of its kind to cause a stir. Back in November 2021, ritmo received the “German Medical Award” in the “Medical Innovation Product” category at Medica in Düsseldorf. Medica is regarded as the leading trade fair for medical technology and the award is correspondingly prestigious. The resulting attention led to an invitation to CES 2022 and the opportunity to present at the German Pavilion.
dpv-analytics/myritmo's track record also includes winning the Gunner-Uldall-Wirtschaftspreis 2022 and a top 3 placing in the AI STARTUP AWARD, which was presented as part of the AI.SUMMIT 2024. Both competitions took place in Hamburg. The Hanseatic city is therefore a good place for the startup, not least because it has its own medical technology cluster, Life Science Nord, and a diverse AI scene.
