The throng of multinational tech, comms, consulting and insurance companies will pool their resources – including their technologies, expertise and data – and work with selected startups to create a healthcare ‘ecosystem’ made up of digital solutions that improve the quality, security, accessibility and productivity of healthcare in France.
Announced by French President Emmanuel Macron in late January, the initiative aims to strengthen the international positioning of France in digital healthcare. The founding partners are planning an initial investment of €24 million for the new joint venture, which will be operational from June 2021 for the virtual platform and December 2021 for the physical platform.
New venture to involve a multitude of public and private players
Among the companies to be involved in the creation of the healthcare ecosystem, in addition to the four founding companies (Sanofi, Capgemini, Generali and Orange), are around a hundred French and European startups, players in the healthcare, technology and insurance sectors, public and private hospitals, patient associations, regulators, schools and universities.
“The strength of this alliance is based on the fact that the entire ecosystem will simultaneously focus on the same commitment, which will limit the dispersion of energy and increase the chances of success and creation of value for patients and the entire sector,” a press release reads.
Generali customers to benefit from the new ecosystem
“Through this alliance, our motivation as an insurer and assistance provider is to participate in an innovative and powerful ecosystem that will help model the healthcare solutions of the future and to work on new technologies and innovative services for patients. The insurance business works on the basis of statistics drawn from a large volume of anonymised data reaching back over several decades. This can be made available to startups to fuel their search for solutions,” explained Jean-Laurent Granier, CEO of Generali France and Chairman of Europ Assistance. “As an historical player in the healthcare market, nationally and internationally, Generali wishes to actively contribute to the creation and running of this unique ecosystem in France and Europe, in collaboration with other leading international companies in their sector.”
Digital health solutions were also identified as being key to improving patient care abilities, as well as reducing healthcare costs, over in Asia and the Middle East.