A piece of jewellery that calls for help in an emergency

Two graduates, a shared vision and the courage to turn an idea into a business: Julia Pretschner and Hannah Mielke met whilst studying at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg. Today, they are working together on a smart fall detection system for older people – a system that provides safety without looking like a medical aid at first glance.

Julia Pretschner initially studied Sport and Technology for her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Magdeburg, followed by a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering. During her studies, she gained several years’ practical experience in product development whilst working as a student trainee. Over time, she developed a desire to move beyond simply contributing to existing products and to develop something herself that she could fully stand behind.

Hannah Mielke originally came to Magdeburg from Kiel to study medical technology. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she went on to do a master’s in Rostock with a stronger focus on mechanics. When she was looking for a job after graduating, Julia got in touch with her: she was already working on an idea of her own and was looking for a co-founder with a technical background. As the two knew each other from their time playing sport together in Magdeburg, it quickly became clear that they would work well together.

“What won me over was the chance to bring our own product to life using our own creativity, and to see that everything we invest ultimately pays off for us,” says Hannah. “Of course, we’re not the target audience for our own product, but I found it exciting to embark on this entrepreneurial journey, to work independently and to learn so much in the process.”

For Julia, the impetus for setting up the business had a personal background. Her grandmother fell and died as a result of the accident, partly because a conventional emergency call button was out of reach at that moment. Julia then began to do some research and discovered that, whilst many existing solutions work well from a technical point of view, they are difficult to integrate into people’s everyday lives and are therefore not worn.

This is precisely where the two founders’ idea comes in: a fall detection system that can be integrated into, for example, a necklace or a belt. “The aim is that you can’t tell from the outside that it’s a fall detection device,” says Julia. The system is based on automatic fall detection. The alarm can also be triggered or deactivated manually via a newly developed mechanical twist mechanism. A patent application has already been filed for the development in collaboration with the University’s Transfer and Start-Up Center (TUGZ). If the system detects a fall, relatives are notified immediately via an app. Julia and Hannah want to test exactly what the alarm chain should look like in future, together with potential users. To this end, a survey is currently being conducted among relatives, which aims to tailor the product, the app and the system to the needs of the user group.

The first step towards setting up the business began last year with the EXIST-Women scholarship, a programme that supports women on their path to starting a business through mentoring, workshops and financial support. This enabled Julia to further develop her idea whilst working on her Master's thesis. The two founders also received support from the university’s Transfer and Start-Up Center, not only with the patent application but also through mentoring and a dedicated point of contact for their questions regarding setting up the business.

Julia and Hannah are currently applying for further start-up funding to drive development forward and take the next steps towards setting up their own business. “We need funding, firstly to have some initial financial security so that we can take the very first steps towards setting up the business and continue to develop our prototype,” explains Julia.

Although Julia lives in Magdeburg and Hannah is now in Hamburg, their day-to-day collaboration takes place mainly online via Zoom and Asana. Hannah regularly travels to Magdeburg for important meetings, pitches or to work on prototypes.

The university’s start-up ecosystem in particular was a decisive factor for the pair in continuing to build their business here. “Magdeburg University simply has superbly equipped MakerLabs, and we already knew the people to contact from our final-year projects,” says Julia. “You walk across campus and can reach lots of people directly. In some cases, we were even approached by the MakerLabs without having made contact beforehand. That shows you get a great deal of support.” The university’s MakerLabs will also be important for the next stages of development: Julia and Hannah want to build and further develop their first prototypes there. They’re also benefiting from the academic expertise of Prof. Matthias Hackert-Oschätzchen from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, who is acting as their mentor, as well as from Lars Berg and Jakob Vogel at the MakerLab Additiv+.

Above all, Julia and Hannah want to encourage students who have a start-up idea of their own. “Go for it,” says Hannah. “There are lots of support programmes that can help secure the step towards self-employment. At the same time, you learn an incredible amount, far beyond the actual product development.” Their tip: stay open to start-up ideas whilst you’re still studying and make use of the university’s resources early on – from incubators and advice to funding programmes.

The vision for the coming years is clear: “In five years’ time, I’d like to have a small limited company with a well-functioning product that we’ve already expanded to a second target group. And above all, I’d like to have a small team that’s technically strong and diverse,” concludes Julia.