Our reporter Valérie Gauriat met Dessintey, a startup based in Saint-Étienne that has become a global reference in medical rehabilitation.
Founded in 2017, Dessintey makes neuroscience-based motor rehabilitation platforms, among which its flagship devices based on mirror therapy. “We film the patient’s unimpaired limb and flip the image so the patient can see their paralysed limb move again”, explains Davy Luneau, co-founder and product expert. “This visual observation helps stimulate brain plasticity and motor recovery.”
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Whether it be stroke survivors, people with neurodegenerative diseases, paraplegics, tetraplegics, or amputees, the range of users is wide.
“We initially tested the device for scientific purposes,” says Professor Pascal Giraux, head of adult rehabilitation at CHU Saint-Étienne and co-founder of Dessintey.
“We started the business to offer these therapeutic options to as many patients as possible, since there were no companies capable of industrialising such devices.”
Beyond mirror-therapy, Dessintey has developed several other smart rehabilitation platforms, integrating connected objects and interactive gaming systems.
Today, the company sells its devices across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and generates almost €10 million in revenue. “Our network of local partners makes us more efficient in product development,” explains Nicolas Fournier, third co-founder and CEO.
“We face competition from technologies coming from the United States, and we see new players emerging from Asia. The only way to succeed and stay ahead is through innovation,” he concludes.