Zynnon saves lives and reduces healthcare costs. Thanks to our solution, Lieberty, care homes and hospitals can digitally detect risks of infection in the living spaces of older people, preventing diseases from spreading and ensuring safety and well-being.

Personal Background

“I’m in the process of learning my 5th language, something I put a lot of effort into. Currently, I’m the CEO of Zynnon, which I founded in 2019 to develop a new generation of affordable medical devices to serve large numbers of people,” says Khaled Abousaleh.

Prior to that, Mr. Abousaleh successfully started and grew another company (Pulssar Technologies) in the liquid handling area. The company was acquired by Tecan (a publicly listed company) in 2017, and Khaled joined the group as Vice President of Global Sales in the Partnering Business division.

“Before Pulssar, I held several positions in engineering, project management, and business development at Stago, a key player in the in vitro diagnostic market. I graduated as an engineer specialising in microtechnology from the French national school of mechanical engineering and microtechnology (ENSMM) and hold multiple patents in the area of laboratory equipment and medical devices,” shares Khaled Abousaleh.

What Keeps the CEO at Night?

“I don’t tend to get overly stressed by the day-to-day running of a start-up. Having been through the process already, once from scratch, and having managed to exit successfully at the end, I’m well aware of the risks I’m taking,” explains Mr. Abousaleh.

He believes that  entrepreneurs are, by definition, used to dealing with all kinds of uncertainties. They develop and grow by resolving unpredictable issues and regularly managing unexpected situations.

So, when it comes to what might keep him up at night, for Khaled it would be having to let someone from the team go.

What Problem Does Zynnon Solve?

“We are working to resolve a big problem in our society: the number of hospitalisations and deaths due to respiratory infections like Coronavirus, Influenza, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV),” says Khaled Abousaleh.

These diseases represent around 4% of deaths per year, and are the 3rd cause of death in the world. The economic burden they place on the medical system is huge. In the United States, it amounts to $100 billion every year.

The age group most affected is the over 65s, who represent between 70% and 85% of total deaths.

Zynnon’s product, Lieberty, is the first digital solution on the market to detect respiratory infections. It includes:

• A Cloud-Based Algorithm, which detects respiratory infections in indoor spaces
• Data Analytics, which provide recommendations to users and healthcare providers
• Smart Sensors, which provide real-time data

Lieberty’s value proposition is unique: relative to competitors, it offers the following additional health services:

• Detection of Respiratory Infection Symptoms
• Detection of airborne transmissibility of infectious disease
• Early warnings of high-infection areas
• Predictions of the spread of an outbreak

In a nutshell, Lieberty saves lives and reduces healthcare costs.

Beginning of Entrepreneurial Journey and Current Status

Zynnon was founded in the spirit of innovation with an ambitious objective: to offer affordable, high-tech, connected medical devices, together with associated services, to improve people's health and safety.

Khaled and Alex first met on the side of the football pitch where their children were playing. Between them, they have several decades of experience in both traditional entrepreneurship and corporate business.

They started Zynnon with the development of a new generation of laboratory products to increase lab efficiency: connected intelligent devices, equipped with a multitude of sensors to measure critical physical parameters from laboratory equipment during use.

From the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, this technology very quickly proved valuable: with a simple concept for pandemic protection and risk mitigation, the Lieberty product was born.

“From the early stages, our management team has been focusing on feasibility studies and concept validation with acclaimed institutions like CSEM in Neuchâtel. We also take a certain pride in the fact that we were able to validate the concept with a well-known research partner in Infection diseases in Paris,” explains Khaled Abousaleh.

Zynnon has already signed a letter of intent with a customer in Switzerland who will help them in the pilot phase of their solution. They are also collaborating with Inselspital in Bern to clinically validate Lieberty.

Client Success Story

“Our Swiss partner is an operator of nursing homes and long-term care facilities in the Region of Bern,” affirms Mr. Abousaleh with pride. “It operates several buildings such as nursing homes, but is also expanding its care home activities, as well as taking care of a significantly growing number of patients living at home.”

The need to monitor patients efficiently across different sites is increasing tremendously. Zynnon’s solution ensures the safety and quality of patient care  in this partner’s Nursing Home activity, while enabling it to develop the Home Care activity simultaneously, thanks to the ability to detect early signs of respiratory infections remotely.

Biggest Achievements

“Our biggest achievement is successfully offering a solution to solve a big medical problem in our society: Respiratory infections are generally detected too late,” says Khaled.

Zynnon’s solution has been validated by several customers and well-known institutions. Lieberty meets a real need in the market.

Tipping Point That Made the CEO a Doer

Khaled Abousaleh believes that, broadly speaking, entrepreneurs have a particularly strong sense of responsibility. Even the simplest idea can be a call to action, and an entrepreneur will respond with enthusiasm, energy, and dedication.

In Khaled’s case, he felt compelled to take action to address a serious issue that had taken a dramatic turn with Covid-19.

Future Impact of Zynnon and Lieberty

Using the Internet of Things (IoT) to tackle the 3rd biggest cause of death among the over 65s is just the first step.

“We can already foresee multiple additional applications to benefit an even larger segment of the population. Variations on the theme of early detection of infection risks could apply to schools, business offices, restaurants, and other indoor public venues,” says Khaled Abousaleh.

Zynnon is dedicated to helping people live healthier and longer lives.

Connection with InvestHorizon

“InvestHorizon has been instrumental for us, as it has allowed our small team to efficiently verify some key aspects of Zynnon’s build up going forwards. The informal and high-quality input received from a broad range of sources, consolidated under the InvestHorizon banner, is unique in its depth and breadth. For that reason, InvestHorizon truly deserves the ‘accelerator’ label,” concludes Khaled Abousaleh.