MagiKare and Other Chinese Digital Health Startups Shine at Dubai100

For Shu Feng, digital health is more than just the latest buzzword. A relative of his once lived in a remote rural area of China. After suffering a stroke, even traveling to the nearest clinic for rehabilitation therapy was nearly impossible. “His final years were filled with immense suffering and pain,” Shu Feng recalls. This experience inspired him to found MagiKare, a company aimed at providing remote rehabilitation services to alleviate patients’ pain. Stroke survivors wear sensors while performing necessary rehabilitation exercises at home, with real-time posture correction delivered through a mobile application.

Maiji Medical is one of the eight startups participating in the Dubai 100 Training Camp, held in Shanghai from October 24 to 28 this year. This week-long bootcamp gathers entrepreneurial talents who have stood out in China’s digital health sector, providing them with one-on-one mentoring and advice. The winning team will be awarded a $10,000 non-equity cash prize and given the opportunity to travel to Dubai to engage with experts and experience the city’s startup ecosystem.

China’s health ecosystem is undergoing a renaissance, with the government’s new Five-Year Plan roadmap calling for nationwide reforms in three key areas: infrastructure development, cost reduction, and new investment. These initiatives will deliver substantial benefits to stakeholders and industry participants across the spectrum, from medical device companies to insurers. Digital health is an industry that spans all three reform domains while remaining relevant to diverse types of stakeholders.

Whether in the form of tangible medical devices, such as wearable thermometers, or new platforms that better connect doctors with patients, the industry’s impact was valued at approximately $60.8 billion in 2013 (projected to reach $233 billion by 2020). China alone has the potential to emerge as one of the industry’s biggest dark horses, with its market value estimated to reach RMB 125 million (approximately USD 18.5 million) by 2017.

When discussing Dubai’s position in this blueprint, Roland Dahl, Head of Falcon International Dubai 100, stated, “Since the launch of the government’s innovation strategy, Dubai has demonstrated its commitment to driving growth across all sectors—from Expo 2020 to the Dubai Future Accelerators.”

“Dubai 100 is one of many initiatives supporting innovation strategies, and it stands out as the only program dedicated exclusively to digital health.”

“Both in China and globally, the digital health industry represents a growing market, and Dubai’s potential role in this space is particularly noteworthy,” added Genevieve Keely, Director of Innovation and Learning at Falcon International.

Furthermore, the specific technologies presented during Dubai 100 may hold significant applicability for the UAE. Take AmeSante, developed by Li Jun, as an example: this application provides blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring through automated algorithms and offers nutritional advice to patients with diabetes. According to data from the International Diabetes Federation, the prevalence of diabetes among adults aged 20–79 in the UAE is as high as 19.3%, making AmeSante highly relevant to such a country.

“We are certainly very interested in the Middle East market,” Li Jun specifically stated. “Therefore, receiving guidance from mentors based in the Middle East region would be highly beneficial.”

This initiative features mentors and judges from the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries, with its multicultural composition widely regarded as a key litmus test for the program. For instance, in addition to providing advice on regulatory hurdles associated with launching initiatives in Europe, these mentors are also eager to gain insights into China’s current ecosystem from young entrepreneurs.

Recognition of synergies transcends national borders, with emerging markets increasingly viewed as “ones to watch” in digital health innovation.

“Although we see many technological innovations originating in the United States, the exciting aspect of emerging markets is that they can serve as intriguing testbeds,” said Ali Hashmi, Co-founder of Dubai-based healthcare investment firm Avicenna Partners and a judge for Dubai 100. “Regulatory barriers may be absent in such markets, allowing participants to secure approvals for testing more rapidly and enabling startups to gain traction faster.”

From identifying innovative trial platforms to overcoming regulatory hurdles and refining their skill sets, participants in Dubai 100 still have a long way to go before they can enter the market and gain a foothold.

Nevertheless, although participants compete for the grand prize, their shared goal is clear: to seamlessly integrate technology with medicine, enhance efficiency, prevent and treat diseases, and ultimately bring medical care truly closer to patients.

From October 24 to 26, the “Dubai 100” held a five-day regional training camp at Xintiandi Xinli in Shanghai. Yesterday, eight Chinese companies participating in the camp engaged in an intense challenge. The “Mengdong” project team from Beijing took first place, winning not only a $10,000 non-equity cash prize but also a spot in next year’s 100-day global startup training camp in Dubai. The project presented by the “Mengdong” team was their invention of the world’s smallest embryo monitor, which breaks through existing technologies for recording fetal heart rate and fetal movement, helping to alleviate anxiety among pregnant women during pregnancy.

Eight Participating Teams

RAYPLUS, Wuhan

RayPlus is designed to provide fully cloud-based computer-assisted

AI-assisted diagnostic services to help physicians improve efficiency and medical decision-making.

MAGIKARE, Shanghai

Maiji Medical, based on the most advanced sensors and motion capture

and enhance augmented reality technology development with specialized tele-rehabilitation solutions.

O2O, Shanghai

O2O is a physician collaboration platform focused on collecting medical

therapeutic evidence and advancing new medical information. O2O has already been

Over 100 physicians and key opinion leaders engaged in collaborative interactions.

5BAY, Hangzhou

5Bay is a one-stop “hospital-to-home” solutions company,

to monitor and enhance patients' medication efficacy, for physicians, patients,

Convenience for caregivers and family members.

HEALTHME, Shanghai

Healthme is developing the world's thinnest, most flexible, and

Smart Wearable Thermometer.

Shang Dai (AMESANTE), Shanghai

Shangdai Health can remotely transmit blood data via automatically generated algorithms.

Blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring results to aid in the management and monitoring of various diseases.

MODOO, Beijing

Mengdong Fetal Heart Monitoring Smart Hardware Utilizes the World's Smallest Embryonic

Fetal monitoring devices, the first passive fetal heart rate monitoring system, and movements

Computational technologies to help alleviate pregnancy-related anxiety in pregnant women.

Da Bai Anxin, Shanghai

Dabai Anxin is building a high-quality, trustworthy family doctor network.

network, providing patients with rapid and accessible on-demand customized health management

and medical services.