Startup LunaLab brings the sleep lab to the patient

Prof. Dr. med. Ulrich Sommer, Founder and CEO of LunaLab, are currently the only ones in Germany to offer a fully digital sleep laboratory - with complete care from screening to therapy. This can create real added value for many patients.

How would you explain your solution in three sentences to a professional colleague from the health sector?

LunaLab is a complete telemedical sleep laboratory based on an online platform. With our Carepath, we cover everything from initial screening and diagnostics to subsequent therapeutic care including monitoring. We use state-of-the-art diagnostic measurement systems (CE-certified) and have a nationwide network of care providers. With our solution, we are currently the only ones in Germany to offer such a service.

What problem motivated you to start the company?

As sleep physicians, my co-founder and I can look back on years of experience in sleep laboratories. In recent years, the demand for sleep laboratory places has risen sharply, while at the same time capacities have been reduced. This has led to long waiting times. During the Covid pandemic in particular, it became clear that the sleep lab concept could be optimized. This is because the current technology makes it possible to bring the sleep lab to the patient rather than the patient to the sleep lab. This possibility motivated us to set up a completely digital sleep laboratory. This can cut costs, improve treatment and reduce waiting times.

LunaLab Leading Team: Prof. Dr. med. Clemens Heiser, Co-Founder, Verena Plankl, Operating Manager and Prof. Dr. med. J. Ulrich Sommer, CEO&Founder (f.l.t.r.)

How do you convince a pharmaceutical company, a health insurance company or another potential client to set up a pilot project with you?

LunaLab was founded in 2021 and has since treated 1,500 patients on its platform. We have delivered more than proof-of-concept and can demonstrate that our process and work is successful. We have successfully established ourselves on the market and are financed entirely from our own resources. Our concept convinces patients and is also economically viable. We offer real added value for patients, for example through shorter waiting times, convenient measurements in their own bed and care directly at the patient's home. We have also been able to significantly reduce costs.

Who are your current customer (groups) and who do you want your potential customers to be?

Our target group is patients of all ages with sleep disorders, daytime sleepiness or snoring. However, we are increasingly finding that people who do not fit the classic patient profile are also becoming aware of us and contacting us. Our target group is probably larger than we realize and, thanks to the telemedical approach, also more far-reaching than that of clinical sleep laboratories. We are currently active with this concept in Germany and are preparing to enter the market in the Middle East, Austria and Switzerland.

Where do you see yourself in 3 years and how can 5-HT support you?

If everything goes as we envisage, then in three years' time we will have concluded selective contracts with some statutory health insurance companies and will therefore not only be able to treat private patients, but also offer those with statutory health insurance a much more convenient option than the one currently available.

You participated in the Insuring Digital Health in October 2024. What is your impression of the event and what have you gained (so far) from participating?

We would like to thank you once again for the opportunity to take part in the 5-HT event. The event was excellently organized from A to Z. Registration was straightforward, as was the preceding pitch training with Lisa, which provided us with valuable insights and optimal preparation. In addition to contacts with other startups and stimulating discussions, the event also opened up new perspectives for us with regard to selective contracts with health insurers. Thanks to the event, we are currently in contact with several of the health insurance companies present and are confident that we will be able to establish a promising collaboration and sign the necessary contracts in the near future.