Swiss company one of the 100 most innovative start-ups world-wide. The Red Herring jury in California selected the 100 best and most promising private technology companies from Europe, North America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa out of a group of 200 finalists. The Swiss medical technology company Hocoma was one of those receiving this award. This company was honoured for its world-wide market-leading performance in neurorehabilitation technology.

Hocoma was selected by the Red Herring jury as one of the 100 best and most promising private technology companies. The Swiss medical technology company came through in competition against innovative, international finalists. Last week, the jury of experts presented the award to Hocoma in Laguna Niguel, California.

Hocoma received the honour for its successes in the development and manufacture of automated therapy equipment for the rehabilitation of patients with neurological movement disorders. The jury praised the Swiss company’s entrepreneurial spirit: it has established its position as a world-wide leader in the neurorehabilitation technology sector within a very short period. Hocoma employs a workforce of 110 at its headquarters in Volketswil and at its subsidiary in the USA. Hocoma’s equipment is in successful clinical use in more than 40 countries world-wide.

Following intensive research and development in collaboration with leading hospitals, Hocoma has made a great step forward in the field of neurorehabilitation involving therapy options for children and adults with neurological movement disorders. The products support automated therapy for people who have very weakened and in movement limited hand, arm or leg function as a result of strokes or other impairment of the central nervous system. Hocoma’s products facilitate therapy whose success in the longer term is higher than that of a conventional therapy. Different training programmes give the patients greater motivation and make them more eager to complete the repetitive training schemes (Housman et al. (2009), Neurorehabil Neural Repair).

The prize was personally accepted by Dr. Gery Colombo. He commented on the award as follows: „After winning various important national prizes, we now feel particularly honoured to receive this Red Herring Global award in recognition of our international activities. It pays tribute to the 10 intensive years of development that have propelled Hocoma to its position as a world market-leader and now enable us to offer excellent therapy equipment to patients world-wide.“