Klava Innovation, a medtech/deeptech company founded in 2021, is developing Quitoxil, a digital medication for smoking cessation, marking an innovation in the management of addictions.
The recent fundraising of €1 million, supported by Angel’s Bay Invest and other business angels, aims to strengthen the commercial development and accessibility of Quitoxil, particularly through an expanded network of partner pharmacies.
Located in both the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis for its research activities, and in Paris for the commercial part, Klava Innovation benefits from the dynamic ecosystem of Nice Côte d’Azur to ensure the development of its innovations.
The company plans to organize an event in Nice in October to promote Quitoxil among health professionals and strengthen its collaborations with pharmacies, underlining its commitment to making this treatment accessible to as many people as possible.
Interview with Alexia ADDA, co-founder and CEO of KLAVA Innovation.
What is the story of Klava Innovation?
Klava Innovation positions itself at the intersection of medtech and deeptech, leveraging the most advanced breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and medical sciences to develop revolutionary and personalized digital health solutions, reflecting our commitment to innovation and the continuous improvement of healthcare.
The story of Klava Innovation is primarily one of converging skills and ambitions around a common project: improving the management of chronic diseases and mental health through digital technology.
The company was founded in February 2021, resulting from the collaboration between myself, with an engineering background and a strong involvement in medical innovation, my father Didier Ada, a seasoned entrepreneur in IT and cybersecurity, and Dr. Ivan Gasman, a renowned psychiatrist.
Our journey began with a simple observation: digital technology has the potential to radically transform patient care by offering innovative solutions where medical needs are insufficiently met.
Before venturing into entrepreneurship, I was in charge of innovation at the Nice University Hospital, where I saw the complementarity of digital innovations and traditional approaches in the treatment of neurological diseases and other chronic conditions.
This experience, coupled with a personal realization related to our family history, fueled my determination to find alternative and effective solutions.
Klava Innovation was born out of this desire to make a difference, using the potential of digital technology to offer a better quality of life for patients. From the outset, our approach has been to combine technological expertise, deep medical knowledge, and entrepreneurial vision to develop innovative digital medical devices.
We embarked on this journey with the ambition to create a device that could support patients in their fight against addictions, particularly smoking, which is a major public health issue.
What are the specifics of your digital medication Quitoxil?
Quitoxil addresses a need in the field of mental health and addictions, particularly smoking.
What makes Quitoxil unique is its comprehensive and personalized approach to smoking cessation, integrating digital technologies to offer a complete solution accessible at any time.
Concretely, Quitoxil is a digital medical device or more commonly referred to as “digital therapy”. It stands out from other wellness or health tracking applications through its evidence-based methodology and its regulated medical device status. This status requires us to adhere to strict safety and efficacy standards, thus ensuring the reliability of our solution.
The device offers a personalized cessation journey, based on data entered by the user and their interaction with the application. This personalization is crucial because each smoker is unique, with their own habits, craving triggers, and level of dependence. Quitoxil uses advanced algorithms to adapt its recommendations and interventions in real-time, thus providing tailored support at every stage of cessation.
Another specificity of Quitoxil is that it integrates techniques and methods used by health professionals in smoking cessation care. Another specificity of Quitoxil is that it integrates techniques and methods used by health professionals in smoking cessation care. It also offers practical advice to manage smoking cravings, improve lifestyle, and prevent relapses.
Moreover, Quitoxil stands out by providing access to peer supporters who are former smokers certified in addictionology thanks to our collaboration with the France Patients Experts Addiction association.
Finally, we plan to make Quitoxil available in pharmacies, in the form of a card containing a QR code. This innovative approach will broaden access to our solution and strengthen the link between users and health professionals, thus offering an even more integrated care experience.
You recently raised €1 million. What will these funds be used for?
This fundraising marks a crucial step for Klava Innovation and the development of Quitoxil.
We thank the business angel network of the Côte d’Azur, Angel’s Bay Invest, and all the business angels who have trusted us for this first pre-seed/seed fundraising.
These funds will be allocated to accelerating our commercial development. We are currently strengthening our presence in the French market, with a particular focus on the pharmacy network starting with the region SUD and Île-de-France.
Our goal is to make Quitoxil accessible to as many people as possible by facilitating its adoption by health professionals. This involves recruiting dedicated pharmaceutical delegates who will work directly with pharmacies to present Quitoxil, as well as developing training programs for pharmacists, enabling them to recommend Quitoxil with a better understanding.
What advantages does the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis and the region SUD offer your company?
The Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis is a dynamic and innovative ecosystem, offering several strategic advantages for a startup like Klava Innovation.
Firstly, access to a dense network of research centers and specialized universities is crucial for our development as our research and development services are based in Nice and the commercial and development aspect in the Paris region. Our collaboration with INRIA Sophia Antipolis is a perfect example. This interaction not only allows us to benefit from advanced research in artificial intelligence but also to develop personalized and innovative digital health solutions. Proximity to these institutions fosters a synergy between academic research and the entrepreneurial sector, creating an ecosystem rich in innovations.
Secondly, institutional support is a major asset of the region. The Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis and the PACA region stand out for their commitment to innovation, offering various support, accompaniment, and funding programs specifically designed for startups. This support ranges from direct financial aid to integration into entrepreneur networks, through to essential networking opportunities crucial for our growth. We also occupy premises within the Innovation Hub of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis and have benefited from regional funding through the PIA4 program and are awaiting confirmation of European funding through the FEDER program.
Thirdly, we have observed a specific advantage of the region and metropolis: greater ease in fundraising compared to other regions, thanks to a closer proximity to institutional actors and a dense network of investors interested in health innovation.
This unique feature of the territory has been a key factor in our ability to secure essential funds for our growth and development, demonstrating the crucial importance of the local ecosystem not only for innovation but also for the financial viability of emerging tech companies.
What are your development projects?
The recent fundraising constitutes a springboard to accelerate our efforts and expand our impact.
For 2024, a key aspect of our development strategy for Quitoxil is the extension of our network of partner pharmacies.
We are looking for pharmacies that would like to join us in making Quitoxil accessible to the general public.
This search for partner pharmacies is guided by the goal of making Quitoxil as accessible as possible. By working directly with pharmacies, we can ensure efficient distribution and maximum visibility for our product. Pharmacies, being frontline health advisory locations, are ideally positioned to recommend Quitoxil to individuals wishing to quit smoking, thus providing essential support in their cessation journey.
We also plan to hold a Quitoxil launch event in October, which will play a crucial role in this strategy. It will allow us to present Quitoxil directly to pharmacists and healthcare professionals, showing them how our solution can be integrated into their daily practice to help their patients stop smoking.
We intend to establish a specific training program for pharmacists, providing them with all the necessary information about Quitoxil and how it stands out from other cessation solutions available on the market. This includes data on the effectiveness of Quitoxil, advice on its optimal use, and information on monitoring patients using the application.
Website: https://klava-innovation.com/
Contact: Alexia ADDA
