Issue 2 2020

10 Acquisition International - Issue 2 2020 Dec19284 As the average lifespan expands, the probability of minor issues developing into chronic conditions increases. Longevity has placed a significant burden on traditional healthcare, which is geared to treat patients only after the onset of symptoms. Playpal is one such company that reverses institution-driven health with its salutogenic health model, where the goal of living a better quality of life is a priority. In this edition, we take a closer look at this health-tech startup, which just received AI’s Global Excellence Award, with its CEO - Eesha Sheikh - being recognized as 2020’s Most Influential Woman in HealthTech Applications in the USA. Revolutionizing the Health Industry hile the health industry has undergone significant technological revolutions - with EHRs, EMRs, mHealth apps, fitness wearables, and health IoTs taking the industry by storm - the market remains uni-dimensional and fragmented. Healthcare systems must shift away from the disease model and move toward a health model where the goal of living a better quality- life is as important as the treatment of diseases and ailments. As such, there is no platform (yet) that: 1) acts as the data center for an individual’s health information, 2) offers data-driven predictive health-analyses that are unique to the person in question, and 3) incentivizes individuals to be more proactive with their health. This is where Playpal comes in, a budding women-led startup that incubated after its collaboration with Johns Hopkins University and Aetna on a research study on gamified health and obesity (called “Innovation for Humanity”). Playpal’s vision of health focuses on the individual, consolidates the fragmented health market, quantifies and gamifies health, and offers real-world rewards. Its CEO, Eesha Sheikh, has worked 3 years to successfully establish Playpal in the health-tech sector and is geared to take the company to the next step. Having filed 5 patents, developed its Proof of Concept, integrated with high-profile brands such as Fitbit and Apple Health, and having already launched 2 health games under its sub-unit - Playpal Games - Playpal is now well on its way for its Beta Commercial Release in Q2 of 2020. In a nutshell, the Platform gives users an advanced health profile and preventative health analyses by tracking their physical and cognitive data from various third-party integrations. It then combines this analyses with Playpal’s patented Health Score to guide users towards better health and to incentivise them with real-world rewards via a digital health- currency, issued by Playpal’s health partner called the HIECOH Wealth Foundation. Through this partnership, Playpal can now use the Foundation’s health token as its own tangible “Health Currency”. While the company’s accelerated growth and community traction is a result of the grit and dedication of its 3 female founders - Eesha Sheikh, Izza Naveed, and Sana Tayyab - it is Eesha Sheikh’s laser focused vision that continues to drive Playpal forward. Trained as a medicinal chemist, Eesha has guided the company through various stages of research and development, enabling the business, the product, and the algorithm to grow with strong scientific and mathematical validation. This has allowed Playpal to establish itself as a cutting-edge company, perfectly positioned to define the next stage in healthcare. W Perfectly pitched to be a disruptive influence in the traditional world of healthcare, Eesha Sheikh and her co-founding team of women have based their processes on innovation in every regard. With the beta release set for Q2 of 2020 and with research projects with universities and health-tech partners in the pipeline, Playpal is set to take the health-tech market by storm. Company: Playpal Inc Contact: Eesha Sheikh “Playpal’s vision of health focuses on the individual, consolidates the fragmented health market, quantifies and gamifies health, and offers real-world rewards.”