Driven with the passion of ‘Making diagnostic lab tools accessible to everyone’, Colorimetrix was established in 2014, and officially started commercial operations in 2017. Colorimetrix decided to help women seeking to get pregnant with their first product ‘Pearl Fertility’ released to the market in 2018. Since then, its drive has been the same, to bring knowledge forward, where it is most needed, in the hands of consumers seeking information about their bodies in a more personalized and understanding way.
‘Pearl Fertility’ is a self-monitoring kit to test hormones at home. Women can see their hormones rise and fall during their cycle and get personalized information. For couples who are trying to conceive, this is crucial, as knowing when the fertile days are based on reliable accurate predictions, can lead to kick starting a new, wonderful journey.
About the Duo
Dr. Leo Martinez is the CEO and Dominik Westner is the CTO of Colorimetrix. Dr. Martinez was included in the list of Innovators under 35 by the MIT Technology Review in 2014 for the technology. Mr. Westner, on the other hand, is a seasoned software entrepreneur, with a successful exit to Blackberry in 2011. They both are spearheading Colorimetrix with their inimitable talent and have achieved milestones together to bring ‘Pearl Fertility’ to the market (www.pearl-fertility.com).
The Story of Colorimetrix
Colorimetrix started as a small project, as the lab in pocket or pocket diagnostics. While Dr. Martinez was working in the lab, he broke a spectrophotometer machine, which is a very expensive and bulky machine, which made him realize that most of the machines required in healthcare procedures are heavy, weight-wise as well as cost-wise. He then started dreaming of making them obsolete with software and small hardware and then realized that almost all they do is already included in a mobile phone. Since then, Dr. Martinez and his partner Dominik started working on multiple applications of the technology. The number of potential applications was vast and broad, after a lengthy process of defining the product that is when finally the decision was made to go with Pearl Fertility– Colorimetrix’s firstn product, ovulation and fertility tracking at home, the first fertility test that includes up to three individual hormones.
Awards and Recognitions
Apart from the MIT Innovators under 35 Award, Colorimetrix holds the ‘Seal of Excellence’ from the European Commission for top SME companies. The company has also been a part of the ‘Mass Challenge Accelerator in Switzerland’ and is a Grantee of the EIT-Health in Europe. Colorimetrix was also a part of the Google Launch Pad for startups in Germany, and has gained recognition in various pitching events in Europe.
Testimonials
The true success of any company is measured by the number of its happy clients. Colorimetrix has been an essential part of its clients’ journey and they speak really highly of the company’s ovulation tests kit, Pearl Fertility:
“We used this product to confirm ovulation which we measure using LH test sticks. This was an easy to use test- the main catch is to remember that you’re looking for only one line to confirm progesterone, rather than the standard two lines of other positive tests!”- Amazon from Danielle
“We are very happy to share with you the joy of having a baby and let you know that Pearl was of great help in the journey, every test strip we took was worth the effort”-Fernanda, Nutritionist
Simplifying Life of Patients and Physicians
Colorimetrix says that it is easy to misuse the word ‘patient’ in the Fertility topic. The truth is that many people are immediately classified as infertile because of the lack of consensus and the lack of knowledge in the fertility space. In reality, there are several conditions that affect fertility, and it does not necessarily mean they make you infertile, some are treatable and some may just lead to one taking longer journeys to conceive, but not necessarily make one infertile or in need of IVF right away. The company believes that patients are often left alone after the doctor’s visit and the doctor tells them to keep trying back at home, but there is no way for the doctor to be there with them in those moments of frustration and despair.
“The medicine of the future is the one that comes to you, when the doctor comes to you, when the lab comes to you, when the hospital comes to you. We are just providing a small piece of the puzzle in the future of medicine. That one that is personalized, predictive, at home” delivers Dr. Martinez.
Future Plans
Colorimetrix is planning to bring more interesting tools for self-monitoring at home to the market. It is also likely to expand its focus from the fertility space to other segments of concern. Also, the company is helping enterprises with solutions for their daily testing routines outside of the health space.
On asking him about the positive trends going on in the diagnostic industry, Dr. Martinez said, “Diagnostics at home, that is the key, that is the trend. Not to mention that it has to be personalized, perhaps an old trend but the one so many companies forget to address still. This is what we are doing.” While talking about the future goals of Colorimetrix, Dr. Martinez said, “The clinic, the lab, the medic, comes to you, that is the future we are building up here. Fertility is our first topic, there are many more to tap into.”
