NeuroTechnology: A case about creation of the Russian medical device which was pleasant to Europeans

A story about how in the Russian province created the medical device and began to sell successfully it in Europe.

It will be a question of NeuroTechnology company. In 2001 future founder of the company Yury Koryukalov (neurophysiologist) together with the friend the physician osteostalemate dreamed to create the device for treatment of diseases of a backbone. In plans the device had to be based on the principles of autogravitatsionny therapy. Is the cornerstone of the majority of the diseases of a backbone disturbing the person painful miofastsialny a syndrome of okolopozvonochny muscles. Autogravitatsionny therapy saves from this syndrome by deep relaxation of okolopozvonochny muscles by means of the body weight pressure upon anatomic specialized devices. The technology of mechanical impact on muscles and their fastion was developed by Anthony Chilla, John Pekham and Carol Mankhaym in the USA in 1981.

At miofastsialnom a syndrome trigger points are formed. These are the areas consisting of intense "sections" of muscles and felt at a palpation as consolidations in muscles. Future creators were going to develop such device which due to anatomic construction precisely would get to localization of these points and removed the physiological tension of muscular tissue. So the device gravitational sprain and muscles and exact immersion (to 26 mm) and hit had to be the cornerstone of structural elements in them.

Creation of the device Cordus and start of production

In 7 years of researches of the given subject after emergence of the idea at the end of 2008 authors started development of the device. For friends it was the first experience in creation of a startup, a lot of things were for the first time. On development of construction, technical approbation, researches and testing on volunteers 4 years left.

One of authors was an osteostalemate, other neurophysiologist, to. b. the N conducting researches in laboratories of SUSU. All this helped with development of the device. At this stage there were no investments. Authors spent about 2 million own means development of the first model of the device.

The device after several years of upgrade was called by Cordus. It works with a specific segment of a backbone from a neck and to a waist. Massage tops of the device plunge into the area of deep okolopozvonochny muscles, stretching and relaxing them. It removes overvoltage and a spasm of muscular tissue, eliminates compression of a nerve, recovers mobility of joints of a spine column.

In 2011 the model was ready, it was possible to start production. For start it was necessary to invest 3-5 million rubles. For example, the form for mass production of devices from medical plastic cost then about 650 thousand rubles.

In the middle of 2011 there were two investors. One invested in production (2.5 million rubles), another had to promote goods. Production of a compression mold for production of the devices Cordus started at the end of 2011. The product left in the middle of 2012. The first sales began with summer of 2012.

Long-term cooperation with the second investor (responsible for promotion) did not develop. The author it was necessary to be engaged independently in advertizing and promotion, making use of the communications, experience of sales and personal means (the first investor only partially compensated promotional costs).

The first sales

In link quality of promotion a personal contact with massage therapists, osteostalemates was used, cold calls to the fitness centers, the orthopedic centers, clinics, etc. were made.

About one and a half years of a hard work were required to lay the foundation for the first stable sales of Cordus and to create initial popularity among reabilitolog, manual therapists and massage therapists. And all the same development of sales went very hard. In the beginning sold 10-50 pieces a month. Production worked in minus for these 1.5 years.

The device had no analogs, it generated mistrust and misunderstanding of the principles of its work. For the solution of this problem videos were shot, did the presentations, illustrations, instructions. If dealers understood the mechanism of action and like trust, then the following problem began to inform of advantages of the device buyers. For example, in drugstores of it it was not possible to make. There products just lay on a counter. One more serious problem was lack of broad advertizing. If the goods are widely known, then it is much easier to convince dealers to take it to sell.

Cooperation with MLM-network became successful experience. It gave the chance to sell about 100 pieces a month. Also effective was a holding webinars. All this allowed the company to begin to work in plus. Medical specialists, the medical centers, the fitness centers, yoga-studios became the best sales channel. At them it was possible not only to get competent advice, but also to complete a course of correction of a backbone.

In 2013 the first dealer from Europe appeared. The producer of iplikator from Slovakia became him. He saw advertizing on the Internet, ordered trial consignment and was satisfied. He was not engaged in active promotion of the device as it was concentrated on production of own goods. But his distributors (one of the Czech Republic, one of France) began to show interest in Cordus. With the businessman from the Czech Republic cooperation did not turn out, but the entrepreneur from France bought trial consignment.

The device Cordus at treatment of deep spazmirovanny okolopozvonochny muscles causes painful feelings. This aspect began to slow down development of sales in Europe that motivated to creation of the new device without this shortcoming.

New device Sacrus

In 2013 to Yury Koryukalov one known osteostalemate (Igor Kutuzov) advised to make the device which well would work with a sacrum and a basin at the level of muscles and ligaments, comprising the principles of kranio-sacral therapy.

The first device (Cordus) influences okolopozvonochny muscles massage tops and relaxes them mechanical stretching or additional microamplitude vibration.

The new device which received the name Sacrus except work with muscles, also allows to weaken a linking of a basin and a sacrum. The principle is the cornerstone of kranio-sacral therapy that a backbone, skull bones, a sacrum, cerebrospinal fluid and covers back / a brain are connected among themselves by a special rhythm. Respectively the disorder in one part of an organism responds problems in another. So, for example, the injury of a tailbone can cause migraine, and the craniocereberal injury provokes formation of hernias of disks of a backbone.

In kranio-sacral therapy there are no rough interventions and pain. The device Sacrus due to the construction provides soft, but deep impact on the musculocopular device. It unloads a backbone, recovers symmetry of a sacrum, relaxes ligaments and at the same time starts regenerative processes in earlier overloaded muscles.

Creation of the device matched the investor's exit from the project (it was December, 2014). Therefore for Sacrus the new company was created. Development of the device and carrying out researches required one and a half years.

For start of production the grandee from the Ministry of Economic Development in 350 thousand rubles was received. Yury granted other missing sum the personal means.

In six months started production. For start of sales used already acquired business model and the new forming channels. Considering experience with the device Cordus, for start of production Sacrus there were enough 1.5 million rubles. The device went on sale by the fall of 2016.

New tasks

Despite 10 years of work, by 2018 the company had unresolved tasks:

• The main – insufficient understanding of the basic principles of action. The active information campaign revealing features of autogravitatsionny technology of correction of a backbone is necessary. Autogravitatsionny therapy is poorly known, even many specialists do not know about it, or have superficial knowledge. In addition most of people are conservative, it is hard to gain their trust, offering something absolutely new.

• People badly watch long videos and reluctantly read big texts. It complicates the report of advantages of devices and autogravitatsionny therapy.

• The company cannot spend million budgets for large-scale advertizing, telling about itself to hundreds of thousands of people. At the moment advertizing campaigns are built pointwise. Gradually connected specialists help to expand idea of patients of new technology of correction of a backbone. Though the principles of deep relaxation of muscles of a backbone are known long ago!

• As well as in many spheres of business, buyers poorly penetrate into a technique of use of the device. It leads to misuse of devices, and as a result, to lack of effect. One of methods of fight against this problem – video instructions at separate violations of a backbone.

Expansion of sale in Europe

Before sales devices underwent certification in Europe. It is serious and expensive process. Devices were transferred to one of institutes of certification in Europe, several months of time and more than €5000 money were spent, plus it is even more on patenting.

Began development of network of dealers in Europe vulgarly with the device Cordus. But because of a certain discomfort when using it was on sale poorly. For example, in France it was possible to implement 20-30 pieces a month.

After Sacrus availability the situation changed. From second month the number of monthly sales in the French market exceeded 100 pieces.

Since April, 2017 the company began to develop dealer network actively. In 9 months it was succeeded to involve 18 dealers. A part is in Russia, the others in France, Spain, Slovakia and Mexico. In plans to occupy 5-8% of the Russian market of devices of correction of backbones within two years and it is essential to increase export abroad.

The company is interested in the investment attraction on marketing and partners for market promotion of Europe and Russia.