Alumni Spotlight: Balthasar Kinkel

"In Germany we are just at the starting point of the eHealth revolution and there is a long way to go"

Balthasar Kinkel worked at Fraunhofer IMW from August 2011 until December 2018. It was at Fraunhofer IMW where he developed the foundations and skillsets required for his role as Product Manager at DAVASO GmbH Leipzig. Currently at DAVASO Balthasar hopes to continue his research to revolutionize the established German Health Care market by way of digitization - something which is now at the forefront of everybodies minds with the unprecdented COVID-19 pandemic.

Where do you work now?

DAVASO GmbH Leipzig

What is your current position title?

Product Manager

When did you work/intern at Fraunhofer IMW?

08. 2011 – 12.2016

What division/unit did you work in?

First in the Administration from 2011 to 2014. Later, for the Business Acceleration Unit in the Technology Transfer Department of Dr. Preissler

Where did you study and what degrees did you achieve/are you working towards?

I hold a Bachelor’s Degree from Leipzig University and a Master’s Degree from the FernUniversität in Hagen. In the fields of both Economics and Management Science.

What did you find particularly interesting about your work at Fraunhofer IMW? What did it teach you and how did it prepare you to pursue and maintain the position you now hold?

I have learned a lot about setting up companies around new technologies. That has a large overlap with my current tasks at DAVASO.

What are you currently working on and what do you really enjoy about this job?

I am a Product Manager and so I am responsible for the analysis of new trends in the health sector. After that I set up new product ideas and work on the business cases. In the end, it is in my responsibility to create new products and manage them from the raw idea to the point the product matures and becomes part of the daily business. The part I love the most about this position is the high responsibility during the whole process. Every decision affects the success of the product and this in turn affects the success of the whole company.

Did you ever expect to end up in your current position while you were at Fraunhofer IMW?

Yes. In my opinion, working at Fraunhofer IMW was the best training I could receive concerning technology scouting and trend analysis, so it definitely had an impact on my path to becoming a Product Manager.

What was your most memorable moment as a team member of Fraunhofer IMW?

That’s hard to answer, because there were a lot of memorable moments during my time at Fraunhofer IMW. But I think the business trips to Korea and seeing different working cultures is something I won’t forget.

What is your lasting impression of Fraunhofer IMW?

There are so many people from different countries and with different backgrounds working together towards common goals. That´s what makes the Fraunhofer IMW a special place to work.

What future goals are you working towards?

I hope I can be a part of the digitization of the health market. In Germany we are just at the starting point of the eHealth revolution and there is a long way to go.

How do you see the field you are working in changing in the future?

The German health market is one of the most regulated markets around the world. Therefore, coming up with disruptive changes is very difficult. However, in the last years and especially during the Corona crisis we see that digitalization can bring a lot of benefits to society. We see telemedicine rising and we will see a lot of start-ups building products and services around the eRezept and the digital patient care. Therefore, even in such an established field of business it is inevitable to face the digital change.

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