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Startup means recovering fast from mistakes

‌Xmetix next generation of tactical clothing capable of responding to bleeding injury

Please introduce yourself and your startup Xmetix to our readers.

My name is Irad Kuhnreich, I am the CEO and founder of Xmetix, an Israeli wearable technology startup. Xmetix‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌developer‌ ‌of‌ ‌smart‌ clothing‌ ‌designed‌ ‌to‌ ‌give‌‌ ‌users‌ ‌a‌ novel ‌level‌ ‌of‌ ‌security through detection and response ‌associated‌ ‌with‌ ‌limb‌ injury.‌ At the core of ‌Xmetix’s ‌ ‌innovation‌ ‌is‌ a fabric ‌that can‌ ‌detect‌ disruption, predict life or limb-threatening injury, ‌and‌ ‌stop‌ ‌major‌ ‌bleeding‌,‌ ‌automatically and autonomously.‌ ‌The‌ ‌garments,‌ both‌ ‌pants‌ ‌and‌ ‌shirts‌, ‌are‌ ‌fitted‌ ‌with‌ ‌sensing ‌mesh‌ ‌to‌ detect injury and‌ ‌self- ‌powered‌ Artificially-Intelligent (AI) ‌tourniquets‌ capable of predictably, reliably, and effectively arresting hemorrhage. 

How did you get the idea of Xmetix?

This is not an easy question to answer. It involves the personal experiences of me and my co-founder, who is also my brother. As we are 11 years apart, seeing the same gaps over and over again made us realize that current technology can change things drastically, and then the idea just popped out. There is a saying in the military about “lesson observed” in contrast to lessons learned. When there are repeating events with negative results it means there is something fundamentally wrong that needs disruptive change. We researched the problem of limb combat injuries and discovered that nothing has changed since WWI, which just emphasizes the dimension of the challenge we are addressing with our product.   

Why did you decide to start with Xmetix?

Being a slightly experienced entrepreneur, the decision to start a company was a result of a study we did to explore the various aspects of the initial idea. First, we took a hands-on approach from day one. We bought hardware and started writing basic software. I did not do any code before. Secondly, we did a thorough market and customer need validation study. Once we had positive results in these aspects, we decided to start the business. 

What is the vision behind Xmetix?

Our vision is to be the global leader of ultra-smart garments. Garments that respond to life-risking situations and save lives. Under the principle of adapt – sense – react, many applications and use cases exist. The Xmetix vision is to deliver products to meet the needs and achieve total user satisfaction. 

How difficult was the start and which challenges did you have to overcome?

Finding early stage investors was challenging and we had to overcome many rejections. The product we are developing is medical, but very unusual in the medical device ecosystem. 

Who is your target customer?

Our target customer is anyone who is doing something with injury risk, especially in remote environments. Naturally, our early adopters are in the military and police sectors since risk levels there are relatively high. Xmetix’s goal is to expand to other sectors such as first responders, outdoor sports, and space applications. 

What is the unique selling proposition (USP) of Xmetix?

The Xmetix product USP is faster and better than any existing solution available. Fast and effective bleeding control has a huge added value in saving lives, reducing medical care costs (both short and long term), and enabling tactical advantages for its users. 

Please describe your typical workday.

I keep a tight daily schedule. 

5AM, coffee and updates (mail / social network)

5:45 to 6:30, exercise (run / swim / CrossFit) 

6:30 to 8:00, kids + breakfast 

8:00 – 18:00 working hours, divided into: back- office work, zoom meetings, hands-on work, social media work. 

18:00 – 19:00, kids + dinner + dishes 

19:00 – 20:30, zoom / clubhouse with US 

2030 – 22:00, fun 

22:30 – ZZZZ 

Where do you see yourself and Xmetix in five years?

Head of a company delivering 1,000,000 smart garments per year. 

What 3 tips would you like to give to startup founders?

Be tolerant of mistakes, both yours and your team’s, “startup” means recovering fast from mistakes that will always happen. 

In R&D, do the best you can do as fast as you can, test it and start improving it with design test cycles. Don’t spend too much time on planning. Do and test.

Work on marketing and sales from day one. The intangible assets of the company are to be developed in parallel with the product. Social media work is a key to success. 

Thank you Irad Kuhnreich for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

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