The contest rewards citizens, companies or organisations for their new rebellious, unexpected and trend-setting ideas focused on tackling societal challenges.
Kasterlee, 22 May 2017: Activ84Health, the Kempen VITO start-up that develops technology to keep people with a disabilities physically active in a motivating, pleasant and at the same time safe environment, has been named Radical Innovator, one of the most prestigious innovation awards in Flanders.
This morning, during the radio programme Hautekiet, Wouter Deprez, chairman of the jury of this contest organised by the Social Innovation Factory, Radio 1 and De Standaard, announced the names of the 10 Radical Innovators, chosen from 322 different entries. The contest rewards citizens, companies or organisations for their new rebellious, unexpected and trend-setting ideas focused on tackling societal challenges such as climate change, poverty, urbanisation, loneliness and health care.
This new award is a great honor for Activ84Health. Roel Smolders, CEO of the Kempen start-up: “Although it is not our first innovation award, winning the award Radical Innovator feels quite different. This contest looks specifically at the social and societal impact we have on users. We notice that the elderly who get started with our technology by, for example, cycling in their old street, share stories and memories spontaneously. In other words, they can share their history with others. In this way, Activ84Health turns a dull exercise on a hometrainer into a fun storytelling and experience moment, while stimulating the memory.
In September 2016, Activ84Health already received the European Commission’s Smart Ageing Challenge Award, which resulted in a European breakthrough for the young company. Roel Smolders: “By winning the award Radical Innovator, we hope to further build brand awareness and attract new clients at home and abroad. We are already present in more than 35 residential care centres and hospitals in Flanders and the Netherlands, while engaging with distributors in other countries to get a foothold in Europe. We are convinced that our technology can make a significant contribution to the quality of life of people with disabilities outside Flanders as well.”
About Activ84Health
Activ84Health started out as a hobby project by care and IT professionals from residential care centre Witte Meren (Mol), VITO and KU Leuven (Department Computer Science). Over the last 4 years the technology behind the company has been awarded with several national and international innovation prizes. For just over a year now, the technology is commercially available in Flanders and the Netherlands, and they are working hard on scaling up to international levels.
