Since winning the Deep Tech Award, Berlin-based AssistMe GmbH – which specialises in digital assistance systems for care and healthcare – has taken a decisive step forward: alea has evolved from an award-winning deep-tech innovation into a market-ready digital assistance system for the care sector. Today, the platform is being used in real-world care settings and supports care staff in their day-to-day work.
Julio Brandl, CEO of AssistMe, describes the benefits as follows: “alea brings to light what would otherwise remain hidden and gives care staff the confidence to do the right thing at the right moment.”
AssistMe thus exemplifies a trend that is becoming increasingly important in the care sector: digital assistance solutions are no longer seen merely as supplementary technical offerings, but as practical tools that can ease the burden on care staff, make processes more predictable and support the quality of care in everyday practice.
From pilot projects to roll-outs in care homes
Since winning the Deep Tech Award, AssistMe has achieved key milestones – both in product development and at a corporate level. Today, alea is no longer merely being trialled, but is actively used in care homes. Individual pilot projects have given rise to long-term customer relationships and concrete roll-outs in care homes. The basis for this is the patented sensor, IoT and data platform, which AssistMe has been developing since 2018 and initially tested in pilot projects. Following its public launch at the German Care Day in November 2023, alea was introduced into residential care in the fourth quarter of 2023. The use of the platform is scientifically underpinned by the EASY study, which AssistMe carried out from 2021 to 2024 with funding from the GKV-Spitzenverband and whose results the company published in 2024.
The platform’s range of functions has also expanded significantly. alea now supports, amongst other things, incontinence monitoring, activity monitoring, alerts for suspected falls, pressure ulcer prevention, area recognition and digital documentation. The solution has thus evolved from a single technological approach into a more widely applicable care platform.
At the same time, AssistMe has also grown as a company. The team now brings together expertise in care, software, data analysis, hardware development, research, product design and sales. This set-up is complemented by the strategic partnership with TZMO/SENI, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of incontinence products, which was established in early 2024 and has provided AssistMe with additional expertise in incontinence care as well as access to international care markets. This interdisciplinary approach is central to the platform’s further development, as digital care assistance must be technologically advanced whilst also integrating seamlessly into existing care processes.
Another important step is the international outlook. With growth funding of 5.2 million euros (July 2025), AssistMe has driven the scaling of alea and expanded into Austria, France and Poland. The solution is used by care groups such as Mavida and the Johanniter, amongst others. In August 2026, a further funding round of €6.5 million followed, led by CRB Health Tech SGEIC and Vorwerk Ventures, together with SUM Ventures and existing investors.
Identifying care needs at an earlier stage
Over the past few years, alea has developed into a networked care platform that highlights care needs at an early stage. This is particularly evident in incontinence monitoring: the system detects the fill level of incontinence products and helps carers assess when a change is genuinely necessary.
This enables care staff to act more quickly, in a more targeted manner and in line with actual needs. Information is provided directly within the app and can be used immediately in day-to-day work. In addition to incontinence monitoring, alea also supports repositioning routines, alerts staff to unusual movement events and can monitor defined areas where required.
For care managers, the Cockpit also provides an overview of residents, functions, hardware, events and care-related reports. This not only provides support in day-to-day care but also offers greater clarity for organisation, management and documentation.
A key advancement in this regard lies in the integration of sensor data, real-time information and documentation. This makes care more predictable, more traceable and less reliant on standardised monitoring routines. Information that previously had to be recorded manually or obtained through repeated checks can now be supported by digital technology and made available at the right moment.
Deploying digital care assistance where the need is greatest
Today, AssistMe is primarily active in residential care, particularly in care homes and long-term care facilities. In these settings, the need for staff relief, process reliability and digital support is particularly high.
At the same time, alea is fundamentally designed for other care settings as well – including home care, supported living, outpatient care and hospital-related contexts. Strategically, AssistMe is thus evolving from a solution for individual care processes into a more widely applicable platform for digital care assistance.
Beyond Germany, the focus is also on other European markets. Of particular relevance are countries where care facilities face similar challenges: a shortage of skilled staff, rising care needs and a high administrative burden. AssistMe thus addresses not only a German issue but a European one – with a solution developed directly from real-world care processes.
When technology really needs to help in everyday life
The field of digital care assistance has changed significantly in recent years. The care sector is under greater pressure today than it was just a few years ago. There is a shortage of skilled staff, care needs are rising, and documentation takes up a great deal of time. At the same time, there is growing openness to digital support – but only if it actually eases the burden in everyday life.
Digital care assistance is therefore increasingly seen as a practical tool. It is crucial that technology is easy to use, fits into existing workflows and supports care staff in their decision-making without replacing their professional responsibility. Digital assistance should not create additional complexity, but rather provide information in such a way that it helps at the right moment.
In the coming years, networked systems, AI-supported analyses and automated documentation will continue to gain in importance. According to AssistMe, however, the greatest benefit arises where digital assistance improves specific everyday situations: fewer unnecessary checks, faster responses, a better overview and more time for people.
alea is set to become a comprehensive platform
AssistMe has set clear priorities for the coming years: alea is to be further developed into a comprehensive platform for digital care assistance. This includes additional sensor functions, improved analytics and smarter documentation.
At the same time, the platform is to be integrated even more easily into existing care processes and documentation systems. After all, in the care sector in particular, interoperability determines whether digital solutions are used in the long term and provide genuine relief.
Another priority is scaling up across further care facilities and European markets. Looking ahead, AssistMe also sees great potential in home care. In this setting, a great many people are cared for by relatives – and digital support can be particularly effective when it provides reassurance and better supports care processes.
The aim behind this remains clear: technology should relieve the burden on care staff, provide better care for service users, give relatives greater peace of mind, and help care homes ensure high-quality care in a financially sustainable way.
Deep tech with a social impact
The Deep Tech Award Berlin in the IoT/Industry 4.0 category was not just an accolade for AssistMe, but also an important endorsement. It demonstrated that the company’s technology is not only innovative, but also addresses a real social problem.
The award has raised the company’s profile and helped AssistMe to position itself more strongly as a deep tech company in the care and healthcare sector. The combination of technology, practical relevance and social impact is particularly valuable in this context.
Berlin offers a strong environment for this combination. Technical expertise, research, entrepreneurial spirit, the healthcare industry and access to partners all come together here. It is precisely at the intersection of health tech, social tech and deep tech that solutions emerge which are not only economically relevant but also have a direct impact on people’s everyday lives.
What has emerged since the Deep Tech Award demonstrates that deep tech has its greatest impact where technological innovation addresses specific challenges. For AssistMe, this means digital care assistance designed to ease the burden on carers, support care facilities and free up more time for people.
