Philips sifted 146 million patent filings to map future medical-device options. Food-tech startup Sevvy ran a similar exercise to compare cooking technologies. Both projects relied on GetFocus, a Rotterdam-based firm that applies an MIT-derived algorithm to rank how quickly technologies improve.
In the Philips project, the goal was to determine the optimal investment timing for a specific emerging medical technology. GetFocus reports that its analysis provided Philips with an overview of the technology’s developmental history, a forecast of its performance trajectory, and insights into the competitive landscape. This information, according to GetFocus, enabled Philips to make a more informed decision about when and how significantly to invest in emerging technologies.
Food-tech startup Sevvy used the platform to evaluate its Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) cooking technology against the broader market. GetFocus analyzed 27 different cooking methods, assessing performance characteristics and forecasting improvement rates. According to the company, this provided Sevvy with a competitive landscape overview and indicated that PEF technology possesses one of the higher rates of improvement among direct competitors.
GetFocus also points to a back-test on lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries to illustrate how the model works. Patent-based signals showed the chemistry’s improvement rate speeding up in the early 2000s, about a decade before automakers began using LFP cells in electric vehicles. The company cites that lead time as evidence the platform can surface major shifts well before they reach the market.
Christophe Perthuisot, chief R&D and innovation officer at Moët Hennessy, said in prepared remarks that the system compressed nine months of scouting into a week.
The GetFocus website lists a diverse number of companies as customers, including Procter & Gamble, Reckitt Benckiser, BASF, Shell, Unilever, and Caterpillar.
GetFocus won the CES Innovation Award for AI in 2024.
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