RED LEADERSHIP PERSPECTIVES

Devyser

Devyser provides pioneering diagnostic kits and solutions for advanced DNA testing. They eliminate tedious protocols and streamline laboratory workflows with simple, fast, and easy-to-use solutions. This ensures patients receive a more accurate diagnosis and faster, better treatment. In 2023, Devyser had 113 employees, sold and marketed their product in more than 65 countries, and reported SEK 169.3 million in sales.

A conversation between

Fredrik Alpsten, CEO at Devyser
Mads Holme, Managing Partner at ReD Associates

Mads Holme: Tell us about your current focus and key learnings at Devyser?

Fredrik Alpsten: The company was founded 20 years ago with a vision to help people get the correct diagnosis in the shortest possible time. Our founders, who were just starting families, were horrified that they would have to wait three weeks just to get test results. They realised these solutions could be much simpler and more personalised, enabling the right treatment for the right patient at the right time. Everything we do is centered on that vision. We provide high-efficiency testing solutions, resulting in faster results. This means doctors can start treating patients earlier and saving more lives because we know there is a higher survival rate when treatment starts earlier. Since our founding, the MedTech industry has changed dramatically and will continue to do so. Where we are today will not be where we are in two years. So, a key learning was knowing how to go from solely responding to market needs to leading in the market; the shift from reactive to proactive.

A key learning was knowing how to go from solely responding to market needs to leading in the market; the shift from reactive to proactive.

Mads: You have recently entered into partnerships with both Illumina and Thermo Fischer Scientific. Why are these partnerships important for Devyser?

Fredrik: Diagnostics is a complex field and the process consists of several moving parts and players. To think we can offer everything our customers need ourselves is not realistic. However, knowing who to partner with to offer the most value to our customers is a critical way we can add more value. Knowing this requires having the right insight into how labs work and how they will likely work in the near future, which is something we have spent significant time on understanding in the past.

Mads: How do you see the MedTech landscape changing and what will it mean for Devyser’s future?

Fredrik: I think we will see a more democratised environment. Testing will be more affordable and accessible. As tests become more accessible, our markets will become more fragmented and spread out, and we must adapt and change with the new landscape. This is incredibly exciting but also raises concerns. As we grow, we risk losing our ability to respond to customer needs, which is our main priority. So, in thinking about changing our internal operations, we consider how we can stay nimble while continuing to do what we do well in many different markets.

Mads: How would you best describe what that adaptation looked like amidst the changing MedTech landscape in the last few years?

Fredrik: Our company has always focused on continuously listening to and working with the customer. When we first started, we knew our value add was about increasing efficiency and speed in testing solutions. This meant creating a simple solution for faster tests and shorter turnaround times in receiving the test results. However, we know the industry is changing and will continue to. These rapid changes left us questioning, where should we go? What is our edge? How can Devyser adapt within an industry with so many players? Working with the ReD team helped us identify how to shift from purely focusing on efficiency to leading in scalable and pioneering diagnostic solutions.

Mads: What did this look like in practice?

Fredrik: One obvious example is the increase in automation. Much of our past practices emphasised training people across the testing systems, now much of that is increasingly done by machines. Many of our conversations showed how, in past years, high-skilled lab technicians, or those with what we call in the industry “golden hands,” are becoming rare. Rather than focusing on developing highly sophisticated human operators, we focused on developing highly sophisticated and automated software solutions. That means we have to focus even more on how we can still ensure the highest quality across testing while also ensuring that our testing solutions continue to advance. It’s a balance of expanding our focus to remain patient-oriented while incorporating more automated systems.

Mads: What are other practical things you need to do going ahead to stay at the forefront of evolving customer needs?

Fredrik: Of course, we need to keep doing what we have been doing – listening and adapting to the needs of our customers by being an active member of the diagnostics community. However, we also need to become more conscious and strategic about how the labs are changing at a higher level. This not only means being aware of changes in public policy and health governance, but also understanding how the culture of labs is changing. As certain tasks become automated, and other tasks become more complex, how does that change the values, rationales and mental models that underlie lab decisions? We have realised that in some cases these less measurable factors matter just as much as clinical evidence or new technologies.

Mads: You’re currently growing at an impressive pace. How do make sure to maintain a sense of culture with such a growing and global team?

Fredrik: It is important to have a well-defined value proposition that can be easily internalised by new joiners, but inspiring enough for the people who have been here for longer. That makes sure that we have a guiding star that we are all working towards, but also allows for people to find their own way of getting there.

Mads: How has your role as CEO shaped company culture?

Fredrik: You start by putting together a great team. I think this is the most important task for a CEO, to find the right talent, give them direction, and then let them run. I’m not the expert, but I am surrounded by many experts who know exactly what to do. Be bold and hire people who are better than you. Because with the right team, you can achieve miraculous results.

Be bold and hire people who are better than you. Because with the right team, you can achieve miraculous results.

Three Recommendations for leaders:

1. Know when to shift and drive customer value from incremental improvement to leading in the market

2. Build a global team for global customers

3. Invest in talent and trust your team