Dacadoo

dacadoo ag
Type Private company
Founded Zurich, Switzerland
Area served Worldwide
Slogan(s) What's your Health Score?
Website www.dacadoo.com
Alexa rank 1,194,269 (November 2014)[1]
Type of site Health promotion, mhealth, Social Networking
Registration Required
Available in 5 languages including: American English, German, Portuguese, French, Russian and Czech
Launched December 2011
Current status Active

dacadoo (formerly QUENTIQ AG) is a Zurich based company that combines mobile technologies, social networking, gamification and big data analytics with the aim of helping users improve their health and well-being.

History and background

dacadoo is based in Zurich, Switzerland and was founded as QUENTIQ AG in 2010 (and renamed to dacadoo ag in January 2012) with offices in Zurich, Switzerland and San Francisco, USA. The company is privately funded. The dacadoo platform went live in December 2011 with its online health and well-being platform, and its related application to track activity for iOS devices, followed by similar applications for Android devices in May 2012 and BlackBerry devices in June 2012.

The company presupposes its health platform execution on the premise that sedentary lifestyles have increased the proportion of people who are overweight, have diabetes or suffer heart failure in our society thus pressuring further the already stressed healthcare budgets of most developed countries. One such study quoted is the clinical data published in the Lancet[2] which demonstrates that insufficient activity has nearly the same effect on life expectancy as smoking. With these type of studies as their reference dacadoo has been, according to their website and press releases, developing a so-called lifestyle navigation platform that calculates a person's Health Score. The score, a number from 1 to 1000, represents a persons health status from poor to excellent and aims to represent a directional relative indicator of a user's current health and well-being status in real-time.

According to their statement, many of the company's initiatives aim to focus on active prevention and healthier lifestyle to tackle the problems before they become chronic – in this instance referencing a report on global life sciences published by Ernst & Young in 2012 [3] which recognizes that changing behavioral patterns represented the single biggest opportunity to improve an individuals health outcome.

The company's business model is based on the premise that the combination of smartphone technology, social networking, motivation techniques from the gaming industry, and big data analytics, have the power to facilitate lifestyle behavior change in individuals. As a result the company trademarked the dacadoo Health Score Platform based on these principles. The company has since launch issued a disclaimer that the so-called dacadoo Health Score [4] is not a diagnostic tool but a lifestyle product and therefore does not substitute the diagnosis of a medical professional. When tracked over time, the health score will possibly offer a directional relative indicator of how a person's health and well-being is improving or deteriorating.

Nuffield Health, a UK-based non-profit healthcare and fitness operator, introduced its Nuffield Health Score product developed by dacadoo in early 2013.,[5] and AOK Nordost, a German health insurance company, offers the dacadoo solution in north eastern Germany since 2013.

According to the company's website, the dacadoo health score is based on three pillars:

Platform and functionality

The online health & well-being platform can be accessed by web browser on the computer or by a mobile wireless device such as a smartphone or tablet.

The platform uses principles from the gaming industry (so-called “gamification”) and offers additionally a social network enabling users to connect with and 'follow' their friends. The Newsfeed is the centerpiece of the dacadoo social network and a collection of all activities of the user and his/her friends such as fitness activities, challenge participation, earned achievements and rewards, providing the user and his/her friends authorized sharing of this information in their privacy settings. To recognize the active engagement and the progress of dacadoo users, the platform rewards the users with achievements in specific activities to provide a kind of “pat on the back” feedback.

The platform that dacadoo is built on is device and application agnostic and supports third party devices from companies such as Fitbit, Jawbone (company), BodyMedia, Garmin and Polar, as well as mobile applications and devices from others suppliers.

The dacadoo Tracker is a free application for smartphones to enable the users to track their indoor and outdoor fitness activities. It is available for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry and allows GPS tracking of many activities producing maps with the tracks of you and your friends that can be analyzed in detail. Additionally, photographs can be attached to each activity over the smartphone.

Similar products

Similar products include

Awards and nominations

2014
In 2014 dacadoo wins Bronze in the category “Innovation" at the Best of Swiss Web Awards 2014 in Zurich. [6] dacadoo is one of the winners of the Red Herring Top 100 Europe Award 2014 in Amsterdam.[7] In November 2014 dacadoo wins Bronze in category Lifestyle at the Best of Swiss App Award 2014. [8]

2013
In Lucerne, Switzerland the dacadoo platform won the Swiss ICT Award 2013 Public Award.[9] In Köln, Germany, dacadoo won the Health Media Award 2013.[10]

2012
The dacadoo tracker app was on the short list of the inaugural Swiss App Awards[11] 2012 in Zurich. Quentiq was nominated in the 2012 Best of Swiss Web Awards. The Quentiq platform won bronze,[12] in the category "Technology" at the "Best of Swiss Web Awards 2012" in Zurich, was selected as the winner by the judges. In Munich at the "Health Media Award 2012″ the Quentiq platform won the first place award in the category "International Communication" and also for the Special category: “International Cooperation”.

Media coverage

The company has received media coverage in print, online and TV mostly in the German speaking part of Europe (Switzerland, Germany and Austria). Swiss German print media includes Blick,[13] SonntagsBlick magazine,[14] SonntagsZeitung weekly newspaper,[15] and 20 Minuten,[16] und [17] BILANZ Magazine,[18] and NZZ am Sonntag.[19][20] Swiss French print media includes newspaper Le Temps.[21] Also covered by Swiss television's.[22] "cash TV" and "10vor10"[23] and "SRF 1".[24] Also covered by the DRS 2[25] the second Swiss German radio station from Schweizer Radio DRS and the french radio in Switzerland RTS.[26] In Germany, media coverage includes Die Welt,[27] Internet World Business.[28] and Süddeutsche Zeitung.,[29][30] Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)[31] and German TV ZDFinfo,[32] Also specific start-up news websites such as startupticker.ch,[33] startwerk.ch,[34] ictk.ch,[35] newlyswissed,[36] gruenderszene.de,[37] and netzwoche.[38]

English speaking media coverage include articles in the Journal of mHealth,[39] The Economist,[40] and the Wall Street Journal.[41]

Danish newspapers have also written about the company due to founding entrepreneur Peter Ohnemus's Danish background. These include: Dagbladet Børsen[42] and Berlingske Tidende.[43]

Portuguese "Brazilian" speaking media coverage includes articles in Saber Viver,[44] Brazil’s EXAME magazine,[45] and Impressão Digital.[46]

Criticism

To date, there isn’t yet any prospective clinical outcome study on behavioral change that shows objectively, that the dacadoo health score platform is effective as behavioral change and well-being platform.

References

  1. ↑ "dacadoo.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  2. ↑ Lancet 2012; 380: 219–29 "Effect of physical inactivity on major non-communicable diseases worldwide: an analysis of burden of disease and life expectancy” I-Min Lee, Eric J Shiroma, Felipe Lobelo, Pekka Puska, Steven N Blair, Peter T Katzmarzyk, for the Lancet Physical Activity Series Working Group*
  3. ↑ Global Life Sciences Report 2012 by Ernst & Young “Progressions – The Third Place: healthcare everywhere”
  4. ↑ "dacadoo Health Score". Deutsche Telekom und QUENTIQ starten mit neuer Maßeinheit für Fitness und Gesundheit. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  5. ↑ http://www.nuffieldhealth.com/about-us/news/nuffield-health-invest-69million-services-reveals-annual-report-2012
  6. ↑ "Best of Swiss Web Awards 2014 Bronze in Innovation". Best of Swiss Web Awards. 2014.
  7. ↑ "2014 Red Herring Europe Top 100 Winner". Red Herring Europe Top 100 Winner. 2014.
  8. ↑ "Best of Swiss App Awards 2014 Bronze in Lifestyle". Best of Swiss App Awards. 2014.
  9. ↑ "Swiss ICT Award 2013". Swiss ICT Award. 2013.
  10. ↑ "Health Media Award 2013". Health Media Award - category “journalism”. 2013.
  11. ↑ "Swiss App Awards". Swiss App Awards. 28 February 2012.
  12. ↑ "Best of Swiss Web Awards Bronze Category". Best of Swiss Web Awards. 2012.
  13. ↑ "Ab jetzt ist Quentiq online. Die Schweizer Masseinheit für Fitness und Gesundheit". Blick. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  14. ↑ SonntagsBlick Nr. 44, 4 November 2012; "Die neue Vermessung des Menschen – Digi-Run. Quantified-Self" Text: Philippe Pfister Fotos: Thomas Stöckli*
  15. ↑ "Der vermessene Anspruch". SonntagsZeitung. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  16. ↑ "Eine App zeigt, wie gesund Sie wirklich sind". 20 Minuten. 24 November 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  17. ↑ "Self-Track-Pionier: Wir stehen erst am Anfang dieses Zeitalters". 20 Minuten. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  18. ↑ BILANZ Schweizer Wirtschaftsmagazin – 06.03.2015 “JETZT GEHTS LOS! Warum die digitale Revolution erst beginnt!”, Marc Kowalsky
  19. ↑ "Marketing mit dem Namen des Universitätsspitals". NZZ am Sonntag. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  20. ↑ NZZ am Sonntag, Gesellschaft – 29.06.2014 “Vermessung des Ichs”, Joel Bedetti
  21. ↑ "Vingt-cinq start-up primées". Letemps.ch. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  22. ↑ "Broadcast about Ohnemus focuses on fitness". Swiss television "cash TV". Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  23. ↑ ""10vor10" SRF: Total self control". Swiss television SRF" 10vor10". Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  24. ↑ ""Einstein" SRF: Einstein – Unterwegs: Der vermessen(d)e Mensch". Swiss television SRF "Einstein". Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  25. ↑ "Quantified Self: Körperliche Buchführung". Schweizer Radio DRS 2. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  26. ↑ "Nouvo: les applications liées à la santé". RTS Radio Télevision Suisse. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  27. ↑ "Das Smartphone wacht über die Gesundheit". Die Welt. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  28. ↑ "Digitale Vermessung des Ichs". internet world BUSINESS. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  29. ↑ Süddeutsche Zeitung, 13 October 2012; "Die Vermessung des Ichs" Text: Chistoph Behrens*
  30. ↑ "The watch that wants to know all". Süddeutsche. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  31. ↑ "Computerprogramme messen die Fitness". Computerprogramme messen die Fitness. 7 April 2014.
  32. ↑ "Meine App, Mein Körper und ich". Meine App, Mein Körper und ich. 13 March 2014.
  33. ↑ "QUENTIQ mit Erfolg und neuem Namen". startupticker. 26 February 2013.
  34. ↑ "Quentiq mit Relaunch, Biocartis erhält Geld, Outsourcing-Markt für Startups". startwerk. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  35. ↑ "Aus Quentiq wird Dacadoo". ictk.ch. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  36. ↑ "Staying On Top of your Health with dacadoo". newlyswissed. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  37. ↑ "Gesundheit in Echtzeit erfassen". gruenderszene.de. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  38. ↑ "1000 Punkte? Das schafft vielleicht Superman". netzwoche. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
  39. ↑ "Journal of mHealth Issue 2 Interview with Peter Ohnemus at dacadoo". Journal of mHealth. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  40. ↑ "Economist Report: The challenge of speed – Healthcare". The Economist. Retrieved 1 Apr 2014.
  41. ↑ "McCann Health and dacadoo ag Form Global Strategic Partnership To Expand Mobile Health & Fitness Tracking System". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  42. ↑ "The Danish serial entrepreneur Peter Ohnemus". Dagbladet Børsen. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  43. ↑ "Den globale entreprenørs Peter Ohnemus". Berlingske Tidende. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  44. ↑ ,"APP AJUDA A MANTER UMA VIDA SAUDÁVEL". Saber Viver. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  45. ↑ "The watch that wants to know all". Süddeutsche. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  46. ↑ "Aplicativo ajuda a melhorar a saúde e condicionamento físico em tempo real". Impressão Digital. Retrieved 11 June 2014.

External links