Women arrive at specialist clinics after years of wrong diagnoses and failed treatments, then leave with a correct diagnosis after a single visit. The gap between what a world expert can see and what most clinics can offer is where GynTools sits.
GynTools builds GYNI, an automated point-of-care AI platform for rapid diagnosis of vaginitis. The company is based in Jerusalem and has built the device, the AI and the clinical evidence base simultaneously as a small team.
Nimrod Lev is GynTools’ CEO and Co-founder. He’s a mechanical engineer with over 40 patents and previously founded two health-tech startups. His co-founder is Prof. Ahinoam Lev-Sagie, a vulvovaginal disease expert whose clinic provided the starting point for the company. We spoke about women’s health diagnostics and why every step on their path is measured in years.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your role?
Nimrod Lev is a seasoned MedTech entrepreneur, mechanical engineer, and inventor with over 40 patents issued in his name. He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of GynTools, a medical technology company focused on AI-based diagnostic solutions for women’s health. Before founding GynTools, Lev established and led two health-tech startups—SleepUp and Medihale—and gained extensive R&D leadership experience as VP of R&D at Infutec. At GynTools, he leads the commercialization and international growth of GYNI, an automated, point-of-care AI platform designed for rapid and accurate diagnosis of vaginitis. His executive background encompasses medical device development, strategic global partnerships, regulatory clearance processes, and technology innovation.
How did your company come about and what was the motivation behind it?
Our Co-Founder, Prof. Ahinoam Lev-Sagie, is a renowned vulvovaginal disease expert. For years I watched, from up close, what her clinic looked like: women arriving after years of wrong diagnoses and failed treatments, and leaving, often after a single visit, with a correct diagnosis and a treatment that finally worked. The painful question was obvious: why should a woman have to reach one of a handful of world experts to get an answer that, in a better world, any clinic could give her? That question became the company.
Can you describe your company’s mission and values?
Our mission is to improve women’s healthcare worldwide through better diagnosis of women-related medical conditions.
What are some of the most pressing social issues that your company is working to address through its technology?
The quality of point-of-care diagnosis for women. Women’s healthcare was neglected for centuries and we are here to fix it.
How does your company measure the impact of its work in creating positive change?
We see how we reduce repeated clinic visits as an indication that GYNI’s diagnosis is more accurate than current empiric approach, hence, reducing the time for healing and patient’s suffering.
In your opinion, what impact will technology have in creating a better future?
As AI enters the health systems, patients will receive faster and more accurate diagnoses that will result in better treatment, new drugs discovery and shorter time for regulatory approvals.
What advice do you have for other companies looking to use technology for good and create a positive impact in the world?
Be patience. We chose a path, rigorous clinical studies, IVDR certification, manufacturing quality at medical-device grade, where every step is measured in years, while the need in the field is immediate. Fundraising in women’s health has its own challenges; investors historically underestimated this market, though that is finally changing. And building a device, an AI, and a clinical evidence base simultaneously, as a small team in Jerusalem, meant everyone did three jobs. I’m proud of how we did it, but I won’t pretend it was easy.
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GynTools measures impact by tracking reduced repeat clinic visits, an indication that diagnosis is more accurate than the current empiric approach. The company has pursued IVDR certification and medical-device grade manufacturing throughout.
You can find out more at gyntools.com
