Conversations with Our Network: eg technology

In our latest Conversations with Our Network series, Rouzet Agaiby, Director at eg technology, discusses the rapidly evolving MedTech landscape, sharing her experiences and expertise in driving innovation in the sector.

Earlier this year, eg technology joined EIT Health Ireland-UK as a network partner. eg technology specialises in developing medical devices and consumer products from concept to market, across multiple sectors, including MedTech and Lab/BioTech. With expertise in design, engineering, technical due diligence and regulatory compliance, eg bridges the gap between innovation and compliance with industry standards. Last month, eg technology announced the opening of its first EU-based office at the PorterShed in Galway, further expanding its services to the Irish, European, and US markets.

With a background spanning engineering, product development, and business management, Rouzet provides a unique take on how technology is transforming healthcare. A strong advocate for user-centred design, she discusses the importance of designing products that meet real-world clinical needs.

Looking ahead, Rouzet hopes to see faster pathways for getting innovative medical devices to market, believing that quicker adoption will lead to better care and improved patient outcomes across Europe.

Q. Tell us about your background and how you transitioned into your current role at eg technology?

I’m one of the directors at eg technology. My background is in engineering, and I consider myself a generalist—I have experience in various engineering disciplines. My career has always revolved around technology, but over time, I became more interested in how technology is used commercially. This led me to pursue an MBA at Manchester University, where I gained insight into the broader business world. I realised that business is about more than technology — it’s about understanding markets and needs, to make technology relevant and useful. That’s where my passion for business development came from – identifying market needs and using technology to address them.

Q. Share more about your role at eg technology and what the company specialises in?

eg technology is a product design, engineering and development consultancy. We work with companies of all sizes to accelerate their technology to market. My role is to engage with innovators who need support developing their tech. I collaborate closely with our engineering team to determine how we can best help optimise their product development process.

Q. What are some key trends and challenges you’re seeing in the MedTech industry today?

One of the biggest challenges MedTech companies face right now is the economic environment, particularly around securing sufficient funding. This often slows the progress of start-ups in the pursuit of their goals. That’s where accelerators come in, helping start-ups refine their messaging to clearly communicate what they’re trying to achieve and why it matters.

In terms of trends, we’re seeing a big focus on smart, connected devices—products that gather data and use that data to derive insights. AI and machine learning are also playing a significant role in making sense of this data and providing insights for clinicians. Another trend we’ve noticed is a growing focus on underserved markets, like FemTech, which addresses health issues that haven’t received as much attention in the past.

Q. How does eg technology engage with these emerging trends, particularly in areas like FemTech?

We’re very involved in FemTech—one of our team members (Ollie Croft) is particularly passionate about the sector and has supported femtech accelerators. He mentors start-ups through product development, specifically helping them navigate to the process of bringing a medical device to market.

Whether we’re working in femtech, paediatrics, or another area, we take a user-centred approach. We focus on understanding who the users are, what their needs are, and how they will interact with the product, ensuring our solutions are practical, usable, and effective.

Q. How do you see technology evolving in the healthcare sector?

Technology is great when it addresses an unmet need. There’s a lot of impressive technology out there, but unless it solves a real problem, it’s just a cool gadget. The focus should always be on understanding the problem first, not pushing technology for its own sake. By addressing real issues, we not only solve problems but also improve the overall healthcare system, which leads to better patient care. That’s what drives our engineers—delivering solutions faster to improve healthcare outcomes.

Q. What advice would you give to MedTech start-ups looking to develop and launch a successful product?

Talk to users as early as possible. The earlier innovators engage with their target users, the more they can learn about real pain points, often changing their initial assumptions. I’ll give you an example: we had a company come to us asking for a handheld device to measure blood biomarkers in emergency departments. They were convinced it needed to be portable. After talking to emergency department staff, we found out that handheld devices were actually problematic because they often get misplaced. The staff preferred a small, desk-mounted device, so that’s what we ended up designing. If we had gone with the initial request, they would have had a product that no one wanted to use.

Q. How has the partnership with EIT Health benefited eg technology?

We’ve been working with EIT Health for about five years now, and it’s been a conscious decision to be part of their network. EIT Health is incredibly well-rounded—it brings together start-ups, academic institutions, regulatory experts, hospitals, and companies like ours that specialise in product design and engineering. This ecosystem is designed to accelerate medical devices to market, which aligns perfectly with our mission. Being part of this network allows us to collaborate with different players across the healthcare spectrum and contribute to better patient outcomes.

We’ve been involved in three Catapult finals. My personal favourite year was the COVID year, surprisingly. There were so many amazing innovations that year, and it was clear that even though the pandemic created challenges, it also sparked a lot of creativity and problem-solving.

Q. Imagine it’s 2040. What’s the most exciting product or technology you think eg technology will have developed by then?

I think the most exciting development will be personalised healthcare—tailoring care to each individual patient. Right now, healthcare follows a standardised approach to conditions, but every patient is different. If we can optimise care based on each person’s unique needs, that would be an incredible achievement.

Need support with product development? eg technology works closely with start-ups, offering their engineering expertise in medical device development, mentoring and guidance to accelerate the journey to market. If you’re looking for expert advice, connect with eg technology here.

eg have also created a helpful tool which innovators can use to assess the maturity of their development. Their brand new TRL assessment tool integrates clinical, commercial and development pathways with the Technology Readiness Level scale to help you gain a full view of your product readiness and identify gaps in your route to market. Find out your programme’s Technology Readiness Level here.