Interview: From Vineyards to Virtual Clinics

Fresh from the stage at the Frontiers Health conference in Berlin, where digital health took center stage, Maximilian von Waldenfels, co-founder of Caspar Health, dives into the future of healthcare. In this interview with Jann Gerrit Ohlendorf, he discusses how AI, data, and personalized therapy programs are shaping the industry, and how Caspar Health is leading the charge in scaling innovative solutions for patient care.

Maximilian, it’s great to catch up after your “Future of Telehealth” panel at Frontiers Health. You all spoke passionately about how AI, VR, and data are transforming healthcare. From your perspective, is digital health finally at a turning point where it can scale and make a real impact on people's lives?

Maximilian von Waldenfels: Absolutely. We’re seeing a shift where technology isn’t just supporting healthcare, it’s transforming it. But the key is scalability—personalized high quality care at scale. At Caspar Health, we’ve built a platform that does exactly that. Using our app as a delivery platform and making use of data and software, we deliver personalized therapy programs to more than 200,000 new patients each year​. What’s remarkable is that while we scale up, the quality of care remains consistently high, thanks to our combined care model—where cutting-edge technology and expert clinicians work hand in hand. Now with AI on the horizon, we envision a very bright future for us.

Maximilian von Waldenfels

Digital therapy is the talk of town right now. You’ve got tech giants like Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos getting more personally invested in healthcare. So, let me ask — do you think we’re finally at a point where technology can help us not age at all, or at least age like a fine wine?

(laughs) Well, that’s the dream, isn’t it? But, being part of a family of winegrowers, I can tell you not all wines get better with age! Like our health, it takes care and attention to really thrive over time. With Caspar Health, we focus on prevention and rehabilitation in much the same way. Just like vines need the right conditions and care to produce the best grapes, we believe health is a resource to be nurtured.

Let’s dive deeper. You mentioned at the panel that Caspar Health's German heritage is a strategic advantage. Germany is not exactly known for being a digital health frontrunner, right?

True, we’ve had some catching up to do with digital health but things are changing also in Germany. The adoption of digitalization, AI and all the innovations we just discussed in Berlin will profoundly shape and transform Germany’s healthcare system. There is also a growing understanding now that technology helps us keep and restore our health in an increasingly precise way. Which is needed because we have an aging population and an increased lack of specialist skills. And as I said before about cultivating grapes: timing and care are everything! When it comes to prevention, a little early effort can go a long way keeping yourself in good shape.

Understood, and what makes Germany the place to be for Caspar Health?

Germany as our home market has established the idea of rehabilitation accessible to almost everyone already 150 years ago. Germany has been a great home market for us, allowing us to build a strong foundation. We very much profit from the German tradition of making sure everyone's health is restored in the best possible way. Germany is a reference to the world in rehabilitation and, increasingly, prevention as well.

Prevention is a hot topic in Germany’s rehabilitation market at the moment, indeed, and seems to be a growing focus for Caspar Health, especially given the aging population. How do you position yourself in that context?

Strengthening the element of prevention is just the next logical step to see health in a more holistic way. With an aging population, keeping people healthier and in their jobs for longer is more important than ever. So it is no wonder that our digital prevention schemes are thriving. Prevention is huge for us. It’s also a smart investment on an individual level and for society alike. The German Pension Insurance Scheme (Deutsche Rentenversicherung, DRV), as our main cost bearer, has made massive progress in rolling out very accessible prevention schemes over the past two years, with political support. In addition, many companies have recognised that they need to do more to reduce sickness absence. This corporate account segment is a new and very interesting market for us that we are now starting to address with tailor-made programmes across all medical specialities.

If perspectives are so bright there must be a lot of competition…

I dare to say: There are impressive health tech providers on the market. However, we believe that Caspar Health comes with a unique approach combining unique experience and a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals covering a broad spectrum of diagnosis from orthopedic to nutrition, cardiology, logopedia to psychology. All in all we are on the way to becoming a provider of healthcare that covers all phases of the journey - and this, I think, is a unique chance for us as a company.

Speaking of chances: Where do you see Caspar Health’s future growth?

The beauty of our digital basis is that it’s not confined by geography. Given our compelling clinical evidence, we’re already in discussions with clinics and healthcare providers in other countries, and our solution can easily be adapted to meet the needs of new markets. With the backing of partners and investors, we’re poised to expand beyond Germany where we have already established ourselves in a leading position. In fact, Caspar Health is starting operations in Switzerland already in the beginning of next year! At the same time, we’re continuously improving our technology and, as just mentioned, expanding into new medical conditions. With the data we’ve collected, we can venture into more precise treatments for a broader range of health issues. It’s all about leveraging our growing dataset to provide even more personalized, effective care at scale.

So, turning to Caspar Health, your platform uses a highly data-driven approach to personalize care. How do you strike the right balance between human touch and technology?

That’s a great question, and one that we think about a lot. On one hand, we have all this incredible technology at our fingertips - now increasingly AI, data analytics, and remote patient monitoring- that lets us deliver personalized rehabilitation to hundreds of thousands of patients every year. But at the core of it all is the human experience. Our combined care model brings together the best of both worlds - cutting-edge tech and the expertise of healthcare professionals that deliver outstanding work in the framework of our digital Caspar Clinic. Our vision is to deliver high-quality care at every stage of life, every stage of treatment to people everywhere. I’ve also learned that not all of the work needs to be done by people—AI can do amazing things, but the human touch in healthcare has a substantial impact on therapy adherence and quality. This isn’t about replacing people with tech—it’s about augmenting the incredible work healthcare professionals are already doing. Think of an alliance of the smartest algorithms and a best in class multidisciplinary team of doctors and therapists on your side throughout the whole patient journey.

Speaking of human touch, do you ever worry that tech will at a later stage replace therapists and doctors?

Not at all. Medicine will always rely on people—there’s no replacing the empathy and expertise a therapist brings. What technology does is relieve some of the workload, so they can focus more on the complex, human aspects of care. You must not forget that almost all of our programs at Caspar Health are carried out in close collaboration with more than 240 partner clinics. I’ve had the privilege of visiting many of our partner clinics, and the amazing work being done by the healthcare professionals there is inspiring. We are very privileged to work with so many excellent clinics and we are always trying to find ways to even better support them in their daily work. The strong relationship with excellent rehabilitation clinics is to remain a decisive pillar of our foundation.

What’s been truly eye-opening for me is realizing how digital advancements, which are often seen as separate, are now beautifully complementing the hands-on work of doctors and therapists. It feels great to build bridges between these two worlds in such a meaningful way. This was also my overriding feeling when talking at this year’s Frontiers Health event in Berlin.

In terms of data, Caspar Health has a rich dataset that helps personalize care. How does this translate into better patient outcomes?

The key advantage is that data allows us to be proactive rather than reactive. We’ve collected vast amounts of data from the millions of therapy sessions we manage each year. This data will let us adjust treatments in real-time, ensuring that patients receive the best possible care. It’s like having a fine-tuned radar for patient care. With over 200,000 new patients onboarded annually, we collect information on their health status, interventions, and outcomes. This will allow us to adjust and personalize therapy in real time. For example, we’ve reduced the number of patients who drop out of therapy prematurely by 14X, and therapy engagement has increased to 23%​. These aren’t just numbers—they reflect lives being improved in meaningful ways. What’s exciting for those who have invested in the idea of Caspar Health is that these data-driven results demonstrate how our platform not only improves care but also creates efficiencies and efficacy for clinics and healthcare providers.Think of it like refining a recipe—you tweak the ingredients based on what you’ve learned, and suddenly everything comes together better than before.

That’s an impressive "recipe"! But large-scale personalization is a big challenge everywhere. How do you manage to keep that level of care consistent across so many patients?

You can call it a challenge - I say it’s a field where we excel. Our platform is built to accompany patients across their entire rehabilitation journey, from acute care to aftercare. Essentially, the more patients we treat, the more data we collect, which allows us to fine-tune our therapy programs even more. This is what we call a flywheel growth model: As our data grows, we refine our therapies, which improves patient outcomes and attracts more patients. This self-reinforcing loop is what enables us to deliver personalized care at scale, without compromising quality.

Such a flywheel must create momentum for business, enabling personalized care at scale. Let’s take a closer look at the evidence behind this: What kind of results are you seeing in clinical studies compared to traditional rehabilitation methods?

Caspar Health’s programs are backed by robust clinical evidence from multiple studies. These studies demonstrate significant improvements in both subjective mental and physical health, as well as the Work Ability Index (WAI) over time. Importantly, digital aftercare has been shown to be at least as effective as conventional rehabilitation aftercare, with a tendency for better outcomes. Qualified aftercare programs in general can help patients not only recover faster but also return to work sooner, leading to broader positive effects on their quality of life and the healthcare system.This is why it is so important that more people have access to aftercare. Findings of studies highlight that digital aftercare isn’t just an alternative; in many cases, it’s equally or even more effective. From our studies we know that patients within the digital aftercare programs start earlier, achieve 23 percent more modules within their programs. This may sound somewhat technical but at the end, we can also demonstrate patients are more likely to change their lifestyle when they are our patients instead of receiving conventional aftercare. Finally this proven clinical validation gives us a huge advantage over less validated solutions.

That’s quite a track record! As someone with a background in winegrowing, do you see any more parallels between your family’s work in that industry and what you’re doing at Caspar Health?

Absolutely. Though, I must credit my wife for running the wine estate! In winemaking, each grape requires the right care and conditions to flourish - just like each patient requires tailored care in healthcare. Much like a good wine, health doesn’t necessarily improve with age unless it’s looked after. That’s where prevention comes in. In fact, aftercare itself can be seen as a form of secondary prevention, ensuring that the progress made during rehabilitation is sustained and risks of avoidable deterioration is reduced by sustainable lifestyle changes. By providing people with the right tools, we’re enabling them to maintain better health for longer. It’s all about ongoing care, whether in the vineyard or in healthcare.

We have talked a lot about patients in abstract ways. When explaining how Caspar Health works do you usually also quote some real-life examples?

I am happy to share real-life examples all the time, it is just that the conversation didn’t steer in that direction earlier (laughs again). Recently, we received feedback from a flight attendant who was able to continue her rehab despite irregular hours and frequent time zone changes, thanks to Caspar Clinic’s digital aftercare and ongoing support. She described it as a game-changer for her. This is just one example of how scalable, personalized care can make a real difference in people’s lives. It’s not just flight attendants who benefit - anyone working irregular shifts, caring for family members, or living in remote areas can see the value in the flexibility and ease of use offered by digital therapy solutions.

Maximilian, finally looking ahead now that we have learned how Caspar Health is scaling, proven clinically, leveraging a growing and valuable dataset in a flywheel way and receiving very positive feedback from patients, what excites you the most about the future of Caspar Health and the broader field of digital healthcare?

What excites me the most is the potential to truly transform healthcare on a global scale. We’re at a pivotal moment where technology and healthcare are converging in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago. For Caspar Health, this means continuing to innovate and expand our reach, making high-quality, personalized care accessible to more people around the world.

I’m particularly excited about the advancements in AI and data analytics, which will allow us to refine our therapies even further and address a wider range of health conditions. But beyond technology, it’s the impact on people’s lives that drives us. Hearing stories from patients who have regained their health and quality of life thanks to our platform like the flight attendant wanted to let us know about her successes with Caspar last week is incredibly rewarding.

As we look to the future, our goal is to build on this momentum, forging new partnerships and exploring new markets, all while staying true to our mission of delivering exceptional care. The journey ahead is full of possibilities, and I can’t wait to see where it takes us.

Maximilian, it’s been a pleasure. Thank you for your time and the visionary and delightful answers.