Since 2015, we have been developing and distributing innovative medical technology products. HappyMed has pioneered audiovisual sedation in the German-speaking market, and today, with the HappyMed Video Glasses, we are the market leader in this segment.
As a team of creative thinkers and passionate doers, we strive to create unique product experiences that delight our customers. Every product is assembled at our Happy Quarter in Vienna and undergoes strict quality control. Made with ♥ in Austria, so to speak.
"Happy" isn't just part of our company name and of several of our product names. It's how we work every day. We don't always take ourselves too seriously, and we make room for fun. Because where there's room for humour and fun, creativity is happy to show up too.
about us
We Develop Medical Technology
That Makes Patients Truly Happy.
Since 2015, we have been the market leader in audiovisual sedation in the German-speaking market. Made with ♥ in Austria.
Company and values
Innovative medical technology — different, together
We are a team of around 10 people (sometimes a few more, sometimes a few less, depending on market demands), and we are particularly proud that our core team has weathered all the ups and downs of a start-up together. This team spirit has made us strong, and we nurture it accordingly.
What do we mean by that? First and foremost, we want to succeed together. Everyone can bring their strengths fully to bear in pursuit of our company goal: developing useful medical products. We also strive to bring personal and professional goals into harmony. When everything fits together, it shows in our success on the market. That is what we have experienced in the past, and it is what we are taking with us into the future.
That is why our motto as a team is: at HappyMed, we are different, together, and that is our greatest strength!
Mission and purpose
Our DNA — unchanged since 2014.
Back in 2014, we sat down together to define our mission with HappyMed. We wrote it down in our DNA at the time, and every point still holds true today:
HappyMed exists to truly care about patients.
Too often they are left alone, desperate and frightened.
Innovation:
We are using smart technologies. We are pioneers.
- We use the power of the human mind to foster positive medical outcomes.
- We are ambassadors for a new approach in healthcare.
- We offer alternatives to conventional medication and therapy.
- We have a deep understanding of all necessary aspects.
- We combine psychology, science and smart technologies.
Knowledge:
We apply evidence-based scientific approaches to gain positive effects.
We lift the global awareness of the negative consequences of anxiety and stress in healthcare. We are building exciting, super user friendly products which help patients of all ages to experience less stress and anxiety as well as to accelerate recovery.
Well-Being:
It is all about the patients and how to make them feel better.
“At HappyMed, we are different, together — and that is our greatest strength!”
How it began, what happened next and where we are today
The HappyMed story
The birth of the HappyMed Video Glasses
Every birth involves pain. That could be how the HappyMed story begins. Founder and CEO Philipp was suffering from severe toothache and had to undergo a root-end surgery. That was in 2014. Young, motivated, naive and full of ideas, Philipp lay in the chair of his trusted dentist and couldn't quite understand why such a "miserable" procedure as an apicoectomy couldn't be done a little differently. Despite his dentist's excellent medical expertise, Philipp simply wanted to beam himself somewhere else, mentally. How hard could that be? And that was the birth of the HappyMed Video Glasses.
Founded with a €300,000 investment
Philipp studied with Florian at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria in Hagenberg, so it was only natural for the two university friends to talk through Philipp's experience and first ideas together. They quickly agreed to pursue the idea of "audiovisual distraction during painful medical procedures". Plans were forged to build a prototype of video glasses. Then the two tech enthusiasts' spirit of invention and entrepreneurship spread to their families. In 2015, the time had finally come: HappyMed GmbH was founded in Philipp's living room in Vienna's 16th district, with an initial investment of €300,000 from family and friends.
40 hospitals in 2 months
In 2016, the video glasses hit the road. "Tour guide" Philipp Albrecht likes to describe this period as the Wild West, because every day was a fight for survival. Within two months, the team visited more than 40 hospitals, and in countless departments the video glasses ran sometimes very smoothly and sometimes a little bumpily. Repairs were occasionally carried out sitting in the car, with a pizza box as a workbench and adrenaline taking care of the rest. Doctors and nurses were very interested, patients were often surprised, and by the end of the day most of them were thrilled. In short: the learning curve was steep, and the excitement about new possibilities for further development was just as great.
German Anaesthesiology Congress & first investors
2017 was a year of real momentum. The first presentation of the video glasses at the German Anaesthesiology Congress (DAC) built bridges: making contact with new hospitals worked right away. And with "Die BrückenKöpfe", a Berlin investor group, and Christian Busch of the shirt maker Walbusch, some great investors came on board.
Expansion to England and France — and back
2018 was without doubt our most challenging year. A further investment (Allianz X) had filled the cash boxes, and all signs pointed to expansion. Why shouldn't something that worked in Germany also work across the border? England and France were targeted, and the team was expanded internationally to match. After a short time, the landing was hard and the lessons were big. The expansion had been planned too fast, the team shrank again, and the focus shifted back to the core business in our core markets of Germany and Austria. That did HappyMed good, and in 2019 the waters calmed again. That may sound unusual for a start-up, but for sustainable development it is essential.
Steady growth of the core business
The core business is growing slowly but steadily, and word of the benefits of audiovisual sedation is spreading. Alongside anaesthesiology - cardiology, dermatology and urology departments are now interested in the application or already actively using it. Scientific evaluations confirm its benefits and are generating wide interest.
Emporia partnership, third product generation & the Bundeswehr
In 2021, the Upper Austrian company Emporia, known for its mobile phones for seniors, also came on board to support development and production. This gave HappyMed direct access to extensive know-how and production capacity, and the partnership significantly reduced the time to market for the third product generation. That was the birth of the HappyMed Video Glasses.
2021 was also the year in which Florian Fischer set off on a new path. After seven years, co-founder Florian Fischer decided to take on a new professional challenge. Philipp Albrecht has led the company on his own ever since. Another major success in 2021: the German Bundeswehr became a customer. Who would have thought that at the start of the journey?
300+ hospitals, profitability & HelgaHilft
The new year began with some hardcore product testing for founder Philipp Albrecht. During his own knee surgery, performed in two stages, Philipp Albrecht tested the HappyMed Video Glasses in exactly the situation patients find themselves in. He wore the glasses in the preparation room, during the surgery (under regional anaesthesia) and in the recovery room. You can find out more about this self-experiment here.
More than 300 renowned hospitals in Germany, Austria and Switzerland now use the HappyMed Video Glasses, and the company has reached profitability.
This has given the team more room to develop creative ideas again. One of these ideas has already grown from a project into a company of its own: Helgahilft.com, the first platform for digital services in psycho-oncology. Cancer patients face enormous challenges. Psycho-oncological support helps, but there is not enough of it. Too many patients face long waiting times or cannot find suitable care. That is why Helgahilft was first set up as a funded project within HappyMed and has now been founded as an independent company, with HappyMed GmbH as a shareholder.
Dräger on board: focus on Austria
2023 was a year of new partnerships. With Dräger, HappyMed gained one of the most renowned names in medical technology as a partner. The reason for the partnership is obvious: Dräger is driving forward the concept of green anaesthesia, which means fewer anaesthetic gases and more regional techniques. This is exactly where HappyMed is a crucial piece of the puzzle. The video glasses significantly increase patient acceptance of procedures under regional anaesthesia, making it a key component of a holistic, modern anaesthesia concept. Since then, Dräger has supported HappyMed's sales across Austria. We are proud and grateful to have such a strong partner at our side.
DialyseTV: new product, new possibilities
What works for patients in anaesthesia also works elsewhere. This convincement gave rise to DialyseTV in 2024: another HappyMed product that takes patient comfort a step further. Dialysis patients often spend 12 hours or more a week in the centre - time that can be made much more pleasant with the right solution. DialyseTV is exactly that: a cost-efficient, tailor-made TV solution designed specifically for dialysis centres. Content is delivered via cable or satellite, with no internet streaming required, and up to 100 tablets can be served at the same time. Quick to install and ready to use straight away, DialyseTV not only improves patient well-being, but also the working atmosphere for nursing staff and the flow of information within the centre.
Official distribution partner of UX Platforms in Europe
For years, one of the questions HappyMed has been asked most often is: "Can I use the video glasses in the MRI too?" The honest answer has always been: unfortunately not. In 2025, we have something even better to offer. As the official and exclusive European distribution partner of the US company UX Plattforms, HappyMed is bringing the Tesla Vision video projector to Europe. The technology was developed specifically for use in MRI environments and is already in use worldwide. Calming scenery and immersive video content specifically help with claustrophobia and reduce failed scans, increasing the profitability and efficiency of valuable MRI time. For HappyMed, this brings things full circle: audiovisual distraction, this time on a whole new level.
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