Case Study:  Nanopore Diagnostics, Marketing Strategy (2017)

Background

Nanopore Diagnostics is developing a rapid and portable platform for counting microbes right at the point-of-need. By combining rugged portability with the ability to detect over 50 distinct microbial targets in one assay (bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic) the iNDxer offers a field-based screening and diagnostic tool not possible with the technologies on the market today.  In addition, it will be rapid and easy-to-use with a 30-minute sample collection-to answer turnaround time and a completely contained, all-in-one assay. 

But Nanopore Diagnostic found that its product would be facing a crowded market, and that addressing the market from a generic perspective would not be efficient. It needed to find a specific niche if it wanted to distinguish itself from its competitors.

Project description

As such, a wide scan of 20 different niches was performed to find those where the strengths of the technology (quick, portable diagnostics) would be invaluable. After literature reviews and interviews with a range of Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), an opportunity in salmon farming was identified, as this industry was in desperate need of a diagnostic device would could be used on-site to rapidly evaluate the presence of contaminants, lest the contamination spread rapidly throughout the farm.

Results

As of today, Nanopore has been working with stakeholders and researchers to further adapt its product to this niche opportunity.

We engaged Jean-Francois for a consulting project related to our biotech start-up, Nanopore Diagnostics.  In this study, Jean-Francois conducted a broad reaching market assessment for us as we looked to identify novel applications for our technology platform.  Reviewing over 20 distinct applications, he helped match the benefits of our platform with pressing market needs while also gathering key market data that helped us assess the attractiveness of a particular opportunity.   This involved extensive research and numerous interviews. We then asked Jean-Francois to aggregate data points from numerous sources and build analytical models for the most attractive opportunities for our platform including addressable market size, as well as evaluating competitors and characterize major player consolidation. Through hard work and professionalism, Jean-Francois’ project was a large success and has led us to pivot our go-to-market strategy from clinical diagnostics to aquaculture testing. – Tom Cohen, PhD, Co-Founder and CEO, Nanopore Diagnostics