At-home blood tests: 9 startups compared – who can do what?
The health literacy of Germans has declined significantly since 2014. According to a study by the Technical University of Munich, around 75 percent of adults now have problems finding, understanding, and correctly applying health information – younger people are particularly affected.
At the same time, doctor's visits often involve long waiting times. Many startups are addressing this, offering quick solutions through home blood tests and personalized lifestyle recommendations.
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Some experts strongly criticize such tests. Andreas Bobrowski of the Professional Association of German Laboratory Physicians criticizes their methodological weaknesses. Quality controls are lacking, and errors often occur during blood collection or sample transport.
According to Bobrowski, these offers are mainly aimed at healthy people in order to sell them nutritional supplements .
Digital health expert Shari Langemak, on the other hand, sees the tests as a positive. People without symptoms can proactively monitor their health—there are no real risks involved.
According to Langemak, patients today are increasingly taking on more responsibility than relying solely on doctors and discussing diagnoses together. This also explains the trend toward home testing.
Michael Müller of the Association of Accredited Laboratories, however, sees no advantage of such tests over doctor's visits. He believes the tests often only provide snapshots.
Investors nevertheless believe in the future of these offerings. According to CB Insights, $5.3 billion flowed into digital health startups worldwide in the first quarter of 2025 alone, $1.5 billion of which went to Europe—an increase of 87 percent.
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