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Sunstar acquires Austrian tech innovator Playbrush to pioneer digital oral care

Sunstar, the international healthcare company with 90 years’ experience in oral health, has acquired a majority stake in Playbrush, a pioneer in digital oral hygiene, to help shape the future of oral healthcare.

The acquisition by the global group, headquartered in Switzerland, aligns its preventative and holistic healthcare expertise with Playbrush’s smart software solutions. The result is a joint mission to create a new smart prevention platform for personal care and to become the world’s leading connected healthcare partner.

Sunstar was one of the first companies to advocate the new thinking about the holistic relationship between the health of the mouth and the whole body and is actively pursuing research and development including carrying out joint-research projects with leading world research institutions and in cooperation with both dental and medical experts around the world. The acquisition of one of Austria’s leading health-tech companies, Playbrush, supports Sunstar’s ambition to continue setting new standards for the future of oral care.

Based in Vienna and London, Playbrush was launched by university friends Paul Varga, Matthäus Ittner and Tolulope Ogunsina, with a vision to become the number one smart tech platform in preventive oral care. Playbrush smart toothbrushes can be connected to mobile device apps for innovative and enhanced toothbrushing. The company’s use of artificial intelligence, connectivity and gamification has since made it synonymous with a new level of dental care for children and adults. By combining smart and highly personalised consumer feedback with a subscription model for oral health services, the start-up has pioneered a 360-degree approach to smart oral care.

Masakazu Nakamura, Chief Operating Officer, Sunstar, commented: “The majority stake in Playbrush will enable Sunstar to seize digital growth opportunities via new data-driven business models in oral care. Playbrush’s best-in-class technological innovation and business model platforms, combined with our holistic oral care expertise and values, is a natural and complementary fit. Uniting our traditional expertise in oral care, close relationship with dental professionals, and international network with Playbrush’s unique solutions and capabilities will enable us to become a world-leading, connected healthcare partner.”

Paul Varga, CEO of Playbrush, comments: “We are excited to be joining forces with Sunstar and are looking forward to this new chapter in the company’s evolution. The partnership with Sunstar complements our business and values, with a shared understanding of the need and opportunity for greater digitalisation in the oral care market. We will continue to transform the industry and feel strongly equipped with Sunstar as a partner. We are also grateful for the support provided by our original financial investors who enabled us to reach this next stage of our development.”

Frohe Botschaft PR GmbH Tesdorpfstraße 19 20148 Hamburg Tel. +49 · 40 · 41 44 99 44. info@frohebotschaft-pr.de To date, Playbrush has been funded by Venture Capital Fund Speedinvest, UNIQA Ventures GmbH as well as by Austria’s most recognised angel investor Hansi Hansmann, Swiss private investor Harold Primat and German investment company SevenVentures GmbH. All are exiting the business after successfully developing Playbrush into the primary challenger brand in smart oral care.

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