Jim Michel, Chairman; Steve Sanghera, Co-Founder and CEOA medical organisation approached Inventus with what appeared to be a routine request to source and deploy mobile devices for a clinical trial.
The work itself was familiar. Co-Founder and CEO Steve Sanghera, and Co-Founder and Chairman Jim Michel had spent decades in telecommunications, managing mobile infrastructure across industries where systems are expected to perform reliably across geographies, networks and conditions. The assignment fell squarely within that experience.
They delivered what was required. But a medical company was not a typical buyer of that scale of mobile infrastructure. It made them wonder: why would a clinical trial depend so heavily on devices not designed for it?
Through conversations with trial sites, sponsors and operational teams, they learned that clinical trial devices were consumer-grade and were not built for regulated environments.
Inventus chose to address that gap by rebuilding the system. It replaced consumer hardware with purpose-built patient- and site-specific devices designed for clinical trials. These devices introduced a standardised, validated foundation, ensuring that interactions with the study adhered to defined parameters rather than varying across users and environments.
That decision established Inventus as the world’s first manufacturer dedicated exclusively to patient- and site-mobile technology for clinical trials, creating an entirely new category that did not previously exist.
But solving the device layer exposed a second set of challenges.
If you think about clinical trials as building a plane, sponsors and CROs design the engines and systems. We provide the rivets. Without those rivets, the plane doesn’t fly.
The model was extended beyond hardware to build an integrated infrastructure around the device.
Connectivity was redefined through Inventus Connect, the world’s first and only clinical data plan operator (CDPO). It ensured consistent, carrier-agnostic communication across geographies.
Control was established through Inventus Control, the only mobile device management (MDM) platform purpose-built for clinical trials, enabling devices to operate in alignment with protocol requirements throughout the lifecycle of a study.
“If you think about clinical trials as building a plane, sponsors and CROs design the engines and systems. We provide the rivets. Without those rivets, the plane doesn’t fly,” says Sanghera.
Building the Missing Infrastructure Behind Clinical Trials
How does integrated connectivity and device control improve consistency across global clinical trials?
Each device enters the trial already connected.
Provisioned with a global eSIM, it does not rely on a single carrier or require manual configuration as it moves across regions. Through Inventus Connect, devices remain connected across more than 150 countries, enabling eCOA data to be collected consistently and securely across borders. Connectivity adjusts in the background, allowing continuous communication regardless of location, while simplifying logistics and supporting reliable, cost-effective data management.
Staying connected is only the first layer. Subsequent layers determine how each device is governed.
Why is purpose-built mobile device management necessary for maintaining protocol alignment in studies?
Before deployment, each device is configured through the MDM layer to align with the protocol of the study. Across Windows, iOS and Android environments, Inventus Control enables the creation and deployment of protocol-aligned settings, approved applications and locked-down controls. What a participant sees and how they interact with the device are defined in advance, ensuring consistency across sites while protecting data integrity.
Device status, network connection and data transmission can be monitored in real time. If connectivity drops or behaviour shifts, the device can be accessed remotely and brought back into alignment. Software and application updates are deployed centrally, keeping devices in sync with study requirements without requiring physical intervention.
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We provide peace of mind and assurance that a clinical trial is running as planned.
“We provide peace of mind and assurance that a clinical trial is running as planned,” adds Sanghera. “Our devices are provisioned to meet the needs of the trial, and with Inventus Connect, participants, whether patients or site staff, can provide their data on time and securely, every time. That consistency keeps trials on schedule and timely data collection supports faster drug approval.”
From a Lean Beginning to Global Clinical Trials
Inventus launched in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a small room above a shop. In less than six years, it has grown into a global business supporting clinical trials for some of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.
“I have an extensive background in technology, and when I realised the role it plays in clinical trials, I knew I wanted to help,” says Sanghera. “My co-founder and I listened to experts in this space and realised that bespoke technology needed to be created. That’s the journey Inventus embarked upon. We are still learning and growing, but we started for the right reasons; we wanted to fix real-life issues in how clinical trials are delivered.”
Inventus devices are now certified in more than 70 countries and support over 586 languages. To date, more than 550,000 purpose-built devices have been deployed worldwide, supporting over 1000 clinical trials across 80+ countries.
Regional warehousing across the UK, Europe and China supports that process, enabling rapid turnaround while reducing operational risk and maintaining continuity across multi-country trials.
Moving toward Preventive Health
In what way does early participant identification change efficiency and outcomes in clinical trials?
Inventus has focused on improving how clinical trials are executed. The next step will be addressing one of the most persistent challenges in clinical trials: patient recruitment.
Identifying the right participants is complex. It involves multiple variables, and the process is often slow and uncertain. By the time a trial is ready to begin, recruitment can already be a limiting factor.
Inventus will work to change that by combining IoT-based data capture with artificial intelligence. Instead of waiting for a trial to be defined and then searching for participants, the focus will be on identifying potential participants earlier, before recruitment begins and within the healthcare and community environments they already belong to.
It will also change what happens next. Earlier visibility will allow individuals to be identified and enrolled in research before their disease progresses. As a result, trials will run more efficiently and generate higher-quality data. Over time, this will shift the focus beyond treatment toward earlier intervention and prevention.
The direction is still evolving, but it reflects how Inventus sees its role expanding, from supporting how trials run to influencing how they begin, and ultimately, how they deliver outcomes.
Where Compliance Becomes Collective Responsibility
About 18 months ago, Inventus set an internal objective to become audit-ready. The reasoning was straightforward; in this environment, adherence to regulation is a baseline, not an added layer.
That focus was put to the test through a comprehensive industry audit conducted by market leaders, during which Inventus achieved an A+ rating. For Sanghera, the result mattered, but more importantly, it validated the standard the business sets for itself.
“Strive for perfection, knowing you’ll never be perfect,” says Sanghera.
In clinical trials, that philosophy reflects the reality of execution. Each deployment introduces new variables, and each trial presents its own challenges. Consistency cannot be assumed; it has to be maintained through continuous improvement.
The credit goes to the team. Sanghera describes employees, partners and clients as a family, reflected in how decisions are made and how accountability is shared.
It’s with this combination of curiosity, continuous improvement and shared accountability that Inventus has built a model for clinical trial infrastructure that did not exist before, defining its own category and earning recognition as a Top Life Science Data Management Service provider by Life Sciences Review.
Clinical Trial Data Integrity Depends on Purpose-Built Infrastructure
Clinical research increasingly depends on reliable digital systems that capture, transmit and manage patient data across dispersed trial sites. Sponsors and contract research organizations now conduct studies across dozens of jurisdictions, often relying on mobile devices to collect patient-reported outcomes, electronic clinical assessments and other decentralized trial inputs. Such expansion has elevated the importance of dependable life science data management services. Technology failures that interrupt data collection, create connectivity gaps or introduce compliance risk can delay approvals and undermine confidence in study results. Decision-makers therefore look for partners able to maintain consistent data flow across regions while preserving regulatory integrity and participant trust.
Consistency of connectivity across global trial environments has become a defining expectation. Studies frequently operate in multiple countries where local telecom restrictions, device provisioning delays and fragmented service providers can slow deployment. A service provider must demonstrate the ability to maintain stable connectivity regardless of geography, ensuring trial participants and sites can transmit information without interruption. Reliable international coverage combined with intelligent network management allows sponsors to gather electronic clinical outcome assessment data on schedule while avoiding logistical bottlenecks that complicate multinational trials.
Control over study devices has also emerged as a central concern for research teams. Mobile technology used in trials must operate within tightly controlled parameters that protect patient information and prevent protocol deviations. Device configuration, approved applications and software updates must remain aligned with trial requirements throughout the study lifecycle. Centralized oversight that can monitor device status, adjust configurations and resolve technical issues remotely helps maintain protocol adherence while minimizing disruption for both sites and participants. Such capabilities strengthen confidence that the data collected during a trial remains consistent and audit-ready.
Regulatory expectations further intensify the need for disciplined data governance. Sponsors must demonstrate that data was collected, transmitted and stored according to strict oversight requirements set by authorities across multiple jurisdictions. A well-designed technology environment provides visibility into device activity, network connections and transmission history, enabling investigators to demonstrate traceability throughout a study. Strong audit trails, controlled device ecosystems and coordinated infrastructure reduce compliance risk while supporting timely approvals from regulatory bodies.
Logistical readiness is another defining element of dependable data management in life sciences. Large-scale trials require thousands of devices to be provisioned, shipped, replaced and recovered across international research sites. Warehousing, deployment processes and multilingual support capabilities play a critical role in maintaining study continuity. Providers that integrate logistics with data infrastructure can reduce delays while ensuring participants receive properly configured devices capable of capturing data accurately from the start of a trial through its conclusion.
Inventus stands out in this environment through a data management ecosystem designed specifically for clinical trials. It combines global connectivity and device governance through its Inventus Connect and Inventus Control platforms. Inventus Connect functions as a clinical data connectivity framework built for research environments, delivering carrier-agnostic network access and eSIM coverage in more than 150 countries so participant devices can transmit information consistently across borders. Inventus Control provides centralized device management tailored to study requirements, allowing research teams to configure settings, manage applications and monitor device activity across Windows, iOS and Android systems. Integration between these platforms allows devices to be tracked, configured and supported remotely while maintaining a complete audit trail for regulatory review. Inventus further supports trials through international device provisioning and logistics infrastructure that has enabled deployment of more than 550,000 devices supporting clinical research worldwide.
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