Interview with Diana Ballart, CEO and co-founder of The Smart Lollipop: "The support of CDTI Innovation and European MRR funds has been decisive in accelerating the development of non-invasive diagnostic solutions based on saliva"

In a context marked by the need to move towards a more preventive, personalized and patient-centered medicine, technological innovation plays a key role in transforming clinical diagnostic processes. The search for non-invasive, accessible and digitized solutions is especially relevant in areas such as pediatrics, where the patient experience conditions the monitoring and early detection of pathologies.

In this line, Happy Innova S.L. was born, whose commercial name is The Smart Lollipop (TSL), a Spanish deeptech startup founded in November 2020 with a very clear objective: to develop non-invasive, agile and digital medical diagnostic solutions that improve the clinical experience of both patients and health professionals. Behind this vision is Diana Ballart, CEO and co-founder of the company, who defines the company’s mission as “to create happy medical experiences through technological innovation.”

The project was born from Ballart’s concern to apply technological innovation to the resolution of real challenges in the field of health. Together with other colleagues, he began to shape the idea of The Smart Lollipop by working with user-centric innovation methodologies. "In a hackathon we were presented with a health challenge that we had to solve following the Design Thinking methodology," he recalls. The recognition obtained in that initial phase and the feedback of experts allowed him to confirm the potential of the solution and take the step of turning the idea into a company. "I realized the potential of The Smart Lollipop there and decided to start this adventure," he explains. From that moment, the search for the co-founder partners that would lead to the creation of Happy Innova began. 
 

Saliva as a diagnostic fluid: a non-invasive alternative

Since its inception, The Smart Lollipop has worked with a clear premise: saliva is a fluid with enormous diagnostic potential, still underused against other more invasive samples such as blood. "There is a clear lack of non-invasive techniques, especially in pediatrics, where blood tests generate rejection and make it difficult to detect asymptomatic diseases early," says the CEO.

With this idea, the company has developed a non-intrusive medical device in the form of an intelligent lollipop capable of detecting diseases from a single sample of saliva, up to one milliliter. The objective is to position saliva as a valid and reliable tool for the diagnosis and clinical monitoring of certain pathologies.

Currently, TSL’s technology is structured around two complementary products. On the one hand, the TSL One, which is already on the market, and which functions as a saliva collector for the subsequent analysis of the sample in the laboratory. On the other hand, the TSL Core, still under development, which incorporates specific biosensors and an optical reader that allows certain diagnoses to be carried out directly, without the need for laboratory instruments. "The idea is that all the technological complexity is integrated into the device, offering the user a simple, fast and non-invasive experience," explains Ballart.
 

TSL One: saliva collector for subsequent analysis of the sample in the laboratory
 

The support of CDTI and Neotec as technological accelerators

The development of this technology has been supported by the CDTI Innovation through Neotec, an initiative co-financed with European funds from the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (MRR). A support that, according to the CEO, has been key to advancing the main technological challenges of the project. “The support of CDTI Innovation has been decisive for us,” he says.

According to Ballart, "Thanks to this funding, we have worked to identify which biomarkers can replace those in the blood and how they behave in different clinical conditions, which allows us to ensure reliable diagnoses from a non-invasive sample."

In addition, the project has allowed to develop and optimize several key components: enzyme biosensors for the diagnosis of hypercholesterolemia and the saliva collection device itself, among others. All this has been fundamental to validate the technology and prepare the launch of the first device.
 

First proof of concept: hypercholesterolemia in paediatric population

In this first phase, The Smart Lollipop has focused its proof of concept on the diagnosis of hypercholesterolemia, especially in the pediatric population. It is an often asymptomatic pathology in early ages, which makes it difficult to detect it early through traditional methods. "In pediatrics, we try to avoid as much as possible the extraction of blood, and that means that there is a lot of clinical information that we do not know until the disease is diagnosed too late," says the CEO.

The use of saliva as an alternative opens the door to more frequent and accessible screening, facilitating early detection and monitoring of risk factors from early ages. The advances achieved in this first proof of concept have also served as a basis for the future expansion of the technology to the adult public, adjusting the sensitivity of biosensors and validating their operation in different clinical contexts.
 

Digitalization of results and value for professionals and patients

One of the differential elements of the project is the strategy of the integration of digitalization from the initial design of the device for the second product in development, the TSL Core. "Digitalization will bring great value to both doctors and patients, because it will facilitate follow-up, traceability and clinical decision-making," explains Ballart.

For healthcare professionals, this platform is a tool that is easily integrated into their daily practice, while for patients it represents a more comfortable and less invasive experience. The company’s philosophy focuses on both profiles from the start of development: "We think about the patient and the professional in each phase of the process, because both are protagonists," the CEO stresses.
 

External validation and attraction of investment

Beyond the technological impulse, the support of the CDTI has also meant an important external validation for the startup. "When investors see that CDTI is betting on a deeptech startup like ours, it increases their confidence and, indirectly, it facilitates the capture of funding," Ballart acknowledges.

This tractive effect is especially relevant in projects of high scientific and technological complexity, where development deadlines are long and the risk is high. In this sense, European funds channeled through initiatives such as Neotec play a fundamental role in strengthening the innovative ecosystem and accompanying startups in their early stages of growth.
 

Detail of the device The Smart Lollipop, designed to collect saliva samples non-invasively
 

New biomarkers and open lines of research

Looking to the future, The Smart Lollipop is already working on expanding the use of its technology to other analytes present in saliva with high clinical impact. Among the next objectives, celiac disease and cortisol analysis stand out. "They are two biomarkers that have aroused great interest from hospitals and researchers," explains the CEO.

Since obtaining the CE mark at the end of 2025, the company has received the interest of various institutions both to open new lines of research and development and to directly use the TSL One in the monitoring of biomarkers. The prioritization strategy combines three key factors: the potential impact on clinical practice, the scientific strength of the biomarker in saliva and the real demand of healthcare professionals who already want to work with the technology.
 

Towards a new preventive medicine, more accessible and human

The long-term vision of The Smart Lollipop goes through a profound transformation of preventive medicine. "Saliva is a diagnostic fluid with enormous potential, although it requires a lot of research to learn how to work with it," says Ballart. Since 2020, the CEO observes a constant growth in scientific publications and patents related to salivomics, which confirms the rapid evolution of this field.

The final objective is to place saliva as a key tool for screening and monitoring various pathologies, both in pediatrics and adults, using a device that for the patient is "as simple as a candy" and for the professional, easy to integrate into his clinical practice. "All the scientific and technological complexity is hidden behind a simple and non-invasive experience," he summarizes.

With the support of CDTI Innovation, the company is advancing its purpose of merging science, technology and design to develop solutions that make the healthcare experience more efficient and humane, contributing to a more preventive, accessible and people-centred health system.
 

CDTI Innovation

The Center for Technological Development and Innovation, CDTI E.P.E. It is the innovation agency of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, whose objective is the promotion of technological innovation in the business environment. The mission of the CDTI is to ensure that the Spanish business fabric generates and transforms scientific and technical knowledge into globally competitive, sustainable and inclusive growth. In 2024, within the framework of a new strategic plan, the CDTI provided more than 2.3 billion euros of support to Spanish companies and startups.
 

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