In today’s fast-evolving healthcare landscape, Amsterdam-based startup Healthplus.ai has made a significant leap forward. The company recently secured €2.3M in funding to further develop and expand its groundbreaking AI platform, PERISCOPE, designed to predict the risk of post-surgical infections. This innovation has the potential to transform surgery aftercare, reduce healthcare costs, and improve patient outcomes on a global scale. As a serial entrepreneur, I, Violetta Bonenkamp, often observe the impact of such advancements, both in terms of product innovation and the strategic growth of companies, particularly in high-barrier industries like MedTech. Here’s why this achievement is noteworthy and what it means for entrepreneurs, startups, and investors.
The Breakthrough: Using AI to Tackle Global Surgery Challenges
Healthplus.ai’s PERISCOPE platform addresses a critical issue in the healthcare industry: the high incidence of post-surgical infections. Globally, approximately 70 million patients face complications after surgery annually, with infections being one of the most common and costly problems. PERISCOPE uses existing Electronic Health Record (EHR) data to predict which patients are at greater risk, allowing healthcare professionals to act early and effectively to prevent infections before they occur.
The business strategy adopted by Healthplus.ai focuses on seamlessly integrating PERISCOPE into hospital IT systems, including leading EHR frameworks like Epic, Cerner, and ChipSoft. This level of interoperability is what sets them apart and positions them as a partner of choice for health institutions looking to digitize and enhance clinical workflows.
Why Healthplus.ai's Approach is a Game-Changer
As someone with experience scaling tech businesses in regulated industries, I see three critical factors contributing to the success and scalability of Healthplus.ai:
1. Clinical Certification
The MedTech industry often struggles with regulatory barriers. Achieving ISO- and CE-certification for the platform speaks volumes about its potential to not only pass medical scrutiny but also enter competitive global markets. This opens pathways to eventually achieve FDA clearance, a gold standard necessary for U.S. market entry.
2. Solving a Pain Point with Measurable Impact
Healthplus.ai targets a specific and solvable issue, post-surgical infections, which cost European hospitals approximately €35M annually on average. By reducing complications and recovery time, hospitals can save money while significantly improving patient outcomes. The estimated 1 in 3 surgical patients impacted annually is a massive market on its own.
3. Proactive AI in Healthcare is the Future
The pandemic accelerated digital transformation in healthcare, making AI adoption a priority. The trend is clear: solutions that can merge big data analytics with tangible healthcare outcomes attract investor attention and hospital partnerships. Entrepreneurs should take note that regulatory-compliant AI with measurable benefits is a key growth trajectory.
Lessons for Entrepreneurs: Funding, Expansion, and Scaling a MedTech Business
The Funding Strategy That Worked
Healthplus.ai raised €2.3M from prominent investors such as Elevating Capital, LUMO Labs, and ROM InWest. Let’s break this down as actionable takeaways:
- Align to Impact Goals: By focusing on reducing a widespread healthcare problem, Healthplus.ai attracted mission-driven investors aligned with this cause.
- Leverage Prototypes and Pilots: They demonstrated how their product performs in smaller markets like the Netherlands and Belgium before discussing global expansion. If you’re a startup in a similar niche, ensure your Minimum Viable Product (MVP) showcases measurable results.
- Highlight a Scalable Business Model: Startups in healthcare often struggle to scale because they fail to build systems that can integrate effortlessly while respecting regulations. Healthplus.ai’s compatibility with existing hospital systems and EHR vendors gives it a competitive edge.
Expanding Geographic Reach
Healthplus.ai has started expanding to mature healthcare markets, including Denmark, the UK, and the U.S. Here’s how startups can emulate their approach:
- Start with progressive markets open to innovation, such as Northern and Western Europe, and gain regulatory and clinical credibility.
- Build a portfolio of successful pilot implementations that demonstrate cost and outcome improvements.
- Enter the U.S. only after securing appropriate certifications like FDA approval, where investing early in navigating regulatory paths is critical.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in MedTech Startups
- Over-Promising Performance Before Proof: Many startups market their AI solutions prematurely without sufficient validation. Ensure your algorithm meets clinical standards early.
- Ignoring Integration Headaches: Not optimizing your product for easy adoption with existing systems (e.g., EHRs) is a fatal oversight.
- Underestimating Regulatory Timelines: Certification timelines like those for CE and FDA approval can stretch years. Be patient but proactive in addressing these barriers.
- Ineffective Communication with Stakeholders: Hospitals are risk-averse institutions. Your marketing strategy should focus on reducing perceived risks and touting results-backed outcomes.
- Neglecting Market-Specific Approaches: What works in the Netherlands won’t directly translate to the U.S.; tailor your business development and sales approach.
Insights for Founders
The success of Healthplus.ai highlights an increasingly vital truth: multidisciplinary thinking powers innovation. Their team combines expertise in health, AI, and IT integration to deliver a practical, scalable solution. As a founder, I strongly advise startups to borrow from this playbook, especially by concentrating on building cross-functional teams with skills in technology development, medical compliance, and commercial scaling.
Another aspect worth emulating is their deep commitment to regulatory and user-centric design. Navigating heavy healthcare regulations isn’t easy, but by maintaining a clear roadmap of certifications from day one, startups can avoid costly roadblocks.
Conclusion
In summary, Healthplus.ai’s recent funding milestone is a testament to the growing demand for AI-powered healthcare solutions that reduce risks and costs while improving outcomes. For entrepreneurs and startups, this is a wake-up call: the next big wave in innovation lies at the intersection of AI and practical applications like MedTech. Digital transformation, when paired with measurable impacts and a collaborative approach, has potential far beyond any single market.
As someone who’s navigated intricate industries like AI, blockchain, and MedTech, my advice is simple: aim to create not only innovative but industry-ready solutions. If Healthplus.ai’s story inspires you, remember this, success doesn’t come from shortcuts but from meticulous alignment of technology, market needs, and skilled execution.
To learn more, check out resources like LUMO Labs’ portfolio, or Pathena’s investments in MedTech.
FAQ
1. What is the purpose of Healthplus.ai's PERISCOPE platform?
PERISCOPE is designed to predict post-surgical infection risks using AI and Electronic Health Record (EHR) data. It helps healthcare professionals intervene early, improving patient outcomes and reducing costs. Learn more about Healthplus.ai's PERISCOPE
2. How much funding did Healthplus.ai secure?
The Amsterdam-based MedTech startup raised €2.3M in funding to expand the implementation of PERISCOPE and pursue further AI applications. Explore further about the funding
3. Who were the main investors in Healthplus.ai's funding round?
Key investors include Elevating Capital, LUMO Labs, ROM InWest, Pathena, and Leistone B.V., supporting the growth of the AI-healthcare platform. Check out LUMO Labs for more information
4. What is Healthplus.ai's strategy for market expansion?
The company is expanding into high-potential markets like Denmark, the UK, and the U.S., focusing on regulatory approval and pilot integration into hospital workflows. Learn more about Healthplus.ai's market expansion
5. How does PERISCOPE improve hospitals' operations?
By analyzing EHR data, PERISCOPE detects high-risk patients early, enabling hospitals to prevent complications and reduce costs associated with post-surgical infections. Explore additional benefits of PERISCOPE
6. Why is Healthplus.ai considered a game-changer in MedTech?
Its AI solution combines medical certifications like ISO- and CE-certification, seamless EHR integration, and significant cost savings, placing it ahead in innovation and regulatory compliance. Discover Healthplus.ai's innovative approach
7. What challenges do MedTech startups like Healthplus.ai face?
MedTech startups often struggle with lengthy regulatory approval processes, optimizing products for seamless integration, and tailoring approaches to market-specific needs. Read insights about MedTech challenges
8. What inspired investors to back Healthplus.ai?
Mission-driven investors supported the startup for focusing on cost-effective, AI-powered healthcare solutions with measurable impacts on patient outcomes. Check out Pathena and their investments in MedTech
9. How does Healthplus.ai plan to enter the U.S. market?
The company aims to secure FDA clearance, which is crucial for scaling and capturing the competitive, regulated healthcare market in the U.S.
10. How widespread are post-surgical infections?
Globally, about 70 million patients face surgery complications annually, with infections among the most common issues. European hospitals spend approximately €35M per year managing these infections. Explore the impact of post-surgical infections globally
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.