Dutch startups in health and care: what they are building and what connects them

More than 150 Dutch startups have health and care as their core mission, according to the DutchStartup database for 2026. They are working on a diverse range of problems: supporting radiologists in breast cancer diagnostics, objectively measuring sleep in premature babies, and accelerating clinical studies that normally take years to complete. What connects them is not a single technology, but a shared assumption: that data, software and machine learning can address structural problems in healthcare.

The companies operate from cities including Amsterdam, Utrecht, Nijmegen and Eindhoven, and their funding rounds range from tens to hundreds of millions of euros. Three themes run as a common thread through their work: real-time clinical support, early detection in vulnerable patients, and the acceleration of biomedical research.

From consultation room to study file: AI in clinical practice

Kaiko, founded in Amsterdam in 2021, is building an AI assistant that supports clinicians as they work. The system is embedded in existing clinical workflows, allowing healthcare professionals to use it without interrupting their working process. In 2022, the company raised €82.5 million in a Series B round.

Screenpoint Medical, based in Nijmegen and active since 2014, focuses on image analysis in mammography screening. Its AI software analyses mammograms and flags abnormalities to radiologists, with the aim of detecting breast cancer at an earlier stage. In 2023, the company closed a Series B of €27 million. Both companies have deliberately chosen to support the specialist rather than replace them. That approach aligns with how hospitals and regulators view the use of AI in diagnostics.

Castor EDC, operating from Amsterdam since 2012, addresses a different bottleneck: conducting clinical studies. Castor's eClinical platform makes it more accessible for researchers without large IT infrastructure to set up and manage studies. The company raised €59.8 million in a Series B round in 2021 and now serves customers worldwide.

Early life as a focal point

IseeUbabycare, founded in Utrecht in 2024, uses an AI camera system to measure sleep in premature babies on the neonatal ward. In newborns, sleep is an important indicator of neurological development, but current measurement methods are burdensome or subjective. IseeUbabycare's system operates contactlessly and continuously. In 2025, the startup raised €27 million in a venture round, less than a year after its founding.

The speed with which IseeUbabycare attracted funding reflects a broader trend: investors are looking for healthcare solutions with a clear clinical problem and a measurable difference in outcomes. Early detection of abnormalities in newborns, where every day counts, fits that profile.

Biology as software: protein design and machine learning

Cradle, founded in Amsterdam in 2021, is working on a challenge far removed from the consultation room but close to the core of future medicines: the design of proteins. Using machine learning and proprietary laboratory research, the company aims to accelerate the protein design process. Where this traditionally takes years, Cradle targets a turnaround time of weeks. In 2024, it raised €100 million in a Series B round.

Cradle operates at the intersection of computational biology and wet lab science, a combination that is becoming increasingly common in biotech. The company sells access to its platform to pharmaceutical and biotech companies looking to develop new molecules. Although the technology is generically applicable, the most immediate applications lie in drug development and industrial enzymes.

What connects these companies

Kaiko, Screenpoint Medical, Castor EDC, IseeUbabycare and Cradle operate in different segments of health and care, but share a number of characteristics. First, they focus on demonstrable clinical or scientific efficacy. None of these companies sells a generic AI layer; they are built around a specific problem in a specific context. Second, they seek collaboration with professionals rather than bypassing them. Third, and this is visible in their funding profiles, they have found investors willing to wait for evidence.

The combined funding raised by these five companies runs into the hundreds of millions of euros. This positions the Netherlands, alongside established hubs such as the United Kingdom and Germany, as a country with a growing concentration of seriously funded health tech companies. For other founders in the ecosystem, this offers perspective: both capital and institutional knowledge are available for teams addressing a concrete healthcare problem with technology that can be validated clinically.