AI as a preventive tool: Healthplus.ai raises 2.3 million euros for the international fight against postoperative infections

With a recent capital injection of 2.3 million euros, led by Elevating Capital and LUMO Labs, the startup stands at the brink of international expansion. The investment marks a pivotal moment for the company, which, with its AI system PERISCOPE®, transitions from academic validation to widespread clinical implementation in Europe and the United States.

Seamless integration into the clinical workflow

The biggest challenge for medical AI startups is not merely algorithm development, but integration. Hospitals work with complex Electronic Health Records (EHR) from companies like Epic, Oracle Cerner, and ChipSoft. Instead of creating a standalone portal, Healthplus.ai has chosen to weave PERISCOPE® directly into these existing workflows. The system reuses data already present in the records, ensuring that doctors and nurses do not need to perform additional actions to generate a risk profile.

This choice for deep integration is strategically crucial. In a sector struggling with high workloads, a tool that demands extra time is doomed to fail. With a "negative predictive value" of over 97% for low-risk patients, the system also provides a safe basis for early discharge from the hospital. This alleviates bed capacity, one of the most pressing bottlenecks in current healthcare.

The shift from cure to prevention

Traditional medicine is reactive: we treat when the fever rises. Healthplus.ai forces the sector into a paradigm shift. The essence of their approach is that the system not only warns who will get an infection, but with great precision shows who will not. In a world of scarcity, knowing who does not require extra attention is at least as valuable as knowing who does. The startup has already received recognition for this innovative approach with the CES 2024 Innovation Award.

"With this funding, we strengthen our ability to integrate clinically validated, regulatory-approved AI into everyday hospital practice."

— Dr. Bart Geerts, CEO and Founder of Healthplus.ai

The growth capital will be used, among other things, to obtain FDA approval, a necessary step for the US market. The challenge here is not only technological but also regulatory. The ISO and CE certifications that the startup already holds (achieved under the strict Medical Device Regulation) form the foundation of a scalable model that extends beyond the Dutch borders.

Commitment to the innovation climate

The success of Healthplus.ai speaks volumes about the maturation of the Dutch HealthTech ecosystem. Where previous generations of startups often stalled in the 'pilot phase' within a single academic medical center, this round shows that there is capital and confidence for international expansion. With participation from regional investors like ROM InWest and specialized funds like Pathena Venture Capital, the bridge is built between local innovation and global impact.

The core question for the coming years is how quickly hospitals can shed their conservative attitude towards AI decision-making. For Healthplus.ai, a lot is at stake: they must prove that their algorithms are as effective in the daily hustle of a Danish or American hospital as they are in the controlled environment of their initial Dutch partners. If that promise is fulfilled, 'predictable surgery' will become the new standard.

Willem Blom
Founder Dutchstartup.ai