Everyone in the Netherlands smokes two packs of cigarettes a week – without even noticing it. Not because we’ve all suddenly decided to start smoking, but because of air pollution. Beate Stevens decided it was about time someone did something about it. That’s why she developed a particulate matter detector and founded AeroCount in 2020. “AeroCount started as a lab project during my studies and has grown into a full-fledged company. Our motto? Achieving clean air for all.”

How is AeroCount tackling this issue and making our air cleaner? “Our particulate matter detector is on the market, which is a great start. And as someone with a technical background, I’m a big fan of the idea of ‘through measurement to knowledge’ – but we need to do more.” Beate explains that besides knowing the air quality, people also need to take action. “You can conclude that there are too many particulates in the air, but that doesn’t solve that issue.”

The logical outcome

In order to progress beyond measurements, there were two logical next steps for Beate and her team. “On the one hand, we wanted to create more insights into air quality, which is why we’ve also developed a NO2 meter. The particulate matter detector has also evolved greatly since its introduction. Users now automatically get an email notification if the concentration of particulates is too high – and we can communicate with other devices too. This all makes it even easier to transition from measurement to action.”

To further improve the particulate matter detector, AeroCount is conducting research. Their first pilot, in cooperation with Radboud UMC, focused on children with asthma. “Sometimes, doctors see that asthma symptoms worsen or lung function decreases, but don’t know why this happens. We’ve started measuring particulates at different locations in these kids’ living environments: the bedroom, the kitchen, and outside the house. Our first results show that the data is very dependent on the location: there are local sources both inside and outside. That’s why we’re doing a second pilot soon. We can help improve people’s lives by measuring!”

But there’s still more to be done; measuring is just the beginning. “That’s why we’ve started developing an air filter. However, that turned out to be quite tricky. Almost everyone who works here has been academically trained: we all know the theory of it quite well, and we can do fundamental experiments. But theory and practice do not always overlap, so several prototypes were needed. 

Complex but not impossible

Air pollution is a complex problem that can’t be solved by just one person. But there’s one thing Beate knows for sure: something has to be done. “Look at COVID, for example. It took a very long time before we realised how useful proper ventilation can be. The energy crisis, too: burning wood is a cheap way to stay warm, but breathing in wood smoke is very bad for you.”

By sharing their knowledge, AeroCount wants to make sure people take action locally. “The very first step is people recognising the causes of the fluctuations in the particulate matter levels. After that, they need to understand why that’s happening. The final step in this process is to convert that awareness into action: what’s the source of the particulates? Is it coming from inside the house or outside of it?”

The world of sales

Beate is quick to admit that sales was a bit of a challenge for her. “Everyone at AeroCount has a lot of experience with science and research but not as much with sales. Briskr’s sales workshops were very valuable because they allowed us to get to know the other sides of running a business.”

Before the particulate matter detector can be used by doctors and patients, AeroCount needs a medical CE marking. “I think it makes sense that the requirements for a medical CE mark are more difficult than the CE mark for commercial goods, but it’s also a new challenge. The certification is divided into classes, but I didn’t know which one would apply to our product: how do you figure that out? Briskr’s network has given me the chance to request some more information and ask questions in advance. This really inspired more confidence in both myself and my business!”

The photographer is: Erik Hullenaar.

There’s one big hurdle most biotech and diagnostic companies face when talking to potential clients: it’s difficult to demonstrate what their healthcare technologies will actually accomplish. Long walls of texts with a lot of numbers don’t make for an attractive pitch. That’s where Stan Wijn and Tim Govers of Medip Analytics come in. Their software accurately charts costs and health gains of medical technologies.

Medip Analytics creates software for companies focused on developing medical technologies. These companies usually have to indicate the value their products of technologies have for their clients. Hospitals, insurers and investors want to make sure that the technology provides tangible health benefits to patients and financial gain. But demonstrating either of these things was difficult – until Medip Analytics came along.

Tim and Stan saw biotech and diagnostic companies needed help and set out to create a software for the purposes of demonstrating the value of a new medical technology compared to the current way of doing this. They are developing a platform for the largest oncological disease pathways and also working on demand. For each disease pathway, users can enter different numbers and values depending on the targeted disease and healthcare providers. Every hospital uses different treatments, which means implications differ!

Start-up problems

The Medip Analytics adventure started two years ago. Tim and Stan both have a background in biomedical sciences, but not in business. Still, they believed in their idea enough that they decided to take the big step of launching their company May last year. “Stan knows a lot about software and I come up with the concepts of what we need to include in the software,” says Tim. “We already knew each other from Radboudumc, so we knew we would make a good team.”

Prior to embarking on their project full-time, Stan and Tim asked Professor Wim van Criekinge, their strategic advisor, to test their demos. Fortunately for them, Wim immediately became convinced their idea could be a global success. Since Stan was still under contract for a year and a half because of his PhD, Stan and Tim decided to start working on Medip Analytics alongside their regular jobs.

“When I finished my PhD, we thought we could start working on Medip Analytics in a full-time capacity right away,” says Stan. “There was a lot more involved than we’d thought beforehand, though: things like setting up LLCs and arranging insurance.” Tim adds: “We initially wanted to work from home, but realised this wasn’t an option quite quickly. Then we found out we were short on funds and needed investments. Briskr, OostNL and Mercator Launch really helped us out there.”

They presented Medip Analytics at the Business Angel Network Nijmegen. “This helped us sharpen our proposition. Ultimately, this helped us receive a funding from OostNL; which is a start-up-fund in Gelderland,” Stan says. “Mercator Launch and K plus V assisted us.”

Software in practice

One of their first customers is Thirona. This Nijmegen-based company is a spin-off of Radboudumc, which develops and markets AI-powered lung image analysis solutions. A specific AI algorithm can be used to assess whether or not a COPD treatment, and is based on CT images of patients’ lungs. Medip Analytics wrote a programme which allowed Thirona to demonstrate the added value of their technology compared to current methods. 

“Thirona can model what their tests add to patients’ healthcare by adding a series of values into our software,” Tim explains. “They can show the benefits of their method in areas of healthcare and financials in detail.” Thirona is currently using Medip Analytics’ software in support of a EU funding application. 

Big dreams

Starting March 1^st, Medip Analytics has its own spot on Nijmegen’s Noviotech Campus. “Medip is really taking off now,” Tim laughs. They’re hiring their first employee in April. “We need all the people we can get, because we have big plans,” says Stan. “The software’s already been made, but we’re far from finished. We’ve switched over to working on demand, but we’ll start developing tools for the seven largest oncological disease areas. It currently takes us eight to twelve weeks to ready the software for applicants. We hope to have the software somewhat finished before anyone applies so we can serve everyone at the speed of light.”

Read more about Medip Analytics.