Dutch AI Startup Raises €2.3 Million to Predict Surgery Infections Before They Happen
Netherlands, Monday, 16 March 2026.
Healthplus.ai can save hospitals up to €4 million annually by predicting which patients will develop infections after surgery. Their PERISCOPE system analyzes patient data to forecast infection risks and provides targeted prevention strategies for medical teams. The technology integrates seamlessly with existing hospital systems across Europe and automatically calibrates for different healthcare environments, making it rapidly adoptable for widespread use.
Healthtech Innovation Category and Strategic Focus
This development represents a clear advancement in the healthtech sector, specifically targeting surgical infection prevention through artificial intelligence [1]. Healthplus.ai, a Netherlands-based MedTech scale-up, has positioned itself at the intersection of predictive healthcare and AI-driven clinical decision support [1]. The company’s PERISCOPE® system addresses one of healthcare’s most persistent challenges: postoperative complications, which represent both a significant cost burden and source of workload pressure for medical personnel [1]. Dr. Bart Geerts, CEO and founder of Healthplus.ai, emphasizes that their focus lies on close collaboration with surgical specialists, nurses, and IT teams to ensure predictive insights genuinely improve patient outcomes [1].
How PERISCOPE® Technology Functions
PERISCOPE® operates by analyzing patient-specific data to predict infection risks following surgical procedures and directly linking these predictions to targeted actions for healthcare teams [1]. The system’s sophisticated approach allows for automatic calibration, ensuring accurate predictions across different types of hospitals while maintaining compliance with all regulations [1]. Integration capabilities represent a crucial advantage, as PERISCOPE® connects seamlessly with electronic patient record systems serving the Dutch and broader European markets, including Epic, Oracle Cerner, and ChipSoft [1]. This seamless integration makes the technology rapidly adoptable across diverse healthcare environments without requiring extensive system overhauls [1].
Clinical Validation and Research Foundation
The technology’s development draws upon extensive clinical research, including studies analyzing data from major Dutch medical centers. Research published in BMJ Open in 2025 examined the association between C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and postoperative infections using electronic health records from January 1, 2011, to September 22, 2023, from two tertiary medical centers in the Netherlands [3]. This comprehensive study included 42,125 procedures in adult patients with 175,779 CRP measurements, primarily performed during the first postoperative week [3]. The PERISCOPE Study Group’s research demonstrates that odds ratios for developing postoperative infections range from 1.0 to 12.0, with sensitivity ranging between 11% and 34%, and specificity between 64% and 95% [3]. The study’s findings reveal that elevated postoperative CRP shows stronger association with infections at higher CRP levels and longer elapsed time since surgery [3].
Investment Details and Market Expansion Strategy
The €2.3 million funding round, announced on March 16, 2026, was led by Elevating Capital and LUMO Labs, with participation from Pathena Venture Capital, Leistone (Renza Family), and ROM InWest [1]. Sara Schaafsma, Investment Manager at ROM InWest, highlighted that accurate patient stratification enables doctors and nurses to create better treatment plans, intervene faster with high-risk patients, and safely discharge low-risk patients earlier [1]. This approach helps patients recover more quickly while making specialists’ work more efficient and relieving pressure on the healthcare system [1]. Healthplus.ai plans to utilize this late seed investment to accelerate European rollout and initiate expansion into the United States market, while further developing AI risk models for all phases surrounding surgical procedures [1]. The company projects potential savings of up to €4 million annually for hospitals through reduced postoperative complications [1].