Dutch AI Startup Ditto Raises €7.6 Million to Transform Patient Understanding of Medical Care

2026-05-12 bio

Rotterdam, Tuesday, 12 May 2026.
Rotterdam-based Ditto secured €7.6 million in Series A funding to expand its groundbreaking AI platform that converts complex medical consultations into plain-language summaries for patients. Since launching in summer 2025, the app has reached nearly 100,000 users and addresses a critical healthcare gap where approximately 5 million people in the Netherlands leave medical appointments without fully understanding their diagnosis or treatment. The platform allows patients to record consultations or upload medical documents, which are then processed into clear summaries within minutes and can be translated into multiple languages including English, Turkish, and Arabic.

Heal Capital Leads Investment Round

The funding round announced on May 11, 2026, was led by Heal Capital, with participation from Optiverder, Rubio Impact Ventures, and Chris Oomen [1][2][3]. This investment represents confidence in the healthtech sector’s potential to address fundamental communication challenges in healthcare delivery. Dr. Lucas Mittelmeier from Heal Capital emphasized the market opportunity, stating that while hundreds of startups build AI tools to help doctors document and manage their work, Ditto builds the equivalent for patients [1]. The company’s rapid user adoption since launching in July 2025 demonstrates substantial market demand for patient-centered healthcare technology solutions [4].

Founded by Machine Learning and Healthcare Veterans

Ditto was established in 2025 by three co-founders: Tobias Polak, Bart Voorn, and Merlijn van Breugel, who bring backgrounds in machine learning, statistics, and experience in startups and AI robotics [1][2]. The founding team’s motivation stems from personal experience with healthcare communication challenges. Polak recounted attending a close friend’s oncology appointment three years ago, where he and the patient heard different stories about the diagnosis, and the patient’s wife understood yet a third version when called the next morning [5]. This experience highlighted the critical need for clearer patient communication in healthcare settings, particularly during vulnerable moments when patients receive complex or difficult medical information [3].

AI Technology Transforms Medical Communication

The Ditto platform operates as a mobile application that allows patients to record medical consultations with consent or upload photographs of medical letters and documents [1][3][4]. The AI system processes this information and generates structured, plain-language summaries within minutes that patients can review, store, and share with trusted contacts [1]. The platform’s multilingual capabilities include translation into English, Turkish, and Arabic, addressing the needs of diverse patient populations [1][3]. All data processing occurs securely on European Union servers with no central data storage, ensuring patient privacy and compliance with regional data protection regulations [1]. The company emphasizes that its outputs are quality-controlled with physicians to maintain medical accuracy [2].

Strong Market Validation and European Expansion Plans

Since its launch in summer 2025, Ditto has achieved remarkable market penetration with nearly 100,000 downloads in the Netherlands alone [1][2][3][6]. The platform has earned endorsements from key healthcare stakeholders, including physicians, a hospital, the Dutch Patient Federation, and health insurer Menzis [2][6]. The company won the 2026 Dutch National Healthcare Innovation Award, further validating its impact on healthcare communication [6]. With 4.7-star ratings on both the App Store and Google Play, user satisfaction remains consistently high [4]. The fresh capital will fund expansion across Europe, with planned launches in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Spain in 2026 [4][5]. Additional development will focus on new features including tools to help users prepare for consultations and navigate treatment journeys with family members [3][6].

Bronnen

AI healthtech medical communication