Dutch Startup HeartEye Could Bring Heart Tests to Your GP's Office in Under One Minute
Amsterdam, Saturday, 13 June 2026.
Every 15 minutes, someone in the Netherlands dies from cardiovascular disease — yet 65% of cardiology referrals prove unnecessary. HeartEye’s portable ECG device aims to fix both problems at once.
A Healthtech Solution for a Systemic Problem
This story sits firmly in the healthtech category — the application of technology to improve the delivery and efficiency of medical care. HeartEye, a Dutch startup, has developed a mobile 12-channel ECG recorder that can produce a full cardiac reading in under one minute, without adhesive patches, wires, or complex hospital-grade equipment [1]. The device is designed to be operated not only by general practitioners (GPs) but also by medical assistants, or even used by patients in their own homes — a meaningful leap from the current standard of care [1].
How the Device Works — and Why Speed Matters
A standard 12-lead ECG, which records the electrical activity of the heart from twelve different angles to provide a comprehensive diagnostic picture, typically takes between 5 and 15 minutes to administer in a clinical setting [1]. HeartEye’s recorder compresses that process to under one minute [1]. Critically, it does so without the stickers, cables, and technical setup that ordinarily make ECGs the exclusive domain of trained hospital technicians. The result is a device that can realistically be deployed in the consulting room of a GP’s practice — a setting that, for most patients, is far more accessible than a hospital cardiology department [1].
The Team, the Funding, and the Road to Market
HeartEye was co-founded by Tjebbe Tauber, who made the transition from the banking sector to the healthtech world in 2022 to serve as CEO and contribute to earlier, better cardiac diagnostics outside of hospital settings in the Netherlands [1]. The company has raised more than €1.5 million to date in support of its mission to improve the early detection of heart conditions [1]. Tauber has spoken candidly about the irony of leaving finance only to find himself thinking constantly about euros — both in terms of the investment needed to bring HeartEye’s product to market, and in terms of developing sustainable business models for healthcare providers that support innovation [1].
What Comes Next: CE Marking, Early Access, and Scale
The immediate priority for HeartEye is securing the CE marking — the European medical device certification that constitutes the legal prerequisite for selling the product as a medical tool within the European Union [1][GPT]. Once that certification is in hand, the company plans to launch an early access program targeting GPs specifically [1]. The internal benchmark for success at this stage is ambitious: HeartEye is aiming for 80% of participating GPs to continue using the product after the early access phase before the company moves to scale [1].