Start-up Nostics: If you want to save the world, you have to look beyond national borders

Nostics is an innovative start-up in medical diagnostics. The company developed a platform that allows you to test for viruses and bacteria at lightning speed. This year they attracted a lot of attention at the famous tech fair CES2022. We speak with operations director and co-founder, Eva Rennen.

High-tech testing

The way we often detect diseases now is still very analog and slow. First you have to go to the doctor, then to the hospital or lab and it often takes quite a long time before you get the results. Eva Rennen believes that this can be done differently. Rennen: "We developed a digital diagnostic platform that allows you to test very quickly. This can be done on location, for example, at a GP's, a small clinic, a test street, or in the future even at home."

The special thing about Nostics' technology is that they use artificial intelligence, Raman spectroscopy and nanotechnology. This innovative combination allows you to develop very sensitive tests that can quickly detect bacteria, for example.

Soon to go beyond the limits

Nostics has focused on the international market since the very beginning. Rennen: "Certainly for the ambition we have, you start right outside the Dutch borders. We want everyone in the world to be able to receive treatment based on data-driven diagnoses. And that our devices are on the desks of every GP."

The role that this technology can play is different in each country, according to Rennen. Rennen: "In the Netherlands you can mainly use it to relieve hospitals, while in the US you already have many more smaller clinics where you can apply the tests. In countries like India, there are often very few medical personnel per inhabitant and you want to be able to do a lot remotely. With our technology, you can then really take on-site healthcare to a higher level, at lower cost and with lower skilled personnel."

Start-up success at CES2022

Together with a group of other tech companies, Nostics traveled to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January with the Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO). CES is one of the largest tech fairs in the world. Here the most progressive start-ups come together to present themselves to potential partners, customers and investors. Rennen: "You might not expect a medical diagnostics company at a trade show like CES, but because of COVID-19 there is a lot of attention for healthtech and medtech. For us, participating in CES is an important way to build awareness in the US. That is, after all, a very important market for us."

Rennen found it a very valuable experience to go on a mission together with other start-ups. Rennen: "Every entrepreneur there goes through the same kind of developments, like growing your business, staffing and building a proposition. In health and deep tech, the timelines of development are also longer, so you face the same challenges. You learn a lot from each other during such a journey."

Support from RVO

Nostics received support from RVO in its preparations for the CES. "They are good at connecting," Rennen explains. "They make sure you get in touch with the right events, like the CES. In addition, they are good at helping you get in touch with the right people abroad and at finding funding for your business."

Tip: go international immediately

Rennen believes that you cannot start early enough with your first steps across the border. Rennen: "As Dutchmen we can sometimes be a bit too perfectionist. We want a fully functioning product that has already proven itself in the Netherlands before we cross the border. But it could just be that your market is not in the Netherlands at all!" Her tip therefore is: "Try to go big and share your innovations and ideas with the rest of the world."

Source: rvo.co.uk