Much of Menno’s interaction with Nextgen revolves around Peter Haasjes. “Before they came on board, I reached out to other entrepreneurs who had worked with Peter,” Menno shares. “I wanted to know what he was like in a boardroom setting. What stood out to me was his incredible curiosity. He genuinely wants to understand how you think and operate.”

This curiosity aligns perfectly with Momo Medical’s philosophy. “Just as we listen to caregivers and nurses, Peter listens to us,” Menno explains. “He asks insightful questions, challenges us when necessary, but ultimately leaves the decisions up to us. That level of trust is essential.”

Menno envisions a future where Momo Medical experiences significant growth in Europe, the United States and Canada. “Our goal is to become the market leader in these regions,” he shares. “In Europe and the U.S., we aim to support one million residents with our solution.” The scalable nature of their technology is key to their expansion. “Thanks to our mesh network, we’re not dependent on the IT infrastructure of nursing homes. But, the real challenge lies in training staff and guiding facilities through the change process.”

These are ambitious goals; however, for Menno, quality always trumps speed. Momo Medical’s ambition is driven by a mission that goes beyond numbers: to support caregivers and nurses around the globe. “It’s about empowering the people who provide care, not about revenue figures or the number of countries we’re in. Our mission always takes priority,” Menno states firmly.

Anastomotic leaks are a persistent global challenge, the top concern for every colorectal surgeon. Klaas Havenga: “Everyone is working to reduce the risk, but it’s a persistent problem that keeps coming back.”

For patients, the consequences are life-changing. A leak can lead to a lifetime with a stoma or chronic issues, like needing to visit the bathroom 20 times a day. “Some people are so afraid of complications that they don’t even want to attempt closure of the stoma,” adds Ivo Kooijman. “They deliberately choose to keep their stoma.” Addressing these frustrations requires rethinking the tools and methods surgeons rely on.

In November 2022, Implican welcomed Nextgen Ventures as a lead investor. But their contribution went far beyond financial backing. “Of course, they brought funding to the table, but it’s about much more than that,” Kooijman explains. “They challenge our plans, offer constructive feedback and ask the tough questions that help us make smarter decisions.”

Nextgen doesn’t just stay behind the scenes – they’re actively involved in the day-to-day. “I have bi-weekly calls with Roel from Nextgen,” says Kooijman. “We cover everything, from which conferences are worth attending, to making connections with other startups. They’ve helped us refine investor presentations, offering input on an animation we created for potential backers.”

The stereotype of aggressive, cutthroat investors doesn’t apply here. “Nextgen isn’t about barking orders or pushing us into corners,” says Havenga. “They’re professional, supportive and focused on collaboration.”

Their involvement came at a critical moment when Implican was considering a larger convertible loan from Triade and NOM. Nextgen’s guidance and resources have since become an integral part of the company’s strategy. “Their kind of support is invaluable for expanding our network and attracting new interest in what we’re building,” adds Havenga.

Klaas and Ivo have clear goals for Implican’s future. “We want to bring our device to market and prove its success,” says Ivo. “Not just in Western countries but worldwide, ensuring as many patients as possible have access to better outcomes.”

“If our technique truly proves superior, we hope to replace traditional staples,” Klaas adds. “That would set a new standard in surgery, but the results and real-world practice will have to confirm that.”

For Klaas, the frustration of recurring anastomotic leaks is a personal motivator. “You see the suffering it causes patients and it really hits you. It’s incredibly disheartening when a patient comes back with complications despite all your care. If Implican can help reduce those complications, that’s immensely rewarding.” Beyond that, he finds great satisfaction in entrepreneurship: “Building this company has been fantastic.”

Ivo’s drive comes from a broader perspective. “My motivation is about working toward a goal with real impact. At Implican, I get to collaborate with talented, driven people in a positive environment and contribute to something that could improve healthcare globally. That gives me the energy to keep pushing forward.”

While his father was perfecting the ELANA bypass, Rutger was off on a very different path, working in IT and turning around struggling companies. Business was in his blood; medicine, not so much. But everything changed when someone asked him to take a look at his dad’s project, which was running out of funding and on the brink of shutting down. It seemed like a massive loss to let such a life-saving innovation fade away. “It definitely warranted a visit,” Rutger thought.

When he dug into the patient records, he felt a powerful impact. “I came across the case of a 42-year-old mother of two whose life had been saved by the ELANA bypass,” Rutger recalls. It struck a personal chord, reminding him of his own mother, who passed away young. “It felt like a part of my own story,” he shares.

From that moment, Rutger had a mission. “I was determined to continue my father’s work, no matter what,” he says with conviction. And so began a 20-year journey to build AMT Medical into a company that saves lives.

In 2015, AMT Medical – without Rutger – was on the verge of a breakthrough. “I heard there were some issues with various stakeholders, so I decided to step in and mediate,” he recalls. This intervention ultimately led to the realization that the team running the company at the time wanted to quit.

“I said, ‘Quit? Are you out of your minds?’” Rutger remembers. “They said, ‘Yeah, we’re just done with it.’ So eventually I said, ‘Fine, then I’ll buy it.’ I bought all the patents, the data, everything. That was around 2016 or 2017.”

Then, in 2018, Rutger had a moment of reflection. “I thought, what do I really want? Do I continue with my ICT company? And then it hit me—this is amazing. It’s not about money; it’s about saving lives. The vibe is incredible, and everything about it is just… inspiring.”

At that point Rutger decided to dive back in, once again putting everything on the line. “We’d come so far, and I knew there was still a way forward,” he says. But they needed a new investor. That’s when Nextgen Ventures stepped in with a crucial seed investment.

“We basically had to start from scratch: new tests, new data,” Rutger explains. But the partnership with Nextgen was a turning point. “From the moment I met Peter Haasjes, there was a strong connection. They understood the urgency and the impact of our work, and they gave me the entrepreneurial trust I needed.”

Since then, AMT Medical has experienced a remarkable resurgence. Over the last six years, the company has grown from just a handful of people to a dedicated team of 25 specialists. “We’ve re-engaged heart surgeons worldwide who believe in our vision,” Rutger says. And they’ve made critical progress: moving to human trials.

Starting with a small group of 10 patients, the aim was to prove the technique’s safety and effectiveness. After initial successes, they expanded to a study of 75 patients, focusing on MACE outcomes (Major Adverse Cardiac Events) and the blood flow of the bypass, crucial metrics in cardiac surgery. “The results have been really promising so far,” Rutger shares. “It feels like we’re finally close to the approval we’ve been fighting for.”

The goal is to launch the product by 2027. “We want to set up training centers worldwide for surgeons,” Rutger says. But he knows they’ll likely need a global partner to make that happen. “Scaling this up will require someone with the right reach and resources.”

AMT Medical has attracted more investors over the years, but the bond with Peter Haasjes remains special. “His strategic insight and knowledge are still crucial,” Rutger says.

The scanner was only the starting point for what Manometric has become today: creating custom braces using 3D scanning, 3D printing, data and AI. Pieter soon recognized that the traditional method of making braces was far from future-proof. “It’s a highly labor-intensive process, and more professionals are retiring than graduating.”

Traditional orthopedic braces are often made entirely by hand, where the feel and intuition of the craftsman play a key role. Manometric addresses this by digitizing the process. This creates a scalable, sustainable model that relies less on individual skills.

Pieter and Robin aim to change this by using data and technology. “Our goal is to bring objectivity to the orthopedic field. That ‘fingerspitzengefühl’ of craftsmen is great, but it’s not something you can build a scalable business on,” Pieter says. “You can’t easily teach or transfer that feeling. Those decades of knowledge from traditional processes are now in our digital workflow. For example, someone with strong hands needs a stiffer brace, while an older patient might need a more flexible one. By combining data and AI, we can incorporate those nuances into the design.”

For Pieter, this is one of the key factors behind their success. “We can develop all the technology we want, but if we’re not listening to the patient and using their feedback, we’re not making an impact. In healthcare, we have three stakeholders: the patient, the doctor, and the insurer. But if I have to choose one, I’ll always choose the patient.”

This customer-focused approach directly influences Manometric’s products. One example is the closure system for the braces. “Patients don’t care about AI or 3D printing. They told us that Velcro was damaging their clothes. So, we developed a non-Velcro closure system, even though it took a lot of time and money to create,” says Pieter. “That might seem a bit dull for an engineer. But these are exactly the things you should be working on.”

Manometric’s vision to become the global leader in orthopedics is a clear objective ahead. A crucial part of this journey is their partnership with strategic allies like Nextgen Ventures.

“Choosing to partner with Nextgen was a major decision for us,” Pieter explains. “Peter Haasjes and his team didn’t just invest money—they are actively helping us to make strategic decisions and to grow everyday. The fact that they invested in us at such an early stage speaks volumes about their confidence in our potential.”

​​Pieter greatly values this trust that Nextgen Ventures places in him and his team, especially when it comes to making key decisions. “Sometimes, we make decisions based on research, but often it’s also just intuition,” he explains. “And you can really feel that trust from them. They say, ‘You’re the entrepreneurs, we’ve invested in you, so you make the call. It’s your responsibility and your intuition.’”

“For example, when we decided to develop the non-Velcro closure system for our braces, this meant investing a significant amount of time and money to ensure it met our customers’ needs. An investor could easily raise concerns about that kind of decision.”

But not Peter Haasjes: “He is the kind of person who says, ‘You’re going to spend three months developing a brace without Velcro? Okay, I’m curious to see how that will play out.’ And that attitude is incredibly important because forward-thinking ideas are fragile. I have to trust my instincts. And having the trust from your strategic partner in this process is crucial.”

“If Peter truly believes an idea isn’t good, he’ll say so, and I will take that seriously. But if he’s pushing back, he’s always looking for the reasoning behind a decision. There’s always a discussion about the substance, without any ego involved.”

And even if a decision doesn’t work out, the trust remains intact. “The great thing is, even if something doesn’t go as planned, Peter never says, ‘I told you so.’ He understands that we need to try things. Because if you take away that space for experimentation, you kill creativity.”

The relationship with Nextgen is highly personal. “I call Peter almost every week,” says Pieter. “Sometimes just to catch up, but often to ask for advice or discuss a specific challenge.”

Also, Nextgen Ventures’ network opens doors to valuable connections: “Nextgen has a deep network in the healthcare industry. That’s incredibly valuable. For example, I sat down with physicians of the Mayo Clinic.”

Another example of the practical support Nextgen Ventures offers is how they assist in helping Manometric professionalize their finance department. For Pieter, this was new territory. “Honestly, I didn’t fully understand what this entailed,” he admits. But Nextgen provided clear, actionable examples: “They showed us how other startups manage it. It gave us a range of options.”