Post-ICU mobile app. | Image credit: Post-ICU
Post-ICU, a company that makes a digital diary designed for ICU patients and their families, announced that it has raised €1M in a funding round led by Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij and InZet.
The company says the fresh funds will help drive its expansion in the United States, aiming to enhance patient care and alleviate Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS).
“The investment grants us the opportunity to fight PICS and PICS-F in the country that has the highest number of ICU beds in the world. We are deeply grateful, and immensely excited, to be able to bring the digital diary to a growing number of US hospitals. The investment will also help us to keep improving our product and maintaining the highest privacy and security norms,” says Seth Van van der Meer, CEO of Post-ICU.
Caring for ICU patients and their families
In 2018, Dr Marc Buise laid the foundation for a visionary concept – a digital journal customised for ICU patients. Two years later, the pandemic increased the demand for a Post-ICU journal as ICU stays became longer and family visits were limited.
This inspired a combined team from Eindhoven’s Catharina Hospital and Games for Health to develop the Post-ICU journal from their home workplaces, and within a month, it became available in ICUs across the nation.
Post-ICU claims that its diary has demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing PICS, a set of challenging symptoms ICU survivors face. The company’s goal is to triple the deployment of the digital diary to more than 2000 ICU beds by the close of 2024.
Over 25 hospitals in the Netherlands and the US have already embraced the digital diary, and the company claims that they are experiencing positive outcomes. The Griffin Hospital in the United States and the Catharina Hospital in the Netherlands reported improved patient and family experiences, decreased incidence of PTSD and PICS, and enhanced staff engagement, mentions the company.
ICU patients often face challenges in their quality of life after returning home. Around 25-50% of ICU survivors can develop problems like memory loss, anxiety, or depression.
Healthcare staff, patients, and family members contribute to the journal by recording important information and events in the ICU. They can follow what happened step by step, leading to better communication among them and improved patient care.
The investors
InZet is a venture capital investment firm that focuses on healthcare-tech companies. InZet specifically seeks companies that improve the daily lives of people that need care or contribute to preventing chronic health issues.
Jelena Jakulj, a partner at InZet, highlights that critical care focuses mostly on survival, sometimes leading to ignoring the quality of life for ICU survivors and their families.
“InZet aims with its investments to make a meaningful impact beyond financial gains only. The digital Post-ICU diary has proven itself during the pandemic, when tens of thousands of ICU patients and families experienced how journaling helped them recover from the trauma they endured,” Jakulj adds.
Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM) provides support and financing to start-ups and companies with internationalisation ambitions. As an implementing agency of the Province of North Brabant and the Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate, BOM works closely with many companies to make a positive impact.
“When we understood that an ICU diary was being advised by many professional critical care associations, we saw the potential of the digital equivalent. For hospitals, this is one of the most cost effective interventions on the ICU, while also contributing to patient satisfaction,” says Remie Bastiaansen, investment manager at BOM.
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