inSteps receives funding from Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland for the development of an AI-driven computer simulation platform for thrombectomy.
inSteps B.V., a spin-out of Amsterdam UMC, has received a convertible loan of €450,000 from the Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland. With this funding, the company will further develop its AI-driven computer simulation platform for thrombectomy. The platform enables manufacturers to virtually test their designs on thousands of synthetic patients. This allows them to better predict how an instrument performs in the human body and improve designs faster before physical prototypes are built.
inSteps consists of a five-person team of biomedical engineers and AI specialists. The team is led by CEO Thomas Kerbusch, who has 25 years of experience building companies in the field of computer simulations.
Stroke is the second most common cause of death in the European Union. Every year, 1.1 million people are affected, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths. In the most severe cases, thrombectomy instruments are used to remove blood clots from the brain. However, the development of these instruments is costly, time-consuming, and heavily reliant on animal models that poorly predict how an instrument performs in the human body.
inSteps addresses this problem with a platform that combines Finite Element Modeling with generative AI. The platform simulates how thrombectomy instruments interact with realistic vascular anatomy and blood clots across thousands of synthetic patients generated from one of the world's largest stroke databases. This allows manufacturers to virtually evaluate their designs in clinically realistic scenarios, identify the most promising design directions early, and iterate faster, without the costs and long lead times of physical experiments. An AI emulation layer reduces simulation times from days to minutes.
With funding from the Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland, inSteps will take the next step in commercializing the platform. The focus is on developing advanced modules for synthetic thrombus heterogeneity and AI emulation of the thrombectomy procedure, scaling the platform up from an academic proof-of-concept to an industrially deployable product.
Thomas Kerbusch, CEO and co-founder of inSteps: “Our mission is to get better thrombectomy instruments to patients faster. With this funding, we can further develop our technology into a platform that helps manufacturers worldwide accelerate their development process and increase the chance of success in clinical trials.”
Ludolf Stavenga, Fund Manager at Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland: “The development of in-silico platforms plays an important role in the future of medical research. This technology can significantly accelerate R&D processes and, in the long term, also be applied in hospitals for more personalized care.”
About inSteps
inSteps B.V. is a spin-out of Amsterdam UMC, founded in 2023 by Dr. Thomas Kerbusch, Prof. Dr. Henk Marquering, Dr. Praneeta Konduri, and Dr. Nerea Arrarte. The company emerged from more than ten years of academic research within multiple academic consortia. The company is building the first AI-driven computer simulation platform specifically for the development of thrombectomy instruments.
About Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland
Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland is an initiative of the Province of North Holland, the University of Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam UMC, and Sanquin. The Fund supports entrepreneurs in the Province of North Holland in financing innovation in the Proof-of-Concept phase by providing convertible loans. Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland manages two funds: a fund for innovative start-ups, supported by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), and a fund for academic start-ups, supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). www.innovatiefondsnoordholland.nl
For more information: Thomas Kerbusch, CEO and Co-Founder at inSteps, thomas.kerbusch@insteps.com
Jenny Tsin, Junior Investment Manager at Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland: Jenny.Tsin@innovatiefondsnoordholland.nl
Source: Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland
