Making an impact on healthcare in the Netherlands

Xeltis's goal is to develop pioneering implants that perform longer and better than current solutions. The most advanced program from Xeltis is the aXess product. More than 1.7 million Dutch people suffer from chronic kidney disease and are thereby at increased risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular diseases. For patients who require dialysis treatment, aXess may offer a superior dialysis implant that will significantly improve their quality of life. Preliminary data from ongoing aXess studies are very encouraging.

Dialysis patients need high-quality vascular access to receive dialysis treatment several times a week. Eliane: “Current solutions for vascular access, however, lead to a high risk of infections and mortality, tend to become blocked within a few months, require several months to mature, or in 40-60% of cases, never mature. As a result: a new solution for vascular access to reduce societal costs and improve the quality of life for dialysis patients.”

Eliane views the funding round as an important milestone for Xeltis: “It enables us to further validate our technology through large-scale clinical studies and thereby revolutionise cardiovascular surgery with better implants and improved clinical outcomes. We are proud to have attracted such prominent investors and look forward to collaborating. The accessible clinical expertise and network will greatly contribute to our path to success.”

Relationship with Invest-NL

Xeltis has maintained relationships with the leading life sciences investors for many years, including Invest-NL. A collaboration was therefore a logical step. Eliane: “Invest-NL exceeded expectations; a professional investment organization, with a strong focus on social impact. The due diligence phase went smoothly. A professional and pragmatic investment process. Koen has the knowledge and insight to zoom in immediately on the important topics. I can definitely say it was a pleasant process. It went beyond a regular investment organization. Especially the depth with which societal interests are considered, including a very detailed estimation of the medical and financial benefits for Dutch society. That has also given me a clear understanding of the impact in the Netherlands and has positively surprised me.” 

Making what seems unfinancable, financable

The mission of Invest-NL was also applicable to Xeltis's investment process. Eliane: “More and more, both VCs and corporate investors are looking at more mature companies, which creates a ‘funding gap’ for early- and mid-stage life sciences companies. It is therefore not surprising that Xeltis turned to both Invest-NL and the European Investment Bank, both of which aim to address funding gaps in the life sciences lifecycle.”

SDG

The Sustainable Development Goals are a given for Xeltis. Naturally, Xeltis contributes to SDG 3 (good health and well-being) as the primary aim of Xeltis is to improve the quality of life and health of patients.

SDG 5 (gender equality) is also important for Xeltis. For example, Xeltis has a female CEO and four women in the management team, and the company actively monitors any pay gap between men and women. Eliane adds: “And at our company, employees come from 16 different nationalities across 5 continents. A truly diverse group of people.”

Personal motivations

Working towards social impact is self-evident for Eliane and Koen. Eliane: “My motivation is to contribute to new innovations for patients that truly matter, improvements that significantly enhance patients' quality of life. Xeltis technology has the potential to be distinctive, to make an impact on the lives of many patients, also in the Netherlands, and to reduce healthcare costs. How wonderful is that!”

Koen: “With my (bio)medical background, I have seen many medical innovations from the perspective of a scientist, consultant, and now as an investor. Fortunately, it is often evident that medical innovations offer a lot for patients, but unfortunately we also see that healthcare (in the Netherlands) is slowly becoming unaffordable. With our focus on medical innovations that make a significant contribution to the affordability of healthcare, we want to ensure that care remains accessible to everyone in the future. In 10 years, I hope there will be revolutionary medical innovations on the market such as those developed by Xeltis. If the innovations currently in development by start-ups and knowledge centres in digital health, medical robotics, and diagnostics successfully reach the patient, our healthcare system could look completely different in 10 years.”