Happiness is a gut feeling!
You are bursting with energy. You feel good and comfortable in your skin. You can take on the world! Hmm, let's be honest, this may not be quite right ... You don't feel like the best version of yourself, but you just can't seem to do anything about it. InnerBuddies (innerbuddies.com) understands that your well-being is central to your busy life and knows how difficult it can be to determine what to focus on to improve it. How. By analyzing your gut flora and giving nutritional advice. Roy Lenders, CEO of InnerBuddies, Fenna Sonnemans, CFO and Crystal Kriek, co-CEO look back on the start of this innovative and specialized company and look ahead to the future. "There is one thing connected to everything and that is your gut."
A project of
Participaties & FinancieringWant to know more?
Meet Innerbuddies
Roy: "The health of your gut has a huge impact on how you feel, both physically and mentally. 80% of our immune system is in the gut and 90% of the happiness hormone Serotonin is produced in our gut. We delve into the rapidly growing field of science of the gut microbiome - and we show how incredibly important it is to our well-being."
We are all unique
Fenna explains how InnerBuddies works. "Based on a poop test, you get personal advice on what your gut needs. From food ingredients to probiotics, prebiotics and recipes that really suit you, because every gut flora is unique. Customers fill out a food diary and we share recipes. Worldwide, we now offer our platform in seven languages, mainly to home-testing providers, corporate health program providers, supplement brands and laboratories and clinics. These can then use it to launch products under their own brand on their local market. This is how we make as many customers as possible healthier and happier."
“Your gut is smarter than you think. InnerBuddies helps you listen to this.”
Liof & Innerbuddies
Together with LIOF from the start
InnerBuddies originated as a spin-off from Maastricht University. After its establishment in 2021, LIOF decided to support the entrepreneurs with the Limburg Early Phase Financing. Meanwhile, LIOF has also joined as a shareholder in InnerBuddies. Ryan Harenczyk, investment manager at LIOF: "The microbiome is increasingly associated with health disorders, from gastrointestinal liver diseases and metabolic diseases to mental disorders. What makes Innerbuddies unique is that they not only analyze, but also provide personalized advice to improve the microbiome. This can have a positive impact on people's health. The development of the scalable B2B software platform, where test vendors can use this (AI-generated) advice worldwide, was reason for us to continue investing."
New world, familiar energy
Starting a business was not new to Roy, the field of microbiology was. "From ICT and AI, where my background lies, to microbiology and medical regulation - that's quite a leap. But by now I have become a reasonable expert in both areas. I learn from dietitians and researchers, and vice versa, I can share knowledge with my tech background. Healthcare is becoming more and more data-driven. I can really add to that with my experience."
From B2C to B2B: a big switch
Roy looks back on a major strategic choice the entrepreneurs made in recent years. "We started as a B2C company, but after 1.5 years we made the switch to B2B. That seems to be catching on well. We are working internationally with test providers, supplement brands and health programs. Intestinal microbiome tests are still relatively new and less known than, for example, blood tests or DNA tests. We are therefore building together with our customers on the right way of offering them. Within the limits of the regulations, of course. This is sometimes frustrating, because technically we can already do much more than what is currently allowed. But at the same time, this is also a nice challenge."
Does Roy have any tips for other entrepreneurs?
Crystal: "Healthcare regulations actually hold back a lot of innovation. The trick then is: still find a route to the market, because you can't keep leaning on subsidies or investors. That route is often not easy. There are 1001 routes and many dead ends. You have to dare to choose, even if you don't know everything (yet). Your entrepreneurial spirit is worth its weight in gold. Trust your compass and also test with others in the field. Avoiding risk sounds safe, but you have to love taking a little risk sometimes, too."
With the
look ahead
What was your outlook when you started InnerBuddies?
Roy: "I came to InnerBuddies as an entrepreneur and investor. Not as an expert in gut microbiology - not yet, at least. But my gut said: this is going to be big. The field was on the verge of breaking through to mainstream health care, and now - 3.5 years later - that appears to be true. Science is coming up with more and more evidence and gut health is shifting more and more toward mainstream health care. There are huge opportunities there."
What is your look ahead now?
Fenna: "In the short term, we want to significantly expand our B2B network worldwide. More customers, more volumes they put into the market. In the longer term, we want to market specific products for a limited number of medical indications with our B2B partners. These must then also fall under the reimbursement system. That means: MDR pathways, clinical studies and a lot of work. But also: a huge impact."
Photography: Ron Wiersma, Maastricht(ronwiersma.nl)
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