Ceriter's ‘smart insole’ takes a big step forward
Ceriter, a pioneer in gait therapy, has successfully raised €1,100,000 in investments. This significant financial injection will enable the next phase of growth: commercial upscaling and further development of their technology. The investment has been made possible by a coalition of partners, including Birdhouse Ventures, imec.istart, a group of business angels and the Limburg Startup Capital Fund of LIOF, which played a leading role. The confidence of these renowned parties emphasises the enormous potential of Ceriter's innovation and its added value for rehabilitation care.
Walking therapy platform offers solution for rehabilitation
Ceriter has developed a groundbreaking gait therapy platform for rehabilitation centres and physiotherapy practices. The therapy is specifically aimed at patients who need to relearn how to walk correctly, for example after a stroke, trauma, orthopaedic surgery, amputation, etc. Using real-time data, the platform provides physiotherapists with in-depth insight into these patients' gait patterns, enabling them to offer targeted and effective therapies.
The core of this platform is the Stride One: smart insoles with integrated sensors and a processor called Cericom. These insoles are connected to an Android smartphone and a dashboard. "You place the insole in a shoe and attach a transmitter to it. As soon as the patient starts walking, the sensors register the movements," explains Piet Stevens, founder of Ceriter. "This gives therapists a detailed picture of the walking pattern. In addition, patients can exercise independently with real-time feedback from the app. It is a tool that can really speed up and improve rehabilitation. You can safely call it a smart insole."
The technology offers significant advantages: patients learn to walk again more effectively, recover more completely, and therapists have more time for exercise and treatment.
Rapid development
The development of the Stride One began in 2018, inspired by the challenges faced by stroke and Parkinson's patients. Piet Stevens saw their struggles and developed a working prototype within two days. Then began the journey towards a working product. LIOF supported Ceriter in its further development through the Limburg Future-Proof innovation programme. The Flemish Development Agency Vlaio also contributed. Further development and production took place in collaboration with Maastricht Instruments and Productronics, among others.
Further growth
The Stride One is now a proven innovation with great potential to improve rehabilitation care. With this major round of funding, Ceriter can take the next step and set up a sales and marketing department focused on rehabilitation clinics. This growth is expected to lead to ten additional jobs in Limburg by the end of 2028.
The production and assembly of the insoles takes place largely in Limburg, as do the commercial and operational activities. Further software development is carried out in Belgium. Here too, growth will lead to additional jobs.
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