Dutch startup VRelax gets €1.2M to help people with mental and physical complaints using VR

Groningen-based VRelax, a provider of Virtual Reality (VR) solutions for combating psychological complaints within mental health care, announced that it has secured €1.2M from Healthy.Capital, Knop Ventures, and CCO Sander Paul van Tongeren. 

The latest capital infusion will accelerate the company’s growth in the Netherlands and support its international expansion efforts.  The investment will be used to further strengthen the Sales and Customer Success teams in particular. 

“We want to help healthcare providers in the transition to affordable and accessible care,” says Stefan Vogelzang, CEO of VRelax. 

“Where the system is stuck in traditional treatment methods and queues are growing, our application is a solution to this growing problem by providing more effective support in the treatment process, reducing incidents, and saving time and money,” adds Vogelzang.

VRelax: VR app for people with mental and physical complaints

Founded in 2019 by Stefan Vogelzang (CEO), Marieke Jongma (COO), Chris Boonstra (CFO), Fabian Debats (Content), Jelmer Althuis (Spatial Audio), and professor Wim Veling (UMCG), VRelax offers a Virtual Reality app, specially developed for people with mental and physical complaints.

This tool serves as a means of relaxation for combating stress, burnout, anxiety, and gloom, as well as a distraction for managing physical discomfort and medical procedures.

The application offers users access to numerous lifelike and unique VR environments designed for immediate relaxation. These virtual worlds are enhanced with well-crafted virtual interactions and various exercises aimed at providing immediate distraction and relaxation. 

The company has collaborated with patients, healthcare professionals, and clinicians to develop the application. It offers customisation, provides added value for end users, and is both affordable and scalable, addressing the current needs of the healthcare sector.

The VR application has garnered national coverage, serving over 200 customers within mental health institutions, long-term care facilities, and hospitals. 

The company has also established a strong presence in several countries, including Sweden, Belgium, England, Ireland, Germany, South Korea, Canada, and the United States, where organisations have integrated VRelax into their operations and are conducting collaborative scientific research.

The investors

Healthy.Capital is an early-stage investment fund based in the Netherlands, focused on healthcare startups with a vision to transform healthcare. 

Healthy.Capital currently has €40M under management and has made 14 investments, such as in mental health innovator OpenUp and digital therapeutic Clear.bio.

“Scientifically validated digital solutions that demonstrably improve the mental well-being of patients and thus help reduce the workload for healthcare workers within mental health care, long-term home care, and hospitals, are innovations that we are happy to help scale up,” says Douwe Jippes, managing partner and co-founder of Healthy.Capital. 

“We believe in the founders’ vision of ‘more glasses and fewer pills’. This is in line with our impact mission to keep care accessible and affordable,” adds Jippes.

Knop Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund that invests in startups that are working towards a better world. 

Valerie van den Brink of Knop Ventures says, “Improving the well-being of people and society is an important investment theme for Knop Ventures and the family office in general. We see that VRelax’s scientifically validated solution has a positive impact on both the patient and healthcare provider, and look forward to supporting the management team in their mission to further expand this impact.”