Amsterdam-based Stories, a Dutch co-working for independent therapists and coaches, announced that it has secured €850K in additional funding, enabling rapid response to increased demand for flexible practice spaces.
Founded in 2019, Stories introduces co-working spaces tailored for therapists, coaches, and independent healthcare providers. The company supports healthcare professionals, emphasising mental and physical well-being to deliver high-quality (mental) care.
The Dutch startup believes therapists deserve an environment where they can focus solely on providing the best care to others without any burdens.
With the raised capital, the company looks to expand and develop new digital products to enhance its services.
Investors supporting Stories
The investment came from investors including Marc van Agteren (Usabilla), Jan-Willem van Boeckel (Treatwell), and Foppe Eshuis (MILLTEN).
In a statement translated from Dutch, Marc van Agteren (ex-Usabilla/SurveyMonkey), says, “Stories transforms healthcare with technology that unburdens therapists and coaches, allowing them to shine in their profession. Their progressive approach inspires and really makes a difference.”
Jan Willem van Boeckel (Treatwell) adds, “Stories has built a super attractive and scalable proposition aimed at completely unburdening therapists so that they can provide the care that the healthcare sector so desperately needs.”
Stories’ expansion plans
Over the past year, Stories has experienced growth, with its membership surpassing over 300 members.
Wouter Koch, co-founder of Stories, says, “There is a clear trend of professional healthcare providers who want to set up their own practice and are not only looking for flexible and attractive practice spaces but want to be completely unburdened.”
“In the Netherlands alone there are more than 109,000 coaches and more than 60,000 independent therapists, and this number continues to grow.”
Additionally, Stories experiences rising demand from various sources, including independent general practitioners, echoing challenges revealed by recent National Association of General Practitioners (LHV) research on finding suitable practice spaces for Dutch GPs.
Emilie Sporre, psychologist and co-founder of Stories, adds, “We see that there is a need for referrals within the community and want to expand the community with new disciplines such as general practitioners, physiotherapists and psychiatrists that are relevant for a holistic approach to care.”
The goal is to expand into cities like Utrecht, The Hague, Rotterdam, Den Bosch, and Eindhoven by 2024 and 2025 to address growing demand across the Netherlands.
Digital innovation and services
Stories sees that many independent healthcare workers struggle with increased administrative tasks and competition in the market. To help, they plan to introduce new digital tools.
These tools will make it easier to manage their practices, giving them more time to focus on helping their clients.
A substantial part of the funding will be used to improve the experience of the members.
Co-founder Emilie Sporre, explains, “The mission of Stories is ‘While you take care of others, we take care of you’. As our members, healthcare professionals are maximally relieved of their worries, they are better able to provide the best care.”
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