In the fall of 2023, HERAN Partners further strengthened their team with Laurens de Vries as Analyst. He is deeply supportive of HERAN’s mission of creating the future of healthcare and making a lasting impact to the medical practice. As part of the investment team, he will mainly focus on investment opportunities and map market segments in order to actively source innovative ventures. As both a physician and an engineer, Laurens had the opportunity to experience how technologies impact the clinical workflow.
“Modern medicine has achieved major successes, but there is still meaningful room for improvement. While medical innovations already require significant time from idea to product, finding the right market fit continues to be time-consuming. I hope to leverage my knowledge to support companies in their search of a sound value proposition based on true clinical needs” - Laurens de Vries
HERAN Partners stands out in the healthcare Venture Capital segment
Based on a shared passion for innovations on the intersection of medicine, engineering, and business, Laurens found his way to HERAN Partners. He understands that the road to market for medical ventures is paved with obstacles and that even great ideas fail to be successful without professional support, both financially and operationally.
“I combined my medical degree with an additional degree in biomedical engineering. Furthermore, I was involved with the development of a new type of device in the cardiology segment, but after two years we halted development as we faced the realities of conducting R&D without having proper backing”
As strong scientific knowledge is a prerequisite for each HERAN investment, the team is heavily focused on how the puzzle pieces of science,a clear medical need, and a sound business plan come together in order for a company to be successful. “I was truly inspired by the knowledge that the HERAN team brings together and how their different backgrounds enable them to make an informed investment decision and how their experiences enables them to providehands-on support to the portfolio companies”, adds Laurens.
Knowledge is key to make a difference
As healthcare is among the most complex industries around the world, a sound understanding of the science and the business opportunity is required to build a portfolio of promising ventures while limiting the risk. In addition, R&D projects within MedTech and biotech remain very technical and require specific knowledge.
“Venture Capital firms have the unique ability to support promising projects and are hence well positioned to truly make a difference”
During his first day, Laurens rapidly understood that HERAN goes above and beyond during due diligence of investment opportunities to perform in-depth research. A core part of HERAN’s expertise lies in analysing multi-modal data and combining that into clear insights which enable the team to make an informed investment decision.
“Translating science into business insights and presenting conclusions was new to me, but I quickly understood the importance of it. My colleagues guided me and emphasised that details matter, both in terms of content as in presentation”
HERAN follows its values : Impact, Deep Curiosity and Passion
Each new addition to the team is vetted to ensure alignment with HERAN’s core values. Laurens has proven to be passionate about innovative medicine and how new technologies can change the lives of patients while rendering the healthcare system more efficient. “I have had multiple rolemodels who enable such evolution by using new technologies in medical interventions and by providing financial support to early stage ventures who had pitched brilliant ideas”, elaborates Laurens.
A vision to provide long-term support for innovative ventures
HERAN aims to fuel innovation in the healthcare industry by providing financial & strategic support. In order to achieve that, HERAN is building its team of skilled professionals who bring complementary experience & knowledge.
“We combine scientific knowledge with financial insights and personal skills. Each component is instrumental in supporting high-quality MedTech and HealthTech ventures. We encourage our team to dream big and think about the future”
- Katleen Vandersmissen, Managing Partner at HERAN.
“I have always dreamt about being at the forefront of medical innovation. During my education, I have witnessed reluctance to embrace new technologies, while I feel that clinical practice shows room for improvement. Overall, I hope to learn how science is translated into a viable business, ultimately changing medicine for the better” - Laurens de Vries
Quick scan of Laurens:
- Education: Medical Degree & Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering (Ir.)
- Track record: two years of start-up and R&D experience as the founder of a cardiology company
- Personal passion: longevity medicine
- Inspired by: Dr. Gary K Michelson MD, Dr. Dan Burnett MD, Dr. Peter Attia MD, MIT, NASA, Renaissance Technologies
- Who is Laurens in 5 words? Passionate, curious, driven, honest, visionary
