## 2025 cohort of the Dutch Healthtech Accelerator InnerBuddies, a healthtech startup based in Venlo, Netherlands, has been selected for the 2025 cohort of the Dutch HealthTech Accelerator. The program is organized by a consortium of regional development agencies including InnovationQuarter, Oost NL, Brabant Development Agency (BOM), ROM Utrecht Region, NV NOM, Impuls Zeeland, ROM InWest, LIOF, Horizon Flevoland, Invest-NL and National eHealth Living Lab (NeLL). These partners provide strategic guidance, sector expertise, and access to networks of investors and healthcare organizations that support early-stage ventures in refining their market strategies. ## The next step in InnerBuddies development Participation in a structured accelerator can accelerate evidence-based development through mentorship, technical validation, and improved market-readiness. For InnerBuddies, the program will support refinement of its gut microbiome analysis methods and the translation of microbiome-derived signals into personalized nutrition guidance. This developmental support is especially relevant where regulatory considerations, clinical validation, and integration with care pathways are necessary to move from pilot studies to wider implementation. ## Program structure and benefits The HealthTech Accelerator runs a six-month program that typically includes a company scan, a customized development plan, strategic mentorship, group workshops, and facilitated introductions to potential partners and investors. Key elements include: - Company Scan: a diagnostic review to identify technical, regulatory, and business priorities. - Customized Development Plan: a roadmap that sequences validation, user testing, and market activities. - Strategic Guidance: targeted mentorship from experts in healthtech, digital health regulation, and commercialization. - Group Sessions: peer learning and masterclasses on topics such as product-market fit and business model development. - Network Access: curated connections to healthcare providers, research institutions, and capital providers. These components aim to reduce common barriers to adoption for digital health solutions, such as unclear clinical utility, lack of interoperability, and insufficient evidence for reimbursement models. ## Impact on InnerBuddies The accelerator’s combination of technical and commercial support can help InnerBuddies strengthen the validity of its microbiome analyses and the clinical relevance of its nutritional recommendations. Mentorship in regulatory pathways and health-economics may assist in designing studies that demonstrate meaningful outcomes for users and healthcare stakeholders. Access to potential partners can also facilitate implementation studies in clinical or community settings, which are essential for evaluating effectiveness beyond initial feasibility. For more background on InnerBuddies' ongoing research collaborations, see their project summary on the EU Nutriome initiative: Transforming health with the EU Nutriome Project. To understand foundational concepts about the gut ecosystem that underpins their work, refer to this overview: What is gut microbiota and why does it matter. As InnerBuddies progresses through the accelerator, the company will be positioned to further develop evidence-based workflows for personalized nutrition and gut health interpretation. The official program selection announcement and additional context are available from InnerBuddies' site: InnerBuddies selected in the 2025 cohort for the Dutch HealthTech Accelerator. For reference to their testing options, see: microbiome test product page.