“We were just ready to roll out. But suddenly non-urgent care went completely out of business,” Thomas says. “Our customers are independent treatment centres. Think orthopaedics and plastic surgery. Without patients, our base fell away. It was a big shock.” At the time, the very young company had just secured its first turnover and four employees . Promising, but fragile. “We were still in our infancy,” says Thomas. “So that was a bit exciting: how do we keep our team together and how do we maintain the app?”
A lifebuoy
The Corona Bridging Loan, better known as the COL, provided a lifeline. The scheme from the Ministry of Economy and regional development agencies gave promising innovative companies temporary financial breathing space. “Thanks to the COL, we were able to keep paying salaries and continue building the app,” says Thomas. “We even temporarily deployed our technology in corona care, for example to monitor patients at home. That immediately gave us raison d'être and showed that our app is more widely applicable than we thought.” Ivo Kalthoff, COL fund manager at ROM InWest: “This was also exactly what the COL was for. Caro Health had a professional team, serious investors and traction in the healthcare sector. Their downtime was purely because of COVID. Then, as a fund, you want to provide space, because you believe in the long term.”
Flexibility and confidence
There were strict conditions attached to the COL: a one-off bridging loan, and a maximum term of five years. That meant the fund was not replenished with additional capital in between. So it was a one-off pot of money. “But the corona crisis lasted longer than expected,” Ivo explains. “For many entrepreneurs, starting to repay after one year was simply not feasible. That's why we deferred. It was about: is there trust, is there transparency and is the story right? With Caro Health, this was clearly the case. Their quarterly updates were realistic and concrete. They remained continuously transparent with us, even when repayment was not possible. This allowed us to build a relationship based on trust.” Thomas acknowledges. “Being honest about where we stood, even when things were tense, gave us room to grow. Without that flexibility, our survival would probably not have been possible.”
From start-up to international player
In August 2025, Caro Health was fully acquired by HOPCo, an international organisation developing digital healthcare solutions, with a strong digital network. They are a market leader in value-driven care within MSK/orthopaedics. They are also increasingly engaged in digital care solutions. The team at Caro Health deliberately chose this move to leverage the knowledge and network of the international market leader. “It's a big acceleration for our team,” says Thomas. “We have access to more expertise, resources and a large international network. This allows us to roll out our technology faster in Europe and beyond.” Caro Health will retain its own identity, though. Thomas: “We will continue to operate under our name in the Netherlands and Belgium. At the same time, we are now Hopco's European office. That opens doors and attracts new talent.” The COL loan was fully repaid by Caro Health upon acquisition.
Lessons from the COL
In North Holland, 285 enterprises have been granted COLs. Ivo: “Not all enterprises were equally successful, but unfortunately that is also part of the start-up phase the enterprises were in. Together with the enterprise, we always tried to look for solutions. Caro Health is a great example of this.”
Impact for the region
This has also been a good move for North Holland. Local, innovative companies like Caro Health create jobs, preserve knowledge and technology and make healthcare stronger, benefiting the whole community. Thomas: “Banks were often reluctant in times of crisis, but entrepreneurs could turn to the ROMs for support. ROM InWest helped us through an important phase. Now we can show what it has delivered: for our company and for the healthcare sector in which we want to make a difference.”
What does Caro Health do? Caro Health develops a digital app that supports patients during their care journey and improves communication with healthcare providers. The platform is used in specialities such as plastic surgery, phlebology, chronic pain care, orthopaedics, fertility and urology . The acquisition by Hopco allows Caro Health to scale up its technology faster and roll it out internationally.
