*Originally published in Dutch. Translated into English for Qbic’s website.*

Antwerp, Belgium – November 27th, 2025 – Innocens raises €1.5 million to improve monitoring of premature babies and predict life-threatening infections

Neonatologist David Van Laere, through his company Innocens, is developing a digital assistant to monitor premature babies more intelligently and predict life-threatening infections at a very early stage. After an initial financing round in 2023, the company has now raised €1.5 million from BAN Flanders, BeAngels, NXT-2, the Limburg investment company LRM, the interuniversity fund Qbic, and existing shareholders. The funds will be used to accelerate commercial rollout and increase societal impact.

Approximately 7% of all babies are born prematurely, before 37 weeks of pregnancy. These infants are often admitted to specialized neonatal intensive care units. Because their immune systems are not yet fully developed, premature babies face an elevated risk of sepsis, a severe infection in which bacteria enter the bloodstream. As many as one in five preterm newborns develops such an infection. Sepsis can be fatal, and even survivors may suffer lasting health issues.

Fortunately, sepsis is generally treatable with antibiotics if detected early enough. The sooner doctors act, the greater the chance of recovery, every minute counts. Although a baby’s vital signs are continuously monitored through various sensors, clinicians still rely heavily on their experience and intuition to spot the first signs of infection. “That’s because current monitoring systems only display measurements but cannot predict when a baby is at risk of becoming ill,” explains Dr. David Van Laere.

To address this challenge, Dr. Van Laere, working as a neonatologist at the Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), conceived in 2019 of a digital assistant that can stay alert around the clock. This smart technology continuously analyzes existing monitoring data and provides early warnings when something may be going wrong with a patient, giving caregivers additional support in identifying infections at an early stage.

The idea took shape and, in 2021, led to the founding of Innocens, a spin-off from the University of Antwerp and UZA, established by Dr. Van Laere. “We developed an advanced algorithm trained on large volumes of anonymized historical data. Our digital assistant, powered by this algorithm, continuously analyzes patient data and issues alerts when necessary. The system detects subtle individual changes that humans might easily overlook. This enables caregivers to assess the risk of sepsis faster and decide more effectively which patients need closer attention.”

Funding for clinical validation

After its first financing round in 2023, Innocens has now raised €1.5 million from BAN Flanders, BeAngels, NXT, the Limburg investment company LRM, and Qbic. This latest round provides the resources to complete a new clinical validation study, achieve regulatory CE certification, and further strengthen the team with key expertise. These steps will allow Innocens to accelerate its commercial deployment across Europe and enhance its societal impact.

Expanding future applications

The Innocens technology could also be used in the future to detect other diseases more quickly. In more than 60% of serious hospital complications, such as sepsis, heart attacks, or strokes, changes in vital signs can be observed hours before diagnosis. Technology that alerts healthcare providers in time can significantly improve patient outcomes. With healthcare demand expected to rise due to aging populations, tools that support caregivers in decision-making will become increasingly important. Effective collaboration between humans and machines will be essential to ensure affordable, high-quality care.

Dries Bauters, Investment Manager at LRM, is convinced of the potential: “Innocens offers tremendous time savings in the clinical assessment of sepsis in premature infants. The emotional and societal impact is quite significant. And this is only the beginning, the technology can be expanded to other intensive care applications. This initiative aligns perfectly with LRM’s strategy of investing early in innovative growth companies that can make a global impact.”

Vincent Lenders, Investment Analyst at Qbic, adds: “We are pleased to support this spin-off from the University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital. The founder’s medical entrepreneurship, supported by both institutions, has resulted in a clinically meaningful innovation. Innocens has the right capabilities to bring a disruptive solution to a market that is often overlooked, achieving real impact on care quality, healthcare workload, and ultimately the outcomes for the most vulnerable patients.”

Reginald Vossen, CEO of BAN Flanders, emphasizes the broader significance: “With Innocens, we are investing not only in strong technology but also in a solution that can make an immediate and meaningful social difference. Combining clinical expertise with advanced algorithms demonstrates how healthcare innovations can be both impactful and sustainable. At BAN Flanders, we’re proud to back entrepreneurs with a clear societal mission to develop technologies that improve lives. The drive and expertise of the Innocens team give us full confidence they will set a new international standard in neonatal monitoring.”

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From left to right: David Van Laere (CEO), Charlie Beirnaert (CTO), Herbert Blommaert (CFO/Board member), Jolan Depreter (Software developer)