UgenTec, which is part of the Corda Campus in Hasselt (Flanders), develops and sells software that can be used by labs to automate the entire workflow for performing diagnostic tests. As a result, these labs can run higher volumes with fewer people. The company was founded in 2014 by Wouter Uten, a computer scientist from Flanders who started his first business at the age of 18, creating websites for SMEs. But with UgenTec, which started as an offshoot of an internship project, he shifted up a gear.

The university hospital in Utrecht was Uten’s first customer: “The first steps are the hardest. It takes time to convince the world of your relevance.” Today, UgenTec works for more than 300 labs. Worldwide, over 100 million tests have already been performed using the software from Flanders – and that’s just the beginning.

UgenTec’s software is currently mainly used for PCR tests to detect DNA in samples. Examples include tests for infectious diseases such as COVID-19 as well as tests for the identification of genetic markers to determine which medication will work best for cancer patients. The agricultural sector also shows interest in the software to screen, for example, which crops and seeds can produce the greatest yield.

Steven Verhoeven, CEO of UgenTec, wants to optimize the platform for even more types of tests. Further internationalization is also high on the agenda. “In the US, for instance, we now employ about 5 people,” Verhoeven explains. “But to serve the entire US market, we will need to expand. There’s much potential out there.”