Founded by Mathieu De Beule and Peter Mortier, FEops began in 2009 as a spin-off from UGent, one of Flanders’ universities. A good decade later, the growth company has been nominated as Scale-up of the Year 2022 in Flanders. And for good reason: its innovative business appeals to the imagination. FEops developed software that helps medical professionals with one of their most daunting tasks: to predict how a body will react to implants like heart valves. The FEops platform makes highly accurate predictions using “a digital twin,” a virtual representation of a real-world implant.

“We use the same modulation technology deployed by the automotive industry for crash tests,” explains FEops CEO Matthieu De Beule. “Through software simulations, car manufacturers no longer need to subject real cars to expensive crash tests to check if they meet safety regulations. The software simulations are trustworthy and much cheaper. At FEops, we help doctors use that same technology to choose the right implant and prepare their surgery to perfection.”

FEops plans to use the newly raised EUR 3.3 million to further market and commercialize its platform. It will do this in two ways: through doctors who want to use the technology and through implant manufacturers who can present a higher success rate thanks to the FEops platform.

Moreover, the funds provide opportunities to expand the platform. “We can’t go into details yet, but there are still heart diseases that our platform can help solve better,” says De Beule. By 2023, FEops plans yet another capital round to unlock even more potential. “The breakthrough moment for our technology is just around the corner.”