In collaboration with MT/Sprout – Written by: John van Schagen
Digitizing healthcare. It sounds like a logical step in an era where everything has to be smart, fast, and online. In practice, however, things turn out to be a lot more challenging, with protocols and outdated systems that don’t communicate with each other. Yet Tim Wolbrink and Derk Rietveld are taking on the challenge. Their CoryCare is a new platform designed to finally enable healthcare professionals to truly collaborate.
This entrepreneurial adventure begins on the other side of the world, in Shanghai. That’s where Tim Wolbrink and Dr. Derk Rietveld first met.
“I worked there as a business developer, and he worked as a doctor,” says Wolbrink. “In China, things move at breakneck speed. They build something first, and only then do they establish the rules. In Europe, it’s exactly the opposite, especially in a complex sector like healthcare.”
This experience got the two of them thinking. Why is it so difficult to organize digital healthcare in the Netherlands in a truly seamless way? A few years later—in 2020—they launched their own company in the Netherlands: CoryTechnology. Their mission? To build technology that simplifies and improves healthcare processes.
“Many healthcare systems are outdated and closed. As a result, it’s often nearly impossible to link applications together. This means that general practitioners, hospitals, and patients often operate in silos, which does not benefit the quality of care.”
Open, safe, and patient-centered
To address this, his company spent the following years developing a new platform: CoryCare. Wolbrink compares it to a box of Legos, filled with modular building blocks that enable general practitioners to provide digital care—from chat to video and from patient records to scheduling.
“Our system does communicate with other applications. It’s open, secure, and patient-centered. You can easily integrate new solutions with it.”
What helps in this regard is their experience with Huisarts31, a hybrid practice for people who can’t find a primary care physician. This is the other arm of their business. “This digital-first practice gave us exactly the feedback we needed to build the new platform properly,” says Wolbrink.
Huisarts31 is now part of a cooperative of general practitioners, allowing Cory to focus entirely on the platform.
Step by step forward
Many startups prefer to move as fast as possible. They want to develop something quickly, launch it on the market, and then grab a slice of the pie. CoryTechnology has consciously chosen to take a slower approach. “Better done right than done fast” is their motto. “In healthcare, you can’t afford to rush. It’s all about trust, quality, and continuity,” says Wolbrink.
That approach is paying off. The platform is now in use at several family practices, and demand continues to grow. “We get new clients mainly through word of mouth. Family doctors hear from their colleagues that it works, and that’s the best marketing you could ask for.”
His ambition is therefore crystal clear: to become the go-to platform for digital primary care within a few years. Yet he does not view growth as an end in itself.
“I think that’s nonsense. We want a healthy company that will still be around in ten years. An organization that runs so smoothly that every euro automatically leads to further progress,” said the startup founder. “This calls for smart processes, not hiring more and more people. Optimize first, then scale up.”
Working with like-minded people
Since 2024, CoryTechnology has been based at B. Amsterdam, the startup and scaleup community located along Amsterdam’s western ring road. That decision turned out to be a huge success. “Our investor is Imec.istart, who encouraged us to find a place within a community. So I literally hopped on my bike and rode all over Amsterdam. I stopped at various places to get a feel for the atmosphere. When I walked in here, I knew right away: this is the right fit.”
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Where did that feeling come from? Wolbrink attributes it to the energy that the building exudes. “B. Amsterdam is tightly organized, yet informal. There’s plenty of light everywhere, there are meeting spaces, a bar, and fitness facilities. But what really makes the difference are the friendly people.”
His team—a core group of permanent staff and a pool of flexible workers—enjoys working there. “We don’t have any attendance rules. Anyone who wants to come does. And that happens naturally, because it’s a pleasant place to work. People stick around after lunch and drop in on each other.”
The community itself also offers a network of other founders, with whom you can easily strike up a conversation. “Here, you’re surrounded by people going through the same things you are. I’m talking about the uncertainty, the growth, and the choices you have to make as a founder. That’s inspiring. Plus, this location gives us the chance to keep building our dream.”
Building with blocks and people
Incidentally, Wolbrink had always had a knack for building things. As a child, he was obsessed with Civilization, the computer game where you build an empire. “Actually, entrepreneurship is exactly that. You start with nothing, build step by step, and suddenly you have something that lasts.”
So, one step at a time. Because running a business in the healthcare sector—as he mentioned earlier—is no sprint. It’s more like a marathon with obstacles. From securing funding to complying with regulations and earning trust; it’s all part of the process.
Despite all these challenges, Wilbrink is optimistic about the future of his product. “We don’t have a marketing budget in the millions to spend. I’d rather invest in quality. Because if something is truly good, it sells itself. And that’s what we’re seeing happen now. Doctors are calling us because they’ve heard about us through the grapevine. That’s worth its weight in gold.”
His biggest challenge now is finding colleagues—people who aren’t just focused on the paycheck they receive at the end of the month, but who believe in CoryTechnology’s mission. “We want to show that digital healthcare doesn’t have to be cold or impersonal. In fact, it can be more personal, simpler, and better.”
