There is usually a buzz of activity in the kitchens of restaurants. To serve delicious meals for customers on time, many cooking pans are used on a gas stove simultaneously. According to NeoStove, traditional pans utilize only 25% of the heat from gas stoves, and the rest of the uncaptured heat ends up in the kitchen, making it an uncomfortably hot environment for the kitchen staff. Additionally, these inefficient pans cause high gas and energy bills to the restaurants while increasing the carbon footprint. 

To solve these issues and to cook more efficiently, NeoStove invented SpacePan – an efficient cooking pan that can revolutionize the way of cooking as it requires only half the gas to cook a meal.

Learning to cook

Founder Surya Prakash grew up in India under his mother’s wing and her fantastic cooking skills. When he moved to Europe for studies, he started cooking himself. He found that cooking pans heat quite inefficiently, taking only a quarter of the heat provided by the gas. The residual heat warms up kitchens, for example, the student kitchen Surya shared. In restaurants, it’s even common for the temperatures to rise above 40 degrees Celsius. So, as an engineer, he was keen on solving that problem and did so using space technology. 

Surya created the first prototype of his cooking pan for a course at the TU Delft. Initially designed for a class called Smart Energy Products, the professor was very enthusiastic and even gave him his first investment: some starting money to develop the project further. Decidedly, he put it on his backlog, focusing on finishing his master’s degree first. At Space Expo in Noordwijk, he got the idea to use space technology to develop an even more helpful cooking pan.

Once he graduated, Surya decided to work for another startup first to gain know-how about the ins and outs of running a startup, however, with his cooking pan project at the back of his mind. In 2020, he participated in the “The Hague Innovators Challenge” and won 10,000 euros for his project. Also, NeoStove was admitted to the European Space Agency business incubation center in Noordwijk, which provided the funding to start developing some other prototypes immediately.

“Cooking is something we have been doing since the invention of fire (or so we think!). Food is fundamental to humans but also costs a lot of energy. The SpacePan cooks twice as efficiently and even helps the environment by using fewer resources.” – Surya Prakash, Founder of NeoStove.

Sustainable Cooking

As with many industries, the sustainability demands within the cooking industry are high. Despite several sub-niches within sustainable cooking, such as water usage or animal welfare, NeoStove focuses on solving the carbon footprint problem. With their SpacePan, they aim to reduce the amount of gas used, lowering the energy bill by 50 percent and reducing gas emissions.

In addition to the incubator in Noordwijk, NeoStove also joined the YES!Delft.  Being a solo founder, Surya found the inspiring community of entrepreneurs especially useful. Also, his mentor Angela Pellaupessy via the YES!Delft program helps him with second opinions and some accountability, which is particularly useful for solo founders. NeoStove has an office in the YES!Delft building, from where they are busy testing and adjusting the prototype with the help of restaurants.

“Our SpacePan cooks way faster than the traditional pans. One of the chefs testing the cooking pan said it was so efficient that you could fry eggs using candlelight, so to speak. Restaurants are helping tremendously with testing our product, and I’m delighted with the feedback so far.” Surya Prakash, Founder of NeoStove.

Next steps upcoming 6-12 months

NeoStove is funded by grants and won 25,000 euros from Rabobank earlier this year. Their primary focus is to make the SpacePan a perfect fit for restaurants so they can start selling their product. Although they are already testing their SpacePan with several restaurants, they still want to increase their use base and gather more feedback. So, they are looking for more restaurants that wish to reduce their gas emissions and the temperature in the kitchen, and to cook faster. 

As a startup, their goals are fast and ambitious: NeoStove is now focusing on finalizing the design. The next step is to look for manufacturing partners and pilot production. Of course, this also means expanding the team as it requires considerable effort to hit their ambitious goal of selling 10,000 SpacePans in 2024 to restaurants and helping the restaurant industry to become more sustainable and profitable. 

Restaurants wanting to try SpacePan can contact Surya directly here: suryaprakash@neostove.com.

Motivated interns and thesis students interested in accelerating sustainable cooking together with NeoStove can send their applications year-round here (https://neostove.com/vacancies)

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Your dream can become a reality too. As long as you want to make a change, don’t miss the opportunity to boost your start-up by joining the YES!Delft Validation Lab or Accelerator Program. However, if working for a start-up resonates more with your ambition, we got you! Check out the vacancies on our YES!Talents page!

BE PART OF THE CHANGE, AS CHANGE STARTS WITH YOU…

Erasmus MC is actively involved in innovating their healthcare daily. The Create4Care department aims to make work more efficient and accessible through technology. They achieve this by establishing collaborations with doctors, nurses, patients, students, and researchers. There are also external initiatives, such as the partnership between Erasmus MC and YES!Delft, where startups contribute to healthcare innovation through the Health & Care Tech program. One of the individuals involved within Erasmus MC is Karin Schröder-de Bruin, who has worked as a nurse in Erasmus MC for almost 20 years, 17 of which were spent in the day treatment center.

Karin is responsible for patients who do not need to stay overnight, such as patients undergoing minor procedures or those requiring infusion treatments. “Every day, we treat many patients with various cases. That requires knowledge about all health specialties, which keeps my work challenging and interesting,” says Karin. “I often say I know a little about everything.”

Karin participated in the “Innovation Champions” course within Erasmus MC. She developed a click system for securing infusion poles, as the traditional system causes wrist problems. “We have specific chairs for eye surgeries. When using general anesthesia, there needs to be an infusion pole attached to the chair. However, it’s not necessary for local anesthesia. The IV pole is currently secured with an inconvenient screwing system at the bottom of the chair,” explains Karin. Nurses have to bend down to loosen or tighten the IV pole; adjusting is not always possible if it is too tightly secured. “We have to loosen the poles regularly because we receive new patients with different procedures twice or thrice daily.The current pivot system warps and cracks the wheelbase. Bacteria can get in there, which is not a pleasant thought when someone is in operation,” says Karin.

Therefore, Karin, Create4Care, and Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences students designed a click system. This system is much more efficient and less burdensome for nurses. “We are currently testing the system. Overall, everyone is satisfied; it is much easier. I hope to complete the testing phase before the summer vacation,” proudly shares Karin.

On the one hand, Karin believes that making work more ergonomic will result in fewer colleagues experiencing health issues, and on the other hand, she hopes that it will provide more opportunities for nurses to have a say. “Many great things will emerge,” says Karin. “When we allocate time for the development of innovations, we will work much more efficiently. If we can easily remove an infusion pole from a chair, doctors in the operating room won’t have to work around it anymore. I derive a lot of energy and satisfaction from this project, which makes me feel better on the work floor. It is essential to involve all stakeholders in the thinking process.”

At the Create4Care department of Erasmus MC, nurses, doctors, patients, researchers, and students work together to make work in healthcare more efficient and effective. Onno Helder is the initiative’s coordinator. “I was trained as a pediatric nurse at the Erasmus MC-Sophia Children’s Hospital. We did some things in an inconvenient way, and I often wondered if our work could be made easier,” says Onno. This interest led to a desire to do more research. 

Eventually, Onno completed a Ph.D. in infection prevention for premature infants. “During my defense, I told about my wish to develop a feedback system that supports employees to comply with the 30-second hand alcohol drying time. Then the hands are optimally disinfected to be able to touch the baby in the incubator. I just couldn’t design the feedback system because I’m not an engineer. I was put in touch with Ronald van Gils, senior lecturer at Hogeschool Rotterdam, and we eventually started Create4Care together. Students helped to develop the Neonatal Incubator’s Traffic Light. It significantly improves the hand disinfection drying time, and I am very pleased with that. With Create4Care, we now mainly focus on healthcare innovations in the hospital.”

“The strength of Create4Care lies in collaborations. Nurses, doctors, patients, and students provide input so that we meet the needs in the workplace,” says Onno. “An example of this is the TrulyEasy clamp, which allows easy height adjustment of an arterial line. It recently won the Anna Reynvaan Practice Award.” An arterial line is used to measure blood pressure. However, when a patient changes position, the line must be adjusted for a reliable measurement. Loosening and tightening the line is difficult and often painful for the wrists and forearms of nurses. Onno says, “This was a practical problem for which we came up with a good solution. It seems simple, but it’s not. Strict quality requirements bind us, and, of course, we must first thoroughly test innovations.” The ultimate goal of Create4Care is to roll out innovations nationally. Onno says, “Because the practical problems in Erasmus MC also occur in other hospitals.”

What is the significance of developing these innovations? In addition to making the practice easier and preventing ergonomic injuries, the HealthTech sector provides a new perspective on healthcare demand. “There is an increasing demand for care while fewer employees are available. In addition, we look at a future scenario in which more hospital care is moved to the patient’s home situation,” says Onno. “We need to organize this smartly, and technology can help.”

Collaboration between different parties is crucial. Therefore, Erasmus MC has recently started working with YES!Delft: startups contribute to technological solutions to make healthcare easier through the Health & Care Tech program. Onno Helder says, “In the future, I want to integrate education, scientific research, and innovations seamlessly. We already see the success among nurses: they are incredibly proud of what they have contributed.”

Innovation and technology are increasingly important in the healthcare sector as they can improve the quality of care. From advanced medical equipment and more accurate diagnoses to solutions that make nurses’ and doctors’ work more pleasant and efficient, the relatively new HealthTech industry aims to make healthcare more effective and accessible for everyone.

The Erasmus Medical Center (Erasmus MC) in Rotterdam is a frontrunner. In 2019, the Create4Care department was created, which focuses on innovations daily. The main questions: how do you shape new technological ideas based on improvement points asked for in practice? And what does the future of healthcare look like?

At Create4Care, nurses, doctors, patients, researchers, and students collaborate on various innovations to solve practical problems. For example, the digital baby length meter currently being developed is much more convenient and hygienic than the traditional measuring rod, making it easier and safer to measure a vulnerable baby in an incubator. Another example: the SoftKees is a cushion developed in response to a patient’s question to relieve the drain’s pain and prevent pressure sores.

By solving practical problems with innovative physical solutions using technology, Erasmus MC and Create4Care contribute to a sustainable future of healthcare. By working more pleasantly and efficiently, the nursing profession remains more attractive, contributing to healthcare workers’ retention. Innovations also help with the quality of life of patients.

Innovations also contribute to the quality of life for patients. Recently, Erasmus MC has started collaborating with YES!Delft is the largest tech incubator in Europe for tech startups, including MedTech startups. Within the Health & Care Tech program, startups work with Erasmus MC to contribute to the practical challenges in the hospital. The ultimate goal is to introduce innovations nationally so that all hospitals in the Netherlands have the opportunity to innovate healthcare.

For the past six years, YES!Delft has grown exponentially and is currently the biggest tech incubator in Europe. The team was led by Evert Jaap Lugt, enabling a thriving environment for startups to be their best. Now, it’s time for Evert Jaap Lugt to pursue new adventures. So, Ras Lalmy will take over the Managing Director role at YES!Delft. We have interviewed them to get more insight into the incubator from Delft and its leadership.

From Delft to Rotterdam and The Hague

Originally, Managing Director Evert Jaap Lugt was an engineer trained at TU Eindhoven. However, he is a passionate entrepreneur and founded multiple companies. This experience was of tremendous value the past six years as Managing Director of YES!Delft.

“I learned a lot as an entrepreneur and wanted to give back, which I could do at YES!Delft. I strongly believe that you must have experience in startups. For example, if you are leading a team that runs programs for startups,” says Evert Jaap Lugt. “I have a huge passion for entrepreneurship, so it has been very nice to be involved in many startups and be able to help them. I came across many different innovative ideas at YES!Delft, too. It’s fascinating to work with so many startups; products and services range from quantum to photonics to robotics.”

Six years ago, Evert Jaap came to Delft with high ambitions for the YES!Delft incubator. He wanted to expand its reach beyond the city walls of Delft and create more opportunities for startups to grow. That hasn’t always been easy, as YES!Delft was originally a not-for-profit public entity without a business model. That also posed the question of how to expand the incubator regionally.

“I had to be creative and use my entrepreneurial mindset to create the regional expansion to Rotterdam and The Hague,” says Evert Jaap. “First, it was important to convince stakeholders. Second, we needed to find a way to create more money to finance a growing YES!Delft Team, as well as multiple locations. We created a commercial proposition that worked and enabled us to help even more startups, and I’m very proud of that.”

YES!Delft now has three locations: Delft, Rotterdam, and The Hague. Ras Lalmy was in charge of opening the office in The Hague. He will take over from Evert Jaap Lugt as Managing Director on May 1st.

Next steps

Ras has been active in the tech startup scene for ten years as a co-founder of multiple startups. That way, he came into contact with YES!Delft and was immediately excited about its programs and community. 

“Over coffee, Evert Jaap asked me if I wanted to set up an office in The Hague. Coming from Amsterdam region, I didn’t know The Hague well, so I thought it was a good learning opportunity,” shares Ras. “Working with YES!Delft, I became even more enthusiastic.

 I knew Evert Jaap was thinking about pursuing other opportunities. So, after some soul-searching, I decided to go for the role of Managing Director.”

Giving back is very important to Ras Lalmy. It brings him a lot of fun and pleasure to help passionate founders succeed.

“I love sharing knowledge and experience with aspiring entrepreneurs. Things I wish I had known in my first years as an entrepreneur. If I had followed some of our programs it definitely would have saved me some blood, sweat and tears.”

What are the plans for the future?

“The past years, YES!Delft has made great progress. However, there are still many opportunities to strengthen and improve. From inspiring future entrepreneurs to guiding high quality tech startups on their road to success. And in close cooperation with great partners like TU Delft, Erasmus University and Erasmus Medical Center we can become a real powerhouse for tech entrepreurship”  says Ras Lalmy. 

Evert Jaap Lugt smiles as he says: “I will keep on working, even past my retirement. I will certainly remain active in the YES!Delft ecosystem; I am an entrepreneur in heart and soul, like many here. Building a new company is not easy, and everyone should have much respect for people who start their businesses.”

Any famous last words?

“I am happy that Ras has accepted the role of Managing Director. He knows YES!Delft very well and has done a great job with opening our office in The Hague. He also is a serial entrepreneur, like me. Ras, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. Good luck!” says Evert Jaap Lugt.

Ras Lalmy adds: “I’d like to thank you, Evert Jaap, for your accomplishments over the past six years. You established growth using your entrepreneurial mindset and created a solid foundation from which I can work.”

With the change of leadership set to take place on May 1st, Ras Lalmy and Evert Jaap Lugt are looking forward to this new chapter for YES!Delft, the team, and the startups that are under their wings.