Meet the Network: Jeroen Wilschut, Interventional Cardiologist at Erasmus MC

The Life Sciences & Health ecosystem within the Rotterdam region is a dynamic network of companies, service providers, educational institutes, healthcare providers, and more, working together to innovate in healthcare. As Rotterdam Square, we would like you to get to know this network. This time we introduce to you Jeroen Wilschut, Interventional Cardiologist at Erasmus MC and co-founder of Erasmus MC spin-off Kingfisher.

Could you please introduce yourself first?

Hi. I’m Jeroen Wilschut, Interventional Cardiologist here at Erasmus MC since 2016.

What does Kingfisher do and how was the company founded?

Kingfisher is a MedTech company dedicated to better health and healthcare, by improving the placement accuracy of heart stents. For interventional cardiologists, we develop an ingenious mechanical device to align and lock stents consistently at their intended ostial position during a PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention). We improve patient safety, make things easier for medical professionals, save costs of repair and follow-up, and enable hospitals to treat more patients.

I started working on the idea about seven years ago. After a few thought iterations and proof of concept prototypes, I contacted the engineers at our EMI (Experimental Medical Instrumentation Facility) and our colleagues at TTO (Technology Transfer Office). The guys from EMI helped me going forward by thinking along and making better prototypes. The TTO helped me draft a patent application. Thanks to the DCVA (Dutch Cardiovascular Alliance), I was able to receive a voucher to finance the first steps.

In 2024, I connected with MedTech developer Willem Mees van der Bijl. We decided to partner up to professionalize the prototyping and investigate if we could bring this invention to the market. We were able to attract some more funds such as a TTT MedTech crossover voucher to further develop the concept. Now, at the beginning of 2025, things look good. We have received a substantial grant from the Erasmus MC Breakthrough Fund that enabled us to develop detailed prototypes and start pre-clinical testing. We’ve attracted a CEO who gives his full attention to the project and we are about to incorporate the company.

What are you currently looking for within the Life Sciences & Health network?

At this moment, we are talking to investors, interviewing colleagues from other hospitals, and refining our concept. Soon, we will need more support on the clinical and research side. We always like to get in touch with people who can help us, specifically in the Intervention Cardiology Domain.

Date: February 12, 2025