From master's thesis to startup: Elise Prinsen wants to solve inadequate sexual and reproductive healthcare

“I don't want to write, I want to make an impact.” That idea formed the foundation for the startup that Elise Prinsen started alongside her medical studies. Her master's research on contraception among asylum seekers had painfully exposed the consequences of inadequate care. "I didn't want to spend four years writing about a problem first," says Elise.

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This offered the chance to not help one patient, but to build a system that would reach thousands.

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From research to action

Four years ago, during her master's thesis on contraception, Elise confronted the harsh reality at the asylum seekers center in Ter Apel. What she saw there was not an abstract research topic, but an urgent gap in healthcare that demanded immediate action.

The shock lay in the inaccessibility of the basics. Despite dedication, the care provided often remained reactive and passive. But the real barrier was fundamental: due to misinformation, language and information barriers, some didn't even know what contraception was. Some questions couldn't be asked because basic knowledge was missing.

This was the turning point for Elise. Spend four years pursuing a PhD and writing about an issue? That didn't feel right. Her passion demanded a different, direct route: she wanted to make an immediate impact. This drive didn't lead to a break with the university, but to a strategic pivot.  

She continued her studies part-time to directly explore the path to a startup. She enrolled in the business development program at VentureLab (now Innokite). "This offered the chance to not help one patient, but to build a system that would reach thousands."

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Five jobs at the same time

Elise refused to halt her clinical career while studying medicine part-time and building her startup. In October 2024, she graduated. She consciously chose to combine everything: at one point she had four jobs alongside her startup, making it five total. She did this to make direct impact and to continue experiencing from within the healthcare she wanted to improve.

"Almost everything I do is related to my startup, but I also just truly enjoy doing it," she explains. These positions were and are essential for her. This way she can take small, concrete steps that are directly meaningful.

She combined work as a youth doctor for babies at the consultation bureau with her current clinical roles: contraception consultations at the general practice. She also works at the asylum seekers center, where she directly delivers the care she wishes to enhance, and she oversees night shifts in nursing homes.

Likewise, she has now completed the job in youth healthcare for the GGD, but she still does the other clinical roles with great pleasure. Even the night shifts, which she finds really enjoyable and educational, provide a welcome variation in her clinical experience.

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Four pilots, one goal

Her diverse clinical roles – from the general practice to the asylum center – confirmed the structural problems in healthcare daily. Alongside all these roles, Elise worked hard last year on substantiating the startup.

After the earlier MIT grant, she received the SME Feasibility Voucher subsidy. With this, together with a general practice in Groningen, she could conduct a feasibility study, concluded with four consecutive pilots that had to prove the promise of Proconceptious.

The first phase, started with patient interviews, confirmed the passive, reactive approach of healthcare. The mission was clear: this had to become personal. The solution was built in the following phases: a smart pre-screening (pilot 2) to identify risk factors, followed by education (pilot 3) to restore basic knowledge.

In the fourth pilot, Elise tested the (online) consultations, and the results were game-changing. With a well-trained model, a consultation soon won't be 20 minutes, but only two or three minutes. This is not only important for the patient, but also crucial support for overworked general practitioners.

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Stop the “Trial-and-Error”

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AI for customization

Proconceptious uses AI to radically personalize care. The vision is twofold and focused on removing the biggest bottlenecks in current healthcare:

Stop the 'Trial-and-Error'

The goal is to break through the frustrating cycle of trying and failing. By developing advanced prediction models, Proconceptious wants to match patients to the right contraceptive method based on unique, personal factors.

Accessible education for vulnerable groups

The second application is directly aimed at eliminating the knowledge gap. For asylum seekers, we wish to create personalized education in different languages and forms. Whether someone prefers videos, texts or interactive images, everyone will soon receive information in a way that fits best and breaks through language barriers.

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Not seeing the world as it is, but as it could be.

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Five weeks in Silicon Valley

In August, Elise won the Draper Pitch in Enschede, securing a fully paid trip to Silicon Valley. For five weeks she immersed herself in the Draper University Hero Program, together with over 80 founders from 27 countries building 66 startups. "This experience was very informative, but also very transformative."

"I immediately felt at home among founders who built tirelessly and shared a vision: not seeing the world as it is, but as it could be." She had days of sometimes 16 hours, late-night strategy sessions and countless VC dinners. In week 5 was the Graduation Ceremony, marking the end of her time in America.

The cultural difference with the Netherlands struck her immediately, even before she left. Due to fear of border control, she even considered removing some of her content, after a team member had already removed articles about abortion and contraception from the website. "I also thought: should I remove my content or make my Instagram private?" In the end she didn't, although she was a bit apprehensive at border control. Once in San Francisco, the contrast was striking: "There you see pride flags everywhere."

After her return, she spoke warm words to her Draper family: "The memories we created, the shared challenges, the laughter, and moments of breakthrough will always stay with me." Nevertheless, her next trip was already planned. "I want to go back in July because I already have a marathon planned there. That's an excuse to go back and adjust my roadmap to that date."

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Now that I'm back, I hope to find a CTO/co-founder here in the Netherlands and continue building locally.

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Back to Dutch reality

But once back, she also had to adjust to the contrast. "The big dreams of America... when I came back I thought: okay, what should I do now? I'm still in the bootstrapping phase. Little by little I came back to reality," she reflects.

Yet, she also sees the advantages of the Dutch base. "There are also opportunities here and the nice network you've already built. You know everyone here, you know how the market works and connections are easily made,” she says

Her plans have therefore been adjusted based on her overseas experiences. "In America everyone wants to jump on the fast train to get into Y Combinator, for example. But now that I'm back, I hope to find a CTO/co-founder here in the Netherlands and continue building locally."

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From the Northern Netherlands to the World

For now, the focus for the subsidy remains northern. "We're still focusing on Groningen, Drenthe, and Friesland for now," Elise explains. In five years, however, she sees it much bigger. "Then we want to have our own platform with necessary certificates," says Elise. "Hopefully, our research into genomics and microbiomes will also be ready by then. And maybe we'll have our own genomic kits. That would be fantastic."

The ambition reaches beyond national borders, she emphasizes: "Hopefully we'll also be active in America by then, but also for the most vulnerable places in this world. Places where children, women, men, and couples cannot get the right reproductive healthcare, but do have the right to it and need it."

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There is no 'right' timing, only action.

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Advice to others

Elise's advice to future founders? "There is no 'right' timing, only action. If you feel an irresistible passion to change the world or solve a fundamental problem, you should stop talking and start building. That mission in your heart is the only fuel that pulls you through every setback. Go for it and be indispensable!"

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Interview & text | Lars Meijer