Noteless, a healthtech startup based in Oslo, Norway, has recently raised €3.5 million in seed funding. This announcement brings a fresh perspective to a pressing problem faced by doctors across Europe, excessive administrative work. As a serial entrepreneur and a firm believer in creating efficient, meaningful solutions, I appreciate how Noteless is leveraging technology to make doctors' lives easier. Let me guide you through this case study, its lessons for European entrepreneurs, and what it tells us about building successful startups in challenging fields.
The Problem: Doctors Buried in Paperwork
In healthcare, doctors often find themselves drowning in documentation. Tasks like writing consultation notes take hours out of their day. This isn't just a time issue, it contributes to burnout and reduces the quality of care physicians can provide. Noteless co-founders William Vossgard, Mikkel Slettebo, and Sarankan Sivakanesan, all of whom launched the product in mid-2024, identified this gap.
The issue is far-reaching. In countries like Norway and Denmark, general practitioners spend an alarming amount of their time on documentation. Noteless is now being used by over 3,000 clinicians in multiple European countries. Their AI tool processes more than 100,000 consultations weekly, according to its founders, and customers report saving up to two hours a day.
The Solution: Automating Clinical Documentation
Noteless offers an AI-driven platform that generates medical notes in real time during patient consultations. Combining speech recognition with natural language processing, it turns conversations into clinical documentation seamlessly and accurately. What stands out is that this isn't a solution trying to overcomplicate things, it's systematically designed to address a widespread bottleneck in the healthcare industry.
Let’s not just celebrate the technology, though. The team clearly understands the importance of listening to users. Real-world feedback from doctors who use tools like these can make or break their adoption, and it appears Noteless is thriving because they focus on easing users into their game-changing product.
How They Did It: Lessons for European Entrepreneurs
-
Know Your Market Pain Point Inside-Out:
Before launching Noteless, the team studied the daily workflows of doctors in Europe. This firsthand market research told them how to develop a product people truly need. Entrepreneurs should spend time identifying genuine pain points, instead of creating a solution and then looking for a problem. -
Start Locally, Then Expand Deliberately:
Noteless began in Norway, solving a problem that was starkly evident among Nordic clinicians. Only after proving their value did they scale to countries like Germany, Denmark, and the UK. Regional expansion demands knowing market differences; for example, medical workflows in Germany might differ from those in the Netherlands. -
Talk to Users Constantly:
Scandinavian doctors using Noteless provided crucial testimonials. Their feedback gave the founders social proof while helping them improve their product. As women entrepreneurs, we must embrace continuous conversation with users, even if their criticism stings now and then. -
Data Is Not Enough; Focus on Design:
The Noteless platform doesn't just deliver accurate data, it does so transparently and effectively. Great design is not an afterthought. -
Stick to Measurable Results:
If a product doesn’t justify its value in time, effort, or money savings, it won’t win over customers in business. Noteless aims to deliver an additional two hours per day to its users, a metric that resonates with the time-starved world of healthcare.
How to Build Your Version of Noteless
-
Find your industry’s bottleneck: Start by analyzing where inefficiencies exist. Don’t try to impress with complexity; solve a basic problem thoroughly.
-
Be open to niche markets: Instead of aspiring to solve every possible problem, maybe your ideal customers are a very specific group that will relate to your work quickly, such as GPs in Norway.
-
Bootstrap if needed, but know when to seek funding: I started my own companies (like Fe/male Switch) with no external funding, adopting this approach for flexibility. However, some products, especially tech-intensive ones, need investment early. Knowing your needs allows you to position your startup effectively.
Most Common Mistakes You Should Avoid
- Neglecting User Experience: Don’t oversell features at the expense of usability. Your customers should feel the solution "fits" into their lives.
- Ignoring Data Security: In medical tech, trust equals success. A single breach could end everything. Ensure that privacy laws like GDPR are a top priority.
- Global Vision, Local Blindness: Don’t skip market-specific insights as you scale.
The Bigger Picture: Why This Funding Matters
Noteless embodies the future of tech tackling mundane yet pervasive issues. What resonates with me most is its vision to create more space for what matters. If technology can give people clarity and a lighter workload, they've succeeded on one front: creating time where we thought none existed.
For women, especially those balancing entrepreneurial goals with caregiving responsibilities, time-saving solutions allow us to prioritize better. As a female founder, products like these inspire me. They show what’s possible when startups connect deeply with end-users and don’t shy away from labor-intensive research.
Closing Thoughts
Noteless' €3.5 million milestone is a win for the healthtech space, but it’s also a success story for anyone looking to simplify complex systems. Their focus on solving one clear problem, administrative overload, has resonated with thousands of clinicians all over Europe.
For founders, especially women navigating the challenges of starting a company in Europe, this is an excellent case study in carefully targeted innovation and prioritizing user-centric design. The question is: can we re-engineer our own frustrations into solutions that have wide-ranging impact?
If you’re in the idea stage or wondering how to take your startup to the next level, research like Noteless did. Talk to your target audience. And when the time is right, secure funding from investors who share your vision and values. The success of Noteless isn’t just about clearing away paperwork, it’s about empowering individuals to do what they truly love.
You can find out more by visiting the Noteless official website. Looking forward to seeing the amazing breakthroughs all of you create, one meaningful challenge at a time.
FAQ
1. What challenge does Noteless address in healthcare?
Noteless tackles the administrative burden faced by healthcare professionals, particularly the time-consuming task of writing medical consultation notes. Their AI-driven platform automates this process, saving clinicians up to two hours daily. Read more about Noteless' impact
2. How does Noteless' technology work?
Noteless combines advanced speech recognition and natural language processing (NLP) to create clinical documentation in real-time during patient consultations, ensuring accuracy and efficiency. Learn more about Noteless' technology
3. Who are the founders of Noteless?
Noteless was founded by William Vossgård, Mikkel Slettebo, and Sarankan Sivakanesan in Oslo, Norway, in October 2023. Meet the Noteless team
4. What markets has Noteless expanded into?
Starting in Norway, Noteless has expanded into Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, helping over 3,000 clinicians streamline their workflows. See the regions covered by Noteless
5. How is the Noteless platform benefiting doctors?
Doctors using Noteless report reclaiming valuable hours daily, leading to improved patient care and reduced burnout. Their AI tool processes over 100,000 consultations weekly. Explore Noteless' benefits
6. What funding has Noteless recently secured?
Noteless recently raised €3.5 million in seed funding to scale their AI-powered solution further across Europe, targeting healthcare administrative bottlenecks. Check funding details
7. What investors are backing Noteless?
Noteless' seed funding round was led by Redstone, with additional support from Futurum Ventures and Farvatn Venture. Meet Noteless' investors
8. How has the adoption of Noteless grown since its launch?
Since launching in mid-2024, Noteless has seen over a 360% increase in paying customers, with 1 in 4 Norwegian general practitioners actively using the platform. Discover growth metrics
9. How does Noteless plan to use the investment?
The funding will help Noteless expand across Europe, improve its technology, and onboard more clinics and practices, enhancing the efficiency of healthcare systems. Learn about their future plans
10. What makes Noteless successful in addressing healthcare inefficiencies?
Noteless' success lies in targeting one specific pain point, administrative overload, with user-centric design, measurable outcomes, and a focus on real-world clinician needs. Explore the factors driving Noteless' success
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
