Clementine has raised €1.7m in seed funding to deepen its AI hearing care platform and expand partnerships with clinics and healthcare organisations.
The Maastricht-based start-up has developed technology designed to help hearing clinics turn prospective patients into bookings.
Founded in 2024 by founder and chief executive Vince van de Weijer, Clementine, also known as ClementineAI, describes itself as an AI hearing activation platform built specifically for the hearing care industry.
Its platform centres on Matthew, an AI hearing care agent that communicates directly with prospective patients, answering questions and providing information about hearing care around the clock.
Clementine says the system can address emotional and practical barriers to seeking care and direct prospective patients towards appropriate services.
For clinics, the technology can eliminate administrative work by handling enquiries and converting calls into bookings.
Van de Weijer said: “Clinics don’t need more leads; they need better conversations at the right moment. Matthew, Our AI Hearing Care Agent, ensures no patient inquiry goes unanswered.”
The funding follows Clementine’s expansion through a partnership with Zoolstra, a marketing agency serving hearing clinics and hearing groups across the US and Canada.
Clementine says an estimated 1.5bn people worldwide experience hearing loss and nearly 80 per cent of those affected never seek treatment. It also says people who do seek care typically wait more than eight years.
The company aims to combine AI with behavioural science to give people a judgement-free, always-available way to begin engaging with hearing care before they are ready to visit a clinic.
The €1.7m, equivalent to US$2m, seed round was led by Amsterdam-based early-stage healthtech investor Healthy.Capital.
Douwe Jippes, managing partner at Healthy.Capital, said: “Clementine combines deep domain expertise with a clear AI platform strategy that can scale globally. We believe this approach will fundamentally change how people with hearing disability engage with hearing healthcare. And that’s impact we like to help scale.”
Clementine plans to use the funding to deepen its AI capabilities and expand partnerships with hearing clinics, optical retailers and other healthcare organisations.
