About the founder

My name is Dirk Verstraete, I’m a chiropractor and functional neurologist. Besides an active clinician, I'm also the founder and clinical director of Balans.
I came in contact with chiropractic quite early, in my teenage years, through a friend of mine who felt a tremendous effect of a chiropractic treatment. It appealed to me that chiropractors seemed to look at how the body works both mechanically and chemically. Whereas a GP (general practioner) for example only looks at the structure of the body.

I went to chiropractic school in the US and started my own clinic in Eindhoven, NL. I’ve been practicing there for 24 years now. As a functional neurologist, I started to think of an approach where we do not only treat symptoms, or structural problems, but look at the body in a more integrative way. I decided to turn this approach into a concept. Back then, the common workflow at my own clinic ,but also at my colleagues clinics, was based on getting people out of pain – and that’s where the services ended. It felt like I was lacking something. So the new concept had to be broader, a more integrative and holistic approach, looking at the body as a whole. But also more technology-driven, based on measurements to determine the root cause.

A major part of that approach was not only to look at the spine and its effect on your general health, but also ascending, and especially descending problems. An important descending problem, for example, can be the impact the jaw has on the stability of your spine, and thus your general health.

The quest for the root cause: how Balans was founded

So of course, getting people out of pain remains important, but guiding people to keep them out of pain became equally important. If your goal only is to get your patients out of pain, you can basically give them a pill, and they walk out again. But that doesn’t solve the problem. An inflammation, pain, a lack of function always has a cause and and to thoroughly look at the root cause, you have to measure the entire body. Not only on a mechanical, structural level, but also on a biochemical and emotional level.  

We decided to call our new concept ‘Balans’ (Dutch for balance). Because good health really means that you are in balance on these three levels: structural, biochemical and emotional. Our goal is to offer solutions for these three factors, starting with structural and biochemical, based on the expertise we’ve build already.

Good health really means that you are in balance on these three levels: structural, biochemical and emotional.

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Bringing the concept to the world with 3C Ventures

So we had agreat concept, but how do you get this concept to a broader audience? You can have the best concept in the world, but if nobody knows about it, it doesn’t mean anything. Thanks to 3C Ventures, we got this concept out there, into the world, way faster and with greater results than I could've imagined.

You can have the best concept in the world, but if nobody knows about it, it doesn’t mean anything. Thanks to 3C Ventures, we got this concept out there, way faster and with greater results than I could've imagined.

As I said, before founding Balans, I already had my own clinic in Eindhoven. We implemented the new concept and workflow in my existing clinic, with great results. Based on the results in Eindhoven, we quickly saw opportunities to scale. But to start a second and third clinic, we needed more financial resources. 3C Ventures guided us to launch a successful crowdlending project. In 9 minutes time, we are able to raise 300.000 euro. Not only did this give us the opportunity to scale, but for me, this confirmed the strength of our concept.

3C Ventures guided us to launch a successful crowdlending project. In 9 minutes time, we are able to raise 300.000 euro.

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Since the covid-19 pandemic, people look at health in a different way than before. Being healthy, having a good immune system doesn’t come from itself.  If you get sick, there’s not always a magical pill that will solve your health problems. If you want to stay healthy, if you want a strong immune system, you must take action, take initiative. Not only on a structural level (how is your posture, do you live an active life?), but also biochemical: what you eat, what you drink,food supplements, medication, drugs, alcohol… and lastly, on an emotional level: how are you dealing with stress?

That’s the biggest change Balans is bringing to the people: you have to do something – take initiative in your health. If not, your body won’t be as healthy as you’d like it to be. It’s up to you. The investors in the crowdlending campaign really grasped this concept. Inherently, people often are a bit lazy. They often need, but also want guidance to achieve optimal health. The awareness is there, more than ever - and thanks to 3C Ventures we are able to reach and activate the people who share this belief.

Data to incentivize patients

We use high-tech measurements to help determining the root cause. And through digital marketing, we get people into the clinic much faster and at a much lower cost than we used to do through traditional marketing. We introduce our measurement systems and workflow to new leads, which helps convincing them to take control in their own health. The combination of technology, data, medical expertise, and smart online campaigns ran by 3C Ventures really created rapid growth for Balans.

Measurements are very important within the concept of Balans. On the health side, we use cutting-edge scan technology to visualize the impact from ascending and descending structural problems. We don’t only measure at the start of a treatment: we measure continuously, every 2 months for example, to monitor progression. Where did we start, where are we now, where do we want to go? The data from our measurements create a strong incentive for patients, a strong stimulus. Data allows us to set goals for patients, increase patient retention, and make treatments as personalized as possible.

Also from a business perspective, since working with 3C Ventures, data has been playing a key role. We constantly use data from our different clinics to decide on next steps.

Where did we start, where are we now, where do we want to go? The data from our measurements create a strong incentive for patients.

Looking at the future

Thanks to the covid pandemic, an paradigm shift in healthcare is happening. People will take initiative, to be in shape, to be healthy. The healthcare system will have to follow – and Balans wants to lead by example. I hope our concept and approach will be spreading across Europe and the world. I belief our approach will help reduce the impact of future pandemics. I’m confident that ultimately, taking a more integrative approach in care will make people more resilient in future pandemics. We have to stop looking at the body like it’s composed from separate boxes – for example,a knee surgeon who’s not looking at your ankle, your hip, or your back whendiagnosing your knee problem. The awareness amongst the people is growing and now the healthcare system has to follow. It’s a big shift we have to make, but it already started.

The healthcare system will have to follow – and Balans wants to lead by example.