Primio raises €1.9 million to scale mobile learning platform that reduces pressure on elderly care

Investment strengthens sustainable employability of care workers in elderly care and the social domain

Learning and working platform Primio has raised €1.9 million in growth capital to strengthen the sustainable employability of domestic workers, care supporters, informal caregivers and volunteers in elderly care. Through short, practical mobile training modules, Primio helps this group recognise health issues in clients at an earlier stage and remain sustainably employable themselves. In doing so, the platform contributes to reducing pressure on district nursing and nursing home care, while strengthening the broader social domain.

The investment round is led by the VGZ Voorop in Zorg Fund, the health impact investment fund of Coöperatie VGZ, and InnovationQuarter Capital, the investment fund of the regional development agency for South Holland. Existing shareholder Healthy.Capital and NOM are also participating. With this growth capital, Primio will further develop its platform and training offering and scale up to more care organisations across the Netherlands.

Earlier detection, preventing heavier care

Healthcare in the Netherlands faces a growing capacity challenge. In 2025, the shortage in the sector exceeds 300,000 professionals (ABF Research, 2025). Due to ageing and increasing care complexity, tasks are increasingly shifting to practically trained staff and informal caregivers. Care supporters, domestic workers, informal caregivers and volunteers are playing a larger role — but do not always receive the support they need to perform that role effectively.

“The pressure on district nursing and elderly care is increasing, while a growing responsibility lies with people around professional care,” says Martijn Kers, Director of Healthcare Policy & Innovation at Coöperatie VGZ. “They are often the first to notice when someone’s condition declines. By supporting this group in a practical way, problems can be recognised earlier and we can prevent people from needing unnecessarily intensive care. This helps our members live independently and healthily at home for longer.”

Learning closer to daily practice

Existing learning solutions often take care workers away from their daily work for too long and are not designed with their reality in mind. Many are on the road, working in people’s homes and have limited digital skills. Primio reverses this approach. The platform is mobile-first and makes learning accessible, low-threshold and directly applicable in daily practice.

With more than 80 training modules — developed in co-creation with the care sector — Primio supports care workers on topics such as early detection, ergonomic working and mental resilience. The modules take only a few minutes, are highly visual and focus on behavioural change. Employees learn at their own pace, at a time that suits them.

Measurable impact

Primio’s approach delivers measurable results. With more than 750 certificates issued per week, time spent on training is reduced by 75% — while impact on behavioural change increases. Evaluation research across multiple care organisations shows:

• 82% reduction in physical and mental complaints after three months of ergonomic training.
• 40% increase in the feeling of support, contributing to greater confidence and independence at work.
• 4.3 out of 5 user satisfaction, based on more than 107,000 evaluations.

“There is a caregiver in everyone — with the right knowledge at hand, everyone can contribute. Our ambition is to achieve 100 million certificates, in the Netherlands and beyond. Every certificate represents a moment when someone is better equipped to care for another. That is how we care for care.”

— Christiaan Uythoven, Co-founder of Primio

Investing in sustainable employability

For care organisations, sustainable employability is becoming increasingly important due to staff shortages and rising absenteeism. By making knowledge easily accessible in daily practice, Primio helps retain employees and volunteers in the sector. Fewer physical complaints, higher engagement and a more conscious working attitude lead to lower absenteeism and greater job satisfaction.

“With our investment, we support a digital learning solution that helps care organisations better equip their teams for tomorrow’s challenges. Primio provides employees and informal caregivers with directly applicable knowledge, precisely when they need it. Through The Hague’s social domain initiative, we stimulate innovations that strengthen the quality and continuity of care in nursing, residential care and home care,” says Hans Dreijklufft, Senior Investment Manager at InnovationQuarter Capital.

About InnovationQuarter Capital

InnovationQuarter Capital is the investment fund of InnovationQuarter, the regional development agency for South Holland. The fund invests in disruptive startups and scale-ups with high technological risk and strong societal impact potential. Primio is one of the first investments within an initiative by the Municipality of The Hague that supports companies developing innovations with social impact in the social domain.