Deventer, 9 April 2026 – Dutch company Wolk has raised €1.75 million to accelerate the deployment of its smart hip airbag in elderly care. The investment round was led by 819 Capital Partners, through 819 Seed Fund I, and the Innovatiefonds Ouderenzorg of CbusineZ (CZ), with participation from Nivogé, Catalyst Impact Investment Club, and several angel investors.
Each year in the Netherlands, approximately 120,000 elderly people end up in the emergency department after a fall. Around 18,000 of them suffer a hip fracture, often with severe consequences for independence, quality of life, and healthcare capacity. The societal costs related to fall incidents amount to approximately €1.6 billion annually.
The technology of Wolk protects older adults during a fall and reduces the number of hip fractures by 95%. In addition, the hip airbag contributes to more efficient use of care staff, as fall-prone elderly people can move more safely and independently without constant supervision.
The Wolk hip airbag is a wearable device worn under clothing as a belt or shorts. Sensors continuously analyze the wearer’s movements. When the advanced algorithm detects a fall, thin airbags around the hips inflate within milliseconds, significantly reducing the impact. Based on over 700,000 wearing days, the risk of a hip fracture is reduced by approximately 95%.
Currently, around 1,800 elderly people wear the hip airbag daily. The new investment marks the next phase in Wolk’s development. The funding will be used for large-scale expansion within elderly care.
“Fall incidents are one of the biggest and most underestimated challenges in elderly care,” says Mark Berkhout, CEO of Wolk. “A hip fracture has major consequences for the individual and often leads to months of additional care. At the same time, in many nursing homes a large part of caregivers’ time is spent assisting clients – for example, walking to the bathroom, living room, or restaurant – because the fall risk is so high.
With technology that can prevent hip fractures, elderly people gain more freedom of movement, and care staff no longer need to constantly supervise or accompany them. This frees up more time for actual care and can significantly reduce workload. With this investment, we can make this solution available faster, better, and at a larger scale to more care organizations.”
According to Sjim Romme, director of the Innovatiefonds Ouderenzorg (IFOZ), Wolk’s technology aligns well with a broader shift in healthcare:
“The pressure on elderly care is increasing rapidly, while the system is still largely focused on treatment after something goes wrong. Technology that demonstrably prevents fall incidents and hip fractures shows that investing in prevention has a huge impact. A hip fracture requires extensive care across the entire healthcare chain. The combination of a strong product, data, and strong entrepreneurship makes Wolk a compelling innovation for us.”
Wolk positions itself not only as a supplier of medical hardware, but also as a technology platform for fall prevention. In the future, the company aims to expand its technology with predictive analytics to identify fall risks at an early stage.