On Monday 1 November, physiotherapist Joris and business expert Frank went live with their digital coach NuBeter. It is the online place-to-be where you can work on vitality, lifestyle, health, and a better life from wherever you are. Via the Mendix platform NuBeter, you have your own personal coach. This project was a close collaboration from which an extraordinary product emerged. We talked to NuBeter owner Joris Kobossen about how the men came up with the idea and how he experienced the cooperation.
The beginning of something beautiful
It all started with Joris's mother, who had to go to hospital due to illness some time ago. After rehabilitation at the rehabilitation centre, she was allowed to return home and to continue her recovery at the physio. During physio, his mother was put on a bike, which she did not like at all. ''She doesn't like cycling at all. So I started looking for something for her that she does like, such as swimming,'' says Joris. ''I then signed her up for a swimming group, where she is now totally in her element.''
This was when the first ideas emerged. ''I thought: why isn't there someone like this for everyone; a coach who can offer support, offer choices, and provide assistance once you are released from care.''
''We think that people who end up in healthcare facilities are helped properly while they are in there, but once they are released, there is no follow-up care.''
Both Frank and Joris always wanted to contribute or change something in relation to care. ''We think that people who end up in healthcare facilities are helped properly while they are in there, but once they are released, there is no follow-up care,'' Joris says. The rise of digitisation and online contact during the corona pandemic stuck with the men. And this gave them the idea of lifestyle coaching; vitality coaching. This was the idea the men started working on.
How did the partnership between NuBeter and Pegamento come about?
Together with Frank, Joris contacted an old acquaintance, Pegamento CEO Serge Poppes. ''It was funny that Serge did not respond to my email, but did respond to a text message I sent.'' This allowed the men to share their idea with Pegamento: a platform with a coach/carer/service provider on one end and the customer on the other. Serge found the idea interesting, and volunteered to write out the idea and then see if it was possible to realise it with Mendix: a technology with which to build the platform.
''Together with Pegamento, we came to the conclusion that it could be a great platform.''
During projects, Pegamento uses short sprints. After each sprint, the construction team delivers small pieces of the platform according to Joris and Frank's wishes and needs. But first, the men from NuBeter started at sprint 0 together with developers, a sprint master, a consultant, and an implementation manager. ''During sprint 0, we evaluated whether the idea was feasible and whether we could realise it together. We came to the conclusion that it could be a great platform for anyone who wants to use it.'' This was the start of a close collaboration.
‘’Trust, for me, was the most important reason for choosing Pegamento’’
Building something new takes time and money. Especially for developing companies where the created product or service is the core of the organisation. The men from NuBeter placed the entire responsibility on Pegamento, so to speak, and for Joris, having confidence in each other was the deciding factor. ''With Consultant Remco I can read and write, and in Serge I have confidence, because he gives an honest answer as to whether something is possible or not. Serge could also have harmed himself if our idea could not be realised at Pegamento.'' For Joris, it was important to have clarity on what could and could not be done, and he found that with Serge. ''In my eyes, he is an entrepreneur with a vision. He dares to say if he disagrees with something, even if it is someone else's vision. We need that; we are a small team that needs feedback.''
"This way, we were close to the team. This ensured short lines of communication and the ability to work together easily and flexibly.''
During the time that the NuBeter platform was being created, Joris and Frank were allowed to use the Pegamento office in Zeist as their own. This allowed the whole team to work together closely. ''It's great that this was allowed. This way, we were close to the team. This ensured short lines of communication and the ability to work together easily and flexibly, because we are in the same place,'' Joris says. ''This way, you also get the feel of the company, which for me as an outsider feels like trust. It also gives access to a diverse range of products that can also be interwoven. And that's what we were looking for.''
You're in good hands
With NuBeter, you are paired with your own personal coach who fits your wants and needs. Someone who offers support in achieving your goals, who suggests choices, and who assists when you are out of care, among other things.
''For example, if someone wants to lose weight, we look in our card index for a coach who specialises in nutrition and losing weight. And who enjoys doing this on the side from time to time. We then match them up, and they enter a process together on our platform. We are actually the uber for coaches,'' Joris explains. ''The coach then creates a file on the platform in which they keep track of goals and assignments for the client. For example, the coach can create an assignment for Wednesday, in which the client has to keep track of what he eats until Friday. The client then receives a pop-up with the assignment at 9 am on Wednesday.''
The platform fully facilitates the coach in everything they want to do with the client. To set the platform up efficiently, many smart features are included thanks to smart software.
Interested to know what other solutions we have implemented? View our customer cases here.
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Do you also have an idea you want to realise and do you need our help with it? Or do you want to start robotising? Or do you simply want to have a no-obligation conversation about the possibilities? Then get in touch. We are happy to help you!
