From idea to market leader, Thijs van Nuenen, founder of Medido, experienced it all. The concept of the automatic medication dispenser came to him in 2005, after seeing the difficulties his grandmother had with opening the medication sachets. In 2009, the Medido medication dispenser officially entered the market. Now, after 15 years and considerable growth of Medido, Thijs is ready to officially take on his new role as Chief Globalization Officer (CGO) at Evondos Group. In this interview, you will learn more about what Thijs’ new role entails, how he reflects on the past years, and what his future goals are.

Thijs, you are now officially working as Chief Globalization Officer, what does this role entail?

Great question! Currently, our company is well represented in the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Iceland. Simultaneously, we are exploring ways to expand to other countries for company growth. Within Evondos Group, we have a department focused on internationalization, dealing with the operationalization and opening new markets. Additionally, there is a globalization branch, where I as CGO take on a more strategic approach, examining how we can enter the market in North America and establish our products. The field is still wide open, and it's now my responsibility to investigate.

Medido has been actively assisting clients in maintaining their self-sufficiency for 15 years now. How do you reflect on these 15 years?

It is really special to me of course. In the first ten years Medido progressed step by step. After 2019 our growth accelerated significantly. By taking on more tasks ourselves, we were able to make substantial steps. It emphasizes the importance of having control over the entire chain. I am definitely proud when I look at what we have achieved with nowadays over 130 people, delivering fantastic products to the market and helping so many people with their self-adherence.

If you must name one thing, what are you most proud of?

Over the last 15 years, there were numerous things of great importance obviously. The first dispenser for example. If you only knew the amount of work that went into it, it was truly insane. One of the most wonderful things had to be the introduction of the Medido Medicine Clock. The process went so smoothly, which was, of course, amazing to experience. But if I have to mention one thing, I am most proud of what we have accomplished altogether with the company so far.

Does it feel strange to take on a new role in the company after so many years?

No, it's an adjustment, of course, but not strange. What I'm beginning to find very interesting is that I am now a bit more distanced. I see how certain things unfold. Sometimes I think, 'this could go a bit faster or slower,' or 'I would do that differently.' Fortunately, I am no longer the one who has to make the decisions.

Additionally, I realize that I don't have the ambition to lead a large company, and Medido has become quite a sizable company. As we have gained more employees, eventually you have to start managing on a more serious level. I did it with a lot of pleasure, but my strength lies elsewhere. In my opinion it's much better that there are now people who excel in managing. Simultaneously, I hope we don't lose our entrepreneurship. It's crucial to move forward and take a risk sometimes. I believe that has been a vital part of Medido's success.

Can you give an example of a risk that ultimately was a good move for Medido?

There are many, haha! With the development of the Medido Medicine Clock, for example. We had no budget, yet we went ahead with it. I never did a business case calculation. I felt it had to happen because it was crucial to the company's success. It ultimately cost much more than expected, but now you can see that it was the right move. I do think that if we had continued without taking this leap, our growth wouldn’t have been as big as it is today.

Do you still feel involved within the company?

Yes, but not so much on the operational side, more on the strategic side with Evondos Group, which Medido has been part of since 2023. I must admit, in the past few months I have really had an 'empty nest' feeling. The child is quite grown up, leaving home, making its own decisions now – that's the best way to explain it. I felt that especially in December when my operational tasks were officially taken over by Immy Dekkers and Tom Hofland. It's a funny feeling, but I have confidence that everything will turn out well.

What are your goals for 2024?

It's all still quite new, so I'm currently working on getting that in order. What I can say is that I hope, we have a clear picture of how and whether we can enter the American market, by the end of the year. It's definitely not going to be easy. There are so many variables influencing the achievement of your goals, dealing with healthcare, insurance companies, politics, pharmacists and so on. There are certainly challenges to overcome, but it's an exciting project.

In five years from now, what will be achieved by Evondos Group?

The goal is for us to become a global leader in automated medicine dispensing. We aim to provide people worldwide with more independence through better medication use. It's incredibly gratifying when you hear people say they’re able to go outside again because they’re not dizzy anymore as they are taking their medication correctly with the help of our automatic medicine dispenser. That's fantastic and that's ultimately why we do it! How amazing would it be if we could help people with that on a global scale? Helping people with their self-adherence by giving back their independence and at the same time unburdening care staff and home care organizations.