DECISIOS is a software solution that acts as an intermediary between hospital departments to improve hospital management and ultimately benefit the patient. That’s the promise of DECISIOS.
“Usually, a company is born from an idea or a need that leads to the launch of a product. I did the opposite. I took an existing product and built a brand, a company, and a business around it that really took off. It’s quite unusual,” explains Nora Harouchi, founder of DECISIOS, a startup launched in November 2021.
Indeed, both the company and its founder, who markets software for hospital process management, have taken a unique path.
Searching for purpose
After training as a financial engineer, Nora Harouchi worked internationally before returning to Belgium just before the COVID pandemic—an event she considers an opportunity.
“I was looking for work that had real meaning, because I felt I had reached the limits of what finance could offer me,” she shares.
“So I took the opportunity to begin an additional master’s degree in computer science at UNamur,” while also building a new network.
A tailor-made software
In 2021, she met the team at Eonix, a company specialized since 2007 in developing custom software for sensitive data.
In 2019, the Mons-based company had equipped a hospital that was struggling with the lack of communication between its various software systems. This limited its ability to gain a clear picture of the patient care journey and led to operational inefficiencies, including high no-show rates.
The software developed at that time deserved to be offered to other facilities facing similar issues.
Eonix founders Bruno Juste and Aloys du Bois d’Aische decided to create a separate company to market the product: DECISIOS.
That’s when Nora Harouchi stepped in.
“I was excited by the idea of leading an entrepreneurial project in the hospital sector,” she says.
“It allowed me to bring together my entrepreneurial and financial expertise with my IT skills to benefit public institutions that care for people’s health.”
A strategic challenge
DECISIOS offers hospitals and clinics a platform to rethink and optimize their organization through internal process digitalization. Teams can automatically track patients in real time throughout their care journey.
“Beyond the visibility we provide to institutions, we help them better coordinate resources and staff. We support them in delivering high-quality care despite staff shortages, and in improving the patient experience,” explains Nora Harouchi.
“Our solution, deployed across departments, can feed data into other software systems that weren’t previously connected. DECISIOS helps hospitals make better use of the tools they already have.”
She adds: “For hospitals, this is a strategic issue. Many institutions haven’t evolved their organization as quickly as they should have.”
An encouraging start
After three years, DECISIOS’s development is more than promising.
“It’s true, all hospitals are interested in digital,” says its CEO.
“They’re exploring how to evolve processes, automate tasks, reinvent roles, and—above all—free up time while improving patient care. Our tool directly supports that reflection.”
However, the beginning wasn’t easy.
“I had a product that worked well and could still evolve, but I needed to find a way to capitalize on it,” she explains.
Fortunately, Eonix strongly supported DECISIOS, and the venture turned into a success story.
“It’s been an amazing adventure,” she says.
“We’ve grown and taken off. We went from two proof-of-concept projects to working with eight hospitals—including CHU Saint-Pierre in Brussels—and two private clinics. Our growth curve is very positive. We’re now preparing a new fundraising round and our first steps internationally!”
Future challenges
Nora Harouchi is both clear-eyed and optimistic.
“Every hospital has its own challenges and purchases software based on its specific needs,” she notes.
“But the automation of hospital processes is clearly a trend. It’s a necessary step for hospitals striving for efficiency and aiming to become Hospital 2.0 in terms of management and organization.”
She’s confident in the future of Health Tech:
“People are going to live longer,” she emphasizes.
“Hospital stays will get shorter, and more care will happen at home. Care pathways will be reorganized beyond hospital walls. The healthcare sector is clearly transforming, and hospitals know they’re facing a major challenge. This change must be managed and anticipated properly.”
Lifetech.brussels: highly recommended
Nora Harouchi also made sure to build the right support system, notably by joining the lifetech.brussels cluster shortly after DECISIOS was founded.
“It’s been a very positive experience,” she says.
“There are many startups in the health sector in Brussels. Receiving support from lifetech.brussels saved me a lot of time and gave me access to hard-to-reach targets. The team knows the market and the hospitals extremely well. They know what works. I was coached, pushed to reflect, taken out of my comfort zone, and well prepared.”
She also praises the quality of the economic missions organized by the cluster and concludes:
“I recommend the cluster to everyone. It’s a solid organization run by amazing people who love what they do and truly master their field.”
