After a long-term illness, resuming professional life, regaining reflexes, recovering skills, or developing new ones is not an easy task. Unless one benefits from the support of MELIMPUS, a virtual reality tool developed in Brussels by Dr. Arnaud Bosteels, Dr. Stéphanie Delroisse, and Gaetan van Wijck, CEO of the company.
“Today, mental health is a real issue for individuals, employers, and society as a whole, as it carries a significant cost,” says van Wijck. “Work contributes to good health. When we are engaged in meaningful activities, we generally enjoy better physical and mental health. Talking about returning to work is easy, but if people on long-term sick leave do not feel capable, they simply won’t do it.”
Aiming for a Successful Return to Work
For the creators of MELIMPUS, returning to work should remain a priority throughout the recovery process for those disconnected from the professional world. This should be done while acknowledging the necessity of physical and emotional rest, psychological support to understand the root causes of the problem, and even sports coaching to rediscover the joy of physical activity.
“All of these elements are part of the same process, the same continuum,” explains Gaetan van Wijck. He describes MELIMPUS’s role: “We do not intervene in the preliminary phases but rather alongside them. To help individuals take the concrete step back into the workforce, we have developed a tool that allows them to train for their return and regain confidence.”
Virtual Reality for Mental Health
This highly effective tool is a virtual reality headset. “This technology has already proven itself in mental health, for example, in treating phobias or helping soldiers cope with trauma after deployment. Numerous studies confirm its effectiveness. However, nothing had been done in the field of workplace mental health until now,” says Gaetan van Wijck.
The founding team combined their expertise to address this gap and create MELIMPUS. It consists of Dr. Arnaud Bosteels, a Belgian anesthesiologist specializing in medical virtual reality, Dr. Stéphanie Delroisse, an experienced psychologist specializing in virtual reality and burnout support, and Gaetan van Wijck, who has 25 years of experience in medical and health innovation commercialization.
Life-Changing Role-Playing Games
“We immerse patients in a virtual reality environment that becomes their new reality,” explains Gaetan van Wijck. “With the help of a specialized coach or psychologist, individuals in treatment practice returning to work in a completely safe and supportive setting. Various scenarios and role-playing mini-games help them rebuild confidence, develop skills, and enhance resilience.”
MELIMPUS’s impact extends beyond rehabilitation, as the team is increasingly focused on prevention: “When we help someone return to work, we can also offer managers a similar experience to improve their understanding of the challenges involved. We can also design customized environments and role-playing exercises to help teams or their leadership develop skills, resilience, and a better understanding of the workplace.”
Future Prospects
Founded in 2022, the startup moved into commercialization in mid-2024 after 18 months of R&D, two feasibility studies, case studies, and one completed clinical trial, with another ongoing. The future looks bright.
In just a few months of commercialization, MELIMPUS has already secured a dozen clients across Belgium, its first contract in the Netherlands, and promising leads in France. Investors have taken notice: “We completed our first funding round in 2023 and a second at the end of 2024. More than half of our 2023 investors participated again,” says the CEO. “Our team, now five members strong, aims to focus on prevention, expand our product range to address a broader spectrum of workplace mental health challenges, and, with the help of AI, develop intelligent avatars.”
Brussels’ Entrepreneurial Support: A Pleasant Surprise
For these development projects, the MELIMPUS team appreciates the support of various Brussels-based entrepreneurial initiatives. “I must emphasize how incredibly well we have been supported by hub.brussels from the very beginning,” says Gaetan van Wijck.
“In 2022, we participated in the MedTech Accelerator, which truly helped us move forward. It provided us with the right questions, valuable contacts, and practical assistance with document reviews. Because of this, whenever the lifetech cluster asks for our support on a project, we are happy to help!”
He continues: “In 25 years of working for large corporations, I never realized the range of services available for businesses in Brussels. I was surprised to discover the extensive financial and human support that exists.”
And he concludes with a wish: “Brussels must continue to believe in and invest in entrepreneurship. There are many people with great ideas who need support.”
