Dental Practices Rely on Disparate Tools, Aivory is Building the Alternative

Before Ties Verberne wrote a single line of code, he listened. He spoke with dentists across the country and consistently observed the same issues: patient data, records, schedules, and communication were all disconnected. There was no cohesive system, no automation, and virtually nothing happening in the field of AI. Administrative tasks that had been automated in other sectors for years were still being done manually in dental practices.

For that, he built Aivory with co-founder Sara de Jong. A single AI platform that integrates scheduling, patient records, treatment plans, dashboards, and patient communication into one system, so dentists have more time for patients and practices run more efficiently.

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Compliance Provides Access to the Healthcare Market

‍For healthcare software, certification is not a mere formality. Patient data, records, and schedules all flow through the platform. Without ISO 27001 and NEN 7510 in hand, you simply won't make it in healthcare. Ties knew this from day one. "I just knew I had to get ISO 27001 and NEN 7510. The challenge wasn't whether we would do it, but how we would approach it so it wouldn't hold us back for months."

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For a founder who attends an average of ten meetings a day, that was a serious consideration. Fortunately, Sara de Jong, responsible for the technical side of the platform, had already properly implemented security by design. This laid a solid foundation before the process began.

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Speed is Fine, But Not at the Expense of Substance

In the American market, some platforms now promise compliance within four weeks. For Ties, that was precisely a warning sign. "I saw four weeks, and in my opinion, that's just too fast. Then it's rushed. You don't truly experience the processes, you don't understand your risks, and the auditor doesn't have room to critically review it. I even heard that some auditors in America don't even look and just certify you."

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Mathijs Oppelaar, Fendix's operational director, recognizes this pattern. When a platform promises you'll be compliant in four weeks, something in the chain is going wrong: the evidence is pre-filled, the auditor doesn't ask proper questions, or both. The result is a certificate without substance. For a healthcare software company, that's not a theoretical risk.

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The Choice for Tidal Control and Fendix

Aivory prioritizes data sovereignty and hosting in the Netherlands. An American player like Vanta or Drata felt like a mismatch in that regard. So, the search for a partner began closer to home, and Ties found one through a chance encounter with Dennis van de Wiel, founder of Tidal Control, at a startup event. Shortly after, when Ties posted on LinkedIn that he was looking for help with ISO 27001 and NEN 7510, Tidal Control responded quickly and personally. That approach was decisive. Tidal Control as a compliance platform and Fendix as a consultancy partner for expert guidance. "The pace really surprised me. I hear from others that such a process usually takes six months to a year. The combination of Tidal Control, Fendix's guidance, and about eight hours per week from our side ensured it was completed in three months."

A platform for structure, a consultant for expert project leadership

Tidal Control provided the policy templates and structure, allowing Ties to immediately add what was relevant to Aivory. Fendix offered expert guidance to make sharp choices regarding scope, risks, and evidence, and also conducted the internal audit, through an independent team member, to verify if those choices held up. The policy wasn't written to satisfy an auditor, but to truly embody the processes. That sounds obvious, but it's precisely where many projects go wrong.

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The connection with Jurre

‍A three-month project hinges on the collaboration between client and consultant. For Aivory, this was excellent with Jurre 't Lam, Security Officer at Fendix, who provided the expert guidance. "The collaboration between Ties, Sara, and me was seamless. The most important thing is to make and keep agreements. There was quick mutual trust and transparency from both sides," says Jurre.

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Ties recognizes this. "The connection with Jurre truly made a difference. He takes the time to understand how we work and adapts his approach accordingly. This feels personal, not like a standard process they pull out of a drawer for every client." Aivory is building a healthcare software platform with AI at its core, with integrations to Vecozo and VisiQuick. This requires a partner who thinks along about what is relevant for your specific situation and omits what isn't.

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