Micronit founder Ronny van ’t Oever passes away

Dutch entrepreneur Ronny van ’t Oever, founder of microfluidics company Micronit, has passed away at the age of 50. “Ronny was the visionary founder of our company, driven by his belief in a future in which people age healthily. With Micronit, he wanted to make a lasting, positive impact in healthcare. We’ll miss Ronny dearly, but we’ll continue his mission,” the Enschede-based firm writes on Linkedin.

A spinoff from the University of Twente, Micronit specializes in the design and manufacturing of microfluidics and labs-on-a-chip, which are used to miniaturize, digitalize and automate (bio)analyses in labs and points-of-care. Founded 25 years ago as a two-man outfit, the company now employs over a hundred people and has a worldwide customer base. Last year, Van ’t Oever relinquished his role as CEO to focus on fighting his illness, but he remained involved with the company as chief strategy officer.