How do you help people regain control over their lives when they suffer from one of the most painful conditions in the world? For Darshan Ramanagoudra, founder of MyClusters, this is the central question. With his platform, he aims not only to support patients with cluster headaches but also to help researchers better understand this little-known condition.
from personal struggle to startup
The idea for MyClusters didn’t come from a lab or university. It came from Darshan’s personal life. For nearly ten years, he has suffered from cluster headaches, a neurological condition marked by extremely painful, recurring attacks. In 2023, things took a turn for the worse: up to six attacks a day, making it impossible for him to keep working.
“At one point, I was tracking everything in an Excel sheet. Then I tried a few apps, but none of them worked for me. So I decided to build my own.”
MyClusters started as a tool for patients to log attacks, triggers, and medications. But it quickly evolved into a broader platform: a direct-to-consumer app for patients, combined with a data dashboard for medical researchers.
more insight, more control
Cluster headaches are rare and poorly researched. Darshan realized that many patients wait years for a diagnosis and that available medications are often ineffective or come with serious side effects.
With MyClusters, patients can generate personalized reports to support diagnosis, guide treatment decisions, and help communicate more effectively with doctors. For healthcare professionals, this leads to more focused consultations. And for researchers, the platform offers a valuable new source of real-world data, currently used by people in over 35 countries, including many women, who are often underrepresented in clinical research.
a growth journey through PLNT, Venture Academy, Sprout, and unlock_
Darshan began his entrepreneurial journey at PLNT, the Leiden-based innovation center. There, he joined the Venture Academy program, where he developed his first pitch deck and business plan. He then progressed to Sprout, where he began building the first prototype of the app. By the time he had a working MVP, unlock_ became the natural next step. Each program built on the last, with unlock_ helping him scale and professionalize.
“For me, it was essential to understand how the healthcare system works. unlock_ connected me with experts in biotech, health law, and medtech.”
learning within unlock_
Darshan doesn’t have a background in healthcare. unlock_ gave him the tools and structure to take his startup forward. “For me, it was essential to understand how the healthcare system works. unlock_ connected me with experts in biotech, health law, and medtech.”
Through sessions on regulation, funding, and go-to-market strategies, he learned how software can be classified as a medical device and what that means for product development and compliance.
One of the highlights was the ‘Show Me the Hard Money’ event, where founders pitch directly to investors. “They really prepare you well, not just for the pitch itself, but for the entire strategy behind it. That made a huge difference.”
a fast start
During unlock_, Darshan officially launched the MyClusters app in May 2025. “I’m proud that we reached a thousand users so quickly. Every week I receive messages from people telling me the app is helping them. That means everything to me.” Still, he remains grounded.
“I can be quite impatient. But I’ve learned that in healthcare, you need patience. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
the power of the community
unlock_ is not just about knowledge and tools, it’s also about people. “It helps to be surrounded by other founders with smart ideas and a shared sense of impact. Their progress motivates you. And the regular check-ins and sessions give you structure and accountability.”
a mission for the future
Darshan looks beyond cluster headaches. He envisions MyClusters supporting other “silent” conditions as well, such as endometriosis, PCOS, migraine, or neurological disorders.
“My dream is that in five years we’ll help tens of thousands of people worldwide gain more insight and control over their health.”
advice for other founders
His advice to other early-stage startups considering unlock_ is clear: go for it. “Even if you don’t make it through the selection process, you’ll learn a lot just from the conversations and feedback. And if you do get in, you’ll gain a complete picture of what you need as a founder to succeed.”