5 health tech start ups have raised a total of £4.5 million to accelerate adoption across health and care.
The start ups include LiveSmart, Knok Healthcare, Log My Care, Firza, and MediShout to receive the funding.
The funding has been awarded following successful applications to the RYSE digital health funding programme. The company is working with DigitalHealth.London and MedCity to identify, support, and invest in early-stage digital health and MedTech companies, to commercialise and scale within the NHS and other healthcare delivery systems.
The technologies include virtual consultations, workforce optimisation solutions for primary healthcare providers, platforms for digital virus tracking and care home digitalisation, and reporting solutions for logistical and medical supply issues for helpdesk prioritisation:
- Firza aims to reduce the workload on primary healthcare by using a centralised workforce with Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to emulate the actions of a human interacting with healthcare systems to optimise medication management.
- Knok Healthcare, a global telehealth and SaaS start-up, has an integrated solution for remote consultations through a combination of AI triage, scheduling, video-consultation, health records, and integration with hospitals and clinics.
- Log My Care has developed care management software and offers a free COVID-19 symptom tracking tool to support care homes in overcoming challenges in early symptom detection in this high risk population.
- MediShout has developed communication software that allows clinical staff to flag non clinical issues such as out of service facilities and reduced levels of PPE. This has allowed key healthcare workers to focus on delivering patient care.
- LiveSmart provides health assessments and reacted quickly to the new situation. The team sourced and supplied antibody tests via their well-established platform; supporting both small businesses and large corporate clients.
Sarah Haywood, Executive Director of MedCity, said “Securing funding for early-stage health tech companies has always been a challenge; thrown into the unprecedented times of COVID-19 the challenge is even greater, particularly for companies not eligible for the Government’s Future Fund and for companies raising money for the first time. Now is innovation’s time to shine – demonstrating how it can meet patients’ needs as we unite across the globe to tackle this deadly virus.”
“We are immensely grateful to RYSE for their generous investment and for their recognition of the critical role these companies play. The innovations coming out of our partnership with RYSE and DigitalHealth.London bear testament to the profound contribution health tech start-ups make to our health systems and patients, and to what we stand to lose if the UK’s digital health sector is not supported to thrive.”
Ashish Kalraiya, CEO at MediShout, said “We are proud of our ability to innovate in direct response to the needs on the frontline, and during the COVID-19 pandemic it has been critical to ensure that the needs of patients affected by conditions other than COVID-19 continue to be met.”
“The connections we have forged through working with RYSE, MedCity, and DigitalHealth.London mean we can devise creative solutions we know will best meet the needs of the NHS staff and patients. RYSE’s funding has transformed our innovation into a reality that benefits patients and our crucial NHS staff.”
