SBRI Healthcare, in partnership with Lifted Ventures, has launched its first cohort of female founders and CEOs, joining its Innovation Investment Readiness programme.
The six-month programme, expected to run from May to October 2025, has been introduced as an avenue for supplying female-led startups with the “tools, knowledge and networks to access funding and accelerate growth”. It also offers them the chance to “build a targeted investment plan and roadmap, make connections with investors, and meet peers and other women leaders in health and social care”.
The launch welcomed 15 female founders who have been working on tackling healthcare challenges through the development of a range of innovative solutions. It includes:
- Bernadette Porter from Clear Path Testing Limited, a company providing essential testing software.
- Dongli Li from Beautiful Voice Limited, a digital health platform offering speech and language therapy services.
- Stephanie Lesage from OSPT Ltd, a health tech company developing antibacterial bioactive textile technology.
- Daisy Allington from Cognitant Group Ltd, patient engagement specialists providing accessible digital health resources and tools.
- Lise Pape from Walk With Path, a medtech company specialising in improving mobility through inclusive innovations.
- Morag Maskey from XR Therapeutics, a therapy platform that addresses mental health conditions through immersive VR.
- Katerina Spranger from Oxford Heartbeat, a research and product development company offering software to support life-saving surgical decisions.
- Elizabeth Soilleux from Lyzeum Ltd, a multi-disciplinary team of pathologists, mathematicians and engineers using machine learning to improve the accuracy and speed of diagnosis of coeliac disease.
- Angélique van ‘t Wout from AlphaBiomics, a biotech company developing microbiome-based predictive diagnostic and companion therapeutic products for safer drug therapies.
- Gemma Poole from The Essential Baby Company Ltd, an innovation hub focused on advancing equitable maternity and women’s healthcare.
- Gayle Storey from Tutti Toot Ltd, developers of the Tutti Toot Trumpet, a novel digital medical and musical device designed to improve airway treatment.
- Clare Selden from Hepatican Ltd, developers of BioArtificial Liver, a novel device designed to help patients with acute liver failure.
- Carolina Bell from NeuroVirt Limited, an immersive VR solution with sensor technology for movement rehabilitation and remote patient monitoring.
- Lucrezia Cester from Lighthearted AI, developers of a touch free cardiovascular disease diagnostic and monitoring device.
- Emma Yates from Proteotype Diagnostics, a cancer detection startup providing cross-sectional snapshots of blood.
According to the Lifted Ventures website, the next stages of the programme include 12 hours of virtual and in-person workshops, as well as site visits, mentorship and coaching for each member of the female cohort.
Innovation initiatives across health and care
Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI) recently announced the launch of a new national initiative, HIHI.AI Call 2025. They’re looking for companies, startups, researchers, clinicians and industry leaders who have been developing AI-powered healthcare solutions to take part in their AI in healthcare competition.
Last month, Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust signed a memorandum of understanding agreement with one of the oldest and largest hospitals in Vietnam, with the aim to develop a Children’s Hospital Healthcare Innovation Centre in Vietnam. They’re also looking to enhance specific clinical services and expand their research portfolio.
A recent HTN Now webinar took an in-depth look at how technology and innovation are transforming skin cancer care at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. The discussion focused on how the trust reduced two-week wait referral time from 57 days to 12 days, while also looking at challenges for implementing this approach and sharing advice to other healthcare organisations looking to implement similar digital pathways.
