Health Tech Startups

The UK health tech sector is in fine fettle and these four startups are its lifeblood. Read on to find out why health tech is a key trend for Startups 100 2019…

The Startups 100 has always looked for truly innovative ideas that have the potential to change the world. And the health tech sector is a veritable goldmine of these ideas.

Whether it’s an app to tackle mental health issues, improve wellbeing during pregnancy, or to book same-day GP appointments, the best health tech companies really do improve our lives on a day-to-day basis.

That’s why we think they need celebrating, and why we’ve identified health tech as one of our key trends for Startups 100 2019.

Alongside the startups saving you time and those saving the world, the trend of the health tech startup saving your life is thriving in the current UK startups ecosystem.

The rise of the health tech startup

We’ve come a long way since the prescribed treatment for everything from gout to gonorrhea was self-flagellation and leeches, and all the local witches were rounded up and incinerated every time there was an epidemic.

Thank goodness.

Now we have the app instead of the apothecary.

Yes, we’re so comfortable with our digital devices that we’re prepared to turn to our smartphones for diagnosis, treatment, and care. There are now apps to help you monitor diabetes or kick smoking, and to ensure our elderly relatives are well looked after.

UK startup ORCHA maintains and evaluates a definitive list of the 325,000 and counting health apps currently available.

According to the Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI), the UK healthtech sector employs more than 121,000 people across 3,500 companies and has a combined annual turnover of £22.2bn. It has enjoyed growth of around 5% in recent years thanks to a thriving community of digital startups.

But there’s little more sensitive than information about our personal health. That’s why it’s essential that health tech companies have rigorous data protection policies and have the user’s best interests at heart.

The four startups below meet these standards and are all providing vital services to help us look after ourselves, our family members, and even our pets…

Meet the senior care startup taking the grey market by storm

Birdie

Founded in 2017, Birdie uses connected devices and machine learning to deliver better preventative care for the elderly and other adult relatives, so they can stay in their own homes for longer.

An app helps family members monitor the health of their relatives and shares information with the care community. Meanwhile, the predictive analytics provide real time data to carers so issues can be dealt with before they become serious or life-threatening.

With the $15bn social care market set to double in 10 years, Birdie’s unique, holistic platform is well-placed to capitalise.

Meet the healthtech startups revolutionising the care industry

Echo

The highest-ranked of our healthtech apps (in position 14 in this year’s index), Echo is the startup that get NHS prescriptions delivered to your door for free, and even reminds you how and when to take medication.

Designed by two founders who both take medication to manage long-term conditions, they were frustrated with the hassle of ordering repeat prescriptions and discovered that half of medication isn’t taken as directed. This costs the NHS billions in waste each year.

Ultimately, Echo wants to help patients do more for themselves and create a more positive experience for GPs and pharmacies. That’s a startup we can get behind.

Baby2Body

Based around the ethos that a mother’s health and happiness has a direct impact on her baby, Baby2Body’s algorithm assesses what stage of pregnancy a woman is at and creates a tailored wellbeing and lifestyle plan.

This includes fitness workouts and tips, nutrition advice, meal plans and recipes, meditation and mindfulness, and other inspiration and motivation.

What distinguishes Baby2Body is the millions of anonymised data points it collects to inform the creation of truly unique and useful experiences.

Vet-AI

More than three million of the UK’s 16.5 million cats and dogs aren’t registered with a vet because it’s just too damn expensive. This leaves them vulnerable when they do suffer a health issue.

Vet-AI is the company behind an app called Joii, which allows pet owners to assess their animal’s condition and access a vet visit, a video call with a vet, or just free advice.
Vet-AI claims its platform is the first allowing vets to choose where and when they work, and even pays them in line with human doctors.

The company says its data will “lead us into a new age of pet health and enable us to develop predictive intervention strategies” for our four-legged friends.

Next Steps

If you think you might like to give starting a health tech business a go, check out our page on one of the top business ideas of 2019: personal and medical health apps.