Top 10 Healthtech Companies | 2023
Sam Peckett, 29 June 2023
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has meant patients worldwide have seen the benefits of digital healthcare services—from booking vaccination appointments online to virtual GP appointments. This high-quality blend of in-person and online services is vital for easing pressures on public and private healthcare providers, and is what healthtech is all about: using technology to improve out of hospital/general practice healthcare.
Healthtech investments broke records in the first three quarters of 2022 across the USA, EU and UK, reaching values of $23b. In the UK, investment has grown from £345m in 2016 to £3.13b in 2021, growing nearly 800%, and seven of the UK’s unicorn companies operate in the healthtech sector.
Here, we’ll explore what healthtech is exactly and how it could impact our healthcare systems of the future. We’ll also look at the state of the health technology ecosystem in the UK, and the country’s 10 top healthcare technology companies, ranked in order of investment raised to date.
By looking at private UK companies with an equity finance round between 1 June 2020 and 31 May 2023, we’ve ranked the top 10 high-valued companies based on pre-money valuation.
What is healthtech and how does it differ from medtech?
A helpful definition of healthtech is “the use of technology (databases, applications, mobiles, wearables) to improve the delivery, payment, and/or consumption of care, with the ability to increase the development and commercialisation of medicinal products.” To put it simply, healthtech includes software, data, and other tech-enabled solutions that support healthcare opportunities.
While medical technology (or medtech) solutions tend to enhance in-hospital diagnostics, such as innovative medical devices, healthtech tends to refer to applications that are focused on improving personal and preventative care at home. Medtech products also generally require more regulatory approval than healthtech products before entering the market. You can learn more about the UK’s top medtech companies and their investors here.
What does the UK healthtech market look like in 2023?
In June 2022, the Department of Health and Social Care shared their policy paper for their plan for digital health and social care. The paper outlines how advances made during the Covid-19 pandemic, such as over 28m people having the NHS App, will help push forward the digitisation of the UK’s healthcare industry. Digitisation will include cloud-based records, robotic process automation, the use of machine learning and algorithms in decision making, and digital self-help, diagnostics and therapies.
A key part of the paper involves adoption of proven tech, and investors know this: between 2016 and 2021, only the US has had more healthtech companies receive funding than the UK, with the UK being referred to as the Silicon Valley of Europe’s healthcare sector.
Government funding has also accelerated growth in the healthtech sector as of late. In 2020, the UK Government provided £32m (across six initiatives) as part of their roadmap to ensure the country remains at the forefront of life sciences research and development. Funding was awarded to ventures including InlightenUs, Edinburgh Napier University’s hearing aid project COG-MHEAR, Heriot-Watt University’s laser solution firm u-care, and a Non-Invasive Single Neuron Electrical Monitoring project led by Imperial College London.
The UK’s Top Healthtech Startup and Scaleup Companies in 2023
01.
Cera
Total funds raised: £364m
Cera is a digital-first healthcare company that delivers at-home nursing, repeat prescriptions, and telemedicine services to pensioners, over the phone or through its website, claiming that its preventative support reduces hospitalisations by 52%. The healthtech and care delivery company also offers personal services like shopping. Cera partners with the NHS and a large number of local authorities, and has been recognised on high-growth rankings such as the Deloitte Fast 50 and Startups 100. In 2023, Cera pledged to create 10,000 jobs for frontline staff.
Cera has raised a total of £364m across eight funding rounds since 2016, with its latest investment worth £264m in August 2022. The company’s backers include Auriens, Credo Ventures, Guinness Ventures, Kairos Ventures, Kima Ventures and Yabeo.
*Disclaimer: Cera shares significant shareholders with Beauhurst.
02.
Huma
Total funds raised: £174m
Founded in London in 2011, Huma has created digital “hospital from home” technology that allows hospitals to manage health records to improve patient outcomes and the patient experience. Huma has also created a decentralised clinical trial platform which uses real-time health data to accelerate research into therapeutics and drug discoveries. Huma’s platform supports over 27m patients, and is used by over 3000 hospitals and clinics. In 2021, Huma partnered with Bayer to improve oncology diagnosis.
The healthtech company has undergone nine funding rounds so far, totalling over £174m. Its latest round was worth just under £25m. Huma’s backers include Bayer, HAT Technology & Innovation Fund, Hitachi Ventures, Nexus Investments (Scale Up Fund), Samsung NEXT, Sony Innovation Fund and Unilever Ventures.
Huma has featured on numerous high-growth lists, including the Top 100 – Britain’s Fastest Growing Businesses and Deloitte Fast 50. It has also attended four accelerator programmes: Future Fifty, Sport Tech Hub, Healthbox London, and DigitalHealth.London Accelerator, which aims to speed up the adoption of healthtech in the NHS.
03.
DnaNudge
Total funds raised: £67.2m
Spun-out of Imperial College London’s Centre for Bio-Inspired Technology, DnaNudge develops a wearable healthtech solution that allows users to make healthier food choices, tailored to their DNA profiles. Users wear watches that guide them through decisions whilst out shopping, helping them to avoid foods linked to conditions they may be prone to, such as diabetes or high cholesterol.
On top of this, DnaNudge has also developed the first direct-to-consumer genetic tests that can be performed on the spot rather than sent to a lab. The company has partnered with Holland & Barret to pilot in-store DNA testing in its flagship Marble Arch store. The partnership aims to help customers make more informed decisions relating to their health. DnaNudge also recently partnered with biotech company Mylab Discovery Solutions to develop genetic diagnostics for diabetes.
DnaNudge have raised £67.2m in total across seven fundraisings, the latest worth £43.6m. Funds have largely been raised from undisclosed investors and angels, alongside UAE-based fund Ventura Capital.
04.
Lumeon
Total funds raised: £58.0m
Focusing on web-based software, London-based Lumeon supports healthcare professionals to track the progress of their patients and stay on top of administrative tasks. Aiming to accelerate patient care at scale, whilst ensuring quality and safety, Lumeon’s platform enables remote healthcare journeys. These engage out of hospital patients and care teams, such as through automating tasks and coordinating operations, and thus create new capacity and increased patient engagement.
Lumeon has attended both the PwC Scale Programmes accelerator and DigitalHealth.London Accelerator. The healthtech company has raised £58m in funding so far, in seven rounds. It has offices in London and Boston, Massachusetts, and its backers include Amadeus Capital Partners, Archimedia, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Endeavour Vision, Gilde Healthcare Partners, IPF Partners, MTIP and Optum Ventures.
05.
Numan
Total funds raised: £56.6m
Numan is a leading brand in men’s health and wellness. Operating on a SaaS model, the company has developed a platform for men to access health services, medicines and advice from medical professionals at home.
Founded by London-based entrepreneur Sokratis Papafloratos, Numan aims to give men control over their health, and to remove the taboo surrounding issues such as erectile dysfunction and hair loss. The healthtech company acquired Swedish software venture Vi-Health in March 2021. Numan offers free online consultations, discreet delivery of its treatments, regular chances to speak to consultants and ‘cancel anytime’ guarantee.
Across three fundraisings, Numan has raised £56.6m. The majority of this has come from its most recent funding round in July 2022, when it raised £44.4m. Numan’s list of investors include Anthemis, Colle Capital, Hanwha Investment, Novator Partners, VNV Global and White Star Capital, and it featured on the Startups 100 high-growth list in 2021.
06.
Unmind
Total funds raised: £56.1m
Unmind is a mental health company that develops a mobile app to optimise mental wellbeing within the workplace. Its app allows employees to measure, understand and improve their mental health through seven key areas—fulfilment, coping, calmness, happiness, connection, health and sleep. It then encourages employers to drive change, by accessing aggregated and anonymised employee mental health insights and data.
On top of its app, Unmind offers additional services, such as digital courses, meditation sessions and healthy food recipes. It’s used by companies such as the NHS, Sony, Uber, Samsung and British Airways. In February 2023, Unmind announced that it had acquired employee mental healthcare platform Frankie Health, allowing the company to launch Unmind Talk. Unmind Talk allows employees to connect with professional mental health providers.
To date, Unmind has received £56.1m in investment across six fundraising rounds. The latest was worth £9m in December 2022. It has attended the Upscale, NEF+ and Mayor’s International Business Programme accelerators, and ranked on the London Tech 50 high-growth list in both 2019 and 2020. The company now has offices in New York, London and Australia, and its investors include EQT Ventures, Felix Capital, Project A Ventures, Sapphire Ventures and True Ventures.
07.
Healthily
Total funds raised: £51.0m
As a self-care app with medical approval, Healthily (previously known as Your.MD) was created to make medical knowledge accessible in everyday life through artificial intelligence. The mobile app allows users to diagnose their health issues by inputting data about their symptoms and demographics. This includes everything from coronavirus to sleep issues. It then automatically advises on next steps without retaining any data. Healthily also has a bank of health plans, guides and self-care information.
Healthily has been featured in the high-growth lists Start-Up 101 and Startups 100, and secured four funding rounds to date, raising £51m in total. The latest fundraising in September 2022 raised £17.4m. The company’s backers include Orkla Venture, Reckitt Benckiser and Smedvig Capital, alongside angel investors.
08.
HealthHero
Total funds raised: £50.3m
Offering a digital platform for employers, HealthHero allows organisations to offer on-demand, 24/7 health and wellbeing services to their employees. Services include virtual GPs, mental health support, musculoskeletal practitioners and experienced specialist consultants. It also offers services to allow insurers to meet the health insurance needs of policy holders.
HealthHero now works with over 1,000 businesses, including Zurich Insurance and the University of Liverpool. The healthtech company also works with the NHS, offering remote staffing support as short or long-term cover for GPs. It also offers resources and digital tools that can be used on a day-by-day basis for specific, personalised support.
In 2021, HealthHero acquired telehealth startup MyClinic and French telemedicine care provider Qare. Later that year, the company raised over £50m in its only fundraising round. Investors include MARCOL.
09.
Birdie
Total funds raised: £43.0m
London-based Birdie are the creators of an online tool and mobile app that allows users to schedule and manage at-home care services for the elderly. Designed to improve visibility over healthcare solutions and to facilitate older adults living at home, it incorporates everything from regular transport booking software to medical deliveries. Conceived of as a complete homecare solution, Birdie’s healthtech software also includes 24/7 reports and customer support.
Birdie is backed by Index Ventures and Kamet Ventures (managed by AXA), as well as a number of undisclosed investors. Across four funding rounds, the company has raised over £43m in total investment. It has also attended four accelerator programmes, including Upscale and DigitalHealth.London, and has been listed in Startups 100, BusinessCloud HealthTech 50 and London Tech 50, among others.
10.
accuRx
Total funds raised: £36.7m
accuRx provides communication-enhancing software that’s designed to improve the relationship between healthcare providers and patients. An NHS-approved supplier, accuRx’s primary care products include video consultations, healthcare surveys for remote monitoring of patients with symptoms, text and photo messaging, and patient triage. The healthtech company is also working to build additional features to make sharing secure information easier across the NHS.
Based in London, accuRx has attended four accelerator programmes: Entrepreneur First, IMAGINE IF!, Upscale and DigitalHealth.London Accelerator. Having raised over £36m in investment, across five rounds, the company has also featured in BusinessCloud’s HealthTech 50 high-growth list, and the London Tech 50. Its backers include Atomico, British Patient Capital, Encore Capital, Lakestar, Latitude Ventures, and LocalGlobe.
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