Three feminine Co-founded HealthTech startups primarily based in Glasgow (Silver Lion Improvements, Seluna, and Smplicare) have secured over €1.1 million in early-stage funding, a lift that may speed up their supply of progressive healthcare applied sciences to market.
The funding comes by way of STAC Make investments, the funding arm of Scotland’s industry-led accelerator STAC.
Angus Macfadyen, Head of Funding at STAC, commented: “We created the STAC funding arm to deal with the obvious want in Scotland’s innovation panorama for industry-led, founder-centric capital that goes hand-in-hand with world-class help.
“Our mannequin is about greater than cash – it’s about bringing collectively personal funding, mentorship, and entry to superior labs and networks. We’re proud to again these excellent feminine Founders and their enterprise companions, who usually are not solely constructing nice corporations but additionally utilizing good tech to sort out real-world ache factors in well being and social care. That is only the start of a brand new period for Scotland’s good tech sector.”
Silver Lion Improvements, based in 2018 by Ruth Crozier and Conor Crozier, is behind EasyOver, a wise mattress topper designed to remodel look after individuals with restricted mobility. EasyOver allows customers to show safely and comfortably in mattress, both on their very own or with the assistance of 1 carer, on the contact of a button. The system is designed to enhance high quality of life for each sufferers and caregivers.
“The funding and help from STAC have been completely invaluable. It’s not simply in regards to the funding – it’s about being a part of a community that really understands what’s concerned in constructing a healthtech firm. The 18-month STAC accelerator helped us refine our pitch, join with the fitting companions, and gave sensible help, from communications to hiring our first worker,” mentioned Ruth Crozier. “This backing offers us the additional momentum to take EasyOver to those that want it most, quicker than we may have in any other case. Being a part of the STAC ecosystem means being round different Founders going via related journeys, and that group facet has made it simple to mutually help each other.”
Seluna, co-founded in 2022 by Dr Scott Black and Dr Yola Jones, is creating machine learning-enabled software program to diagnose and handle childhood sleep apnoea. It will reportedly be the primary resolution of its variety in paediatric healthcare, designed to automate and streamline the interpretation of sleep research, enhance diagnostic accuracy, cut back hospital workload and optimise remedy planning.
Dr Jones defined: “STAC’s funding is a game-changer for Seluna. The accelerator’s mentorship and entry to {industry} specialists have already helped us sharpen our enterprise mannequin and scale our expertise. With this funding, we are able to conduct real-world validation research with our NHS companions and speed up in direction of formal medical trials. STAC’s funding will assist carry our resolution to market sooner, to enhance paediatric diagnostics and cut back the pressure on well being providers.”
Smplicare, co-founded in 2021 by Alexandra Melling and Garrett Sprague, is constructing fall prevention expertise geared toward serving to older adults keep independence whereas decreasing the danger of falls – the main reason behind misplaced independence in individuals over 65. Its platform makes use of machine studying algorithms to foretell fall danger with an alleged 85% accuracy.
“Being chosen as one of many first recipients of STAC’s funding is a large endorsement of our mission. STAC’s ecosystem has given us invaluable steering on all the things from regulatory compliance to consumer expertise. This funding will assist us broaden our platform and attain extra households who want help,” added Melling.
The funding will allow all three corporations to speed up growth, run validation research, and broaden market attain. Every of those startups is headquartered in thebeyond, STAC’s innovation hub in Finnieston, Glasgow, which is being positioned as an Worldwide Centre of Excellence for good, linked and DeepTech corporations.
“The funding in these three corporations represents a big step in our imaginative and prescient to ascertain thebeyond as an Worldwide Centre of Excellence in Finnieston, Glasgow, creating a brilliant cluster of progressive good expertise corporations that may compete globally,” added Macfadyen.
STAC, based in 2021, runs an 18-month programme that helps 15–20 corporations each 9 months, offering 116 structured “enterprise elements” that cowl all the things from product growth and regulatory compliance to funding readiness and worldwide scaling. Individuals acquire entry to mentorship, co-working house in thebeyond innovation hub, and direct market entry via company partnerships with main manufacturers reminiscent of Volvo, Sonos and RBS.
Whereas STAC is facilitating the funding, the actual story lies within the startups’ potential to deal with urgent well being and social care wants. From mobility care to enhancing paediatric diagnostics and predicting fall danger, Silver Lion Improvements, Seluna and Smplicare are a part of Scotland’s rising wave of HealthTech innovation that goals to scale globally.
