Innovate UK

Innovate UK is a non-departmental public body established in 2007 and based in Swindon, United Kingdom. Funded by a government grant, it supports innovation in science and technology by providing funding services to businesses across various sectors and regions. The organization aims to drive productivity and economic growth by facilitating advancements that contribute to the UK’s economic landscape. In addition to funding, Innovate UK offers a range of services and information related to business and economic development, thereby fostering a supportive environment for innovation.

Mike Biddle

Programme Director of Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund

Will Drury

Executive Director, Digital and Technologies

Paul Gadd

Deputy Director

Dr. Tom Jenkins

Deputy Director

Scott James O'Brien

Director, Innovation Finance

Nigel Walker

Deputy Director, Lending and Investor Partnerships

Dave Wilkes

Director of Innovation Ecosystem

Past deals in Wearables

Z-PULSE

Grant in 2025
Z-PULSE, a spin-off from the University of Surrey, creates wearable health sensors that run on their own power.

KYMIRA

Grant in 2024
KYMIRA is an e-commerce company specializing in smart garments and textiles designed to enhance athletic performance and overall well-being. The company develops innovative products that utilize compression fabric combined with infrared and sensor technology. These garments harness and recycle the energy generated by athletes, aiming to improve performance, address chronic health issues, reduce injury risks, and enhance sleep quality. Additionally, KYMIRA's products provide valuable data insights for both men and women, enabling sports enthusiasts to optimize their training and recovery processes.

Holly Health

Grant in 2023
Holly Health is a digital health coaching application that assists individuals in transforming their health intentions into actionable daily habits for improved mental and physical wellbeing. Utilizing proprietary AI systems, the service mimics the support of a human health coach, offering personalized guidance to users. The application features tools such as habit reminders, tailored health content, and progress tracking, all aimed at helping users establish and maintain healthier routines. Recognized as one of the top health apps for weight management, stress reduction, wellness, and sleep, Holly Health achieved a notable evaluation score of 89% from ORCHA, a leading health app assessment organization. Launched internationally in Summer 2021, the company aims to support five million individuals by 2025 and is actively partnering with primary care practices in the UK, having established over 100 collaborations to date.

Holly Health

Seed Round in 2023
Holly Health is a digital health coaching application that assists individuals in transforming their health intentions into actionable daily habits for improved mental and physical wellbeing. Utilizing proprietary AI systems, the service mimics the support of a human health coach, offering personalized guidance to users. The application features tools such as habit reminders, tailored health content, and progress tracking, all aimed at helping users establish and maintain healthier routines. Recognized as one of the top health apps for weight management, stress reduction, wellness, and sleep, Holly Health achieved a notable evaluation score of 89% from ORCHA, a leading health app assessment organization. Launched internationally in Summer 2021, the company aims to support five million individuals by 2025 and is actively partnering with primary care practices in the UK, having established over 100 collaborations to date.

Boost Innovations

Grant in 2023
Boost Innovations focuses on developing products specifically for women, with a particular emphasis on enhancing comfort and confidence. The company specializes in creating breast prostheses designed to provide both security and usability for users, especially those who have undergone surgery. Their innovative breast forms are crafted to remain secure within post-surgery underwear and are suitable for various activities, including swimming and exercising. By prioritizing breathability and functionality, Boost Innovations aims to meet the unique needs of its customers, ensuring they feel comfortable and confident in their daily lives.

BrightSign

Grant in 2023
BrightSign Technology Limited is a company based in London, United Kingdom, that specializes in developing wearable technology solutions aimed at assisting individuals with speech disabilities. Founded in 2017, BrightSign has created a data glove embedded with sensors designed to translate sign language and hand gestures into text and speech. This innovative glove features built-in hardware, including a small display screen for visual output and a speaker for audio output, eliminating the need for external smart devices. The company's technology leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to enable effective communication for users, including children with speech disabilities and individuals affected by conditions such as strokes and autism. BrightSign's mission is to empower millions of individuals with non-verbal disabilities, allowing them to engage directly with the public without the need for an interpreter.

spacebands

Grant in 2023
Spacebands develops software and wearable technology focused on enhancing workplace safety. The company's primary product is a wearable watch that monitors social distancing and decibel levels. This device alerts users through beeping and vibrating when they are too close to another individual wearing the same technology. By providing an affordable and effective solution for social distancing and contact tracing, Spacebands aims to create safer environments in various professional settings.

KYMIRA

Grant in 2023
KYMIRA is an e-commerce company specializing in smart garments and textiles designed to enhance athletic performance and overall well-being. The company develops innovative products that utilize compression fabric combined with infrared and sensor technology. These garments harness and recycle the energy generated by athletes, aiming to improve performance, address chronic health issues, reduce injury risks, and enhance sleep quality. Additionally, KYMIRA's products provide valuable data insights for both men and women, enabling sports enthusiasts to optimize their training and recovery processes.

Emm

Seed Round in 2022
Emm is focused on creating innovative consumer health tools that empower individuals to manage their health effectively. The company has developed a wearable device aimed at enhancing reproductive health by providing users with biometric data that offers actionable insights into their unique reproductive profiles. This technology enables users and their healthcare providers to identify potential health issues and optimize reproductive health outcomes, thereby improving the overall quality of life. Emm's approach combines advanced technology with specialized knowledge to enhance personal health management.

Brainstem Digital Health

Grant in 2022
Brainstem is a DePIN to collect and utilise wearable health data. Our mission is to revolutionize healthcare and improve lives through remote screening, ongoing monitoring, digital treatment alternatives, and tools to share data with practitioners, researchers, and others. We are committed to building a network of users who are willing to share their data and embracing collaboration with smart minds to speed innovation. With our vision of being a 24/7 virtual health assistant specializing in sleep, mental, cardio, and neuro health, we are at the forefront of digital health.

SCALED

Grant in 2022
SCALED is a material innovation business inspired by nature that creates flexible and protective wearables.

Acurable

Grant in 2022
Acurable Limited is a MedTech start-up based in London that specializes in the design and commercialization of a wearable sensor-based health care device aimed at diagnosing and managing respiratory conditions in a non-invasive manner. The company's flagship product, AcuPebble, allows for the diagnosis of sleep apnea and the monitoring of various respiratory and cardiac conditions through advanced algorithms that analyze acoustic signals. This technology, which emerged from a decade of research at Imperial College London, provides more accurate readings than existing solutions, significantly reducing the risk of misdiagnosis. AcuPebble is designed for home use, requiring no specialist training, which helps lower healthcare costs. Acurable's mission is to gain a comprehensive understanding of human biosignals to ensure that treatable conditions do not result in preventable deaths.

MiiCare

Grant in 2021
MiiCare is an innovative company that has developed an AI-powered Home Care Platform tailored for older adults, their families, and caregivers. This platform aims to transform living spaces into safe and connected environments, promoting active aging through a focus on prevention and personalized care. MiiCare integrates various technologies, including telehealth devices, passive sensors, and acoustic sensing, to monitor health determinants such as physical environment, vital signs, and mental well-being. Central to its approach is a conversational AI named Monica, which serves as a Digital Health Coach. Monica engages with users to ensure medication adherence, encourage healthy habits, and provide personalized digital therapeutic content. By enabling remote care delivery and comprehensive assessments of well-being, MiiCare supports caregivers in reducing costs and hospitalizations while enhancing the overall quality of care for aging individuals.

MiiCare

Grant in 2021
MiiCare is an innovative company that has developed an AI-powered Home Care Platform tailored for older adults, their families, and caregivers. This platform aims to transform living spaces into safe and connected environments, promoting active aging through a focus on prevention and personalized care. MiiCare integrates various technologies, including telehealth devices, passive sensors, and acoustic sensing, to monitor health determinants such as physical environment, vital signs, and mental well-being. Central to its approach is a conversational AI named Monica, which serves as a Digital Health Coach. Monica engages with users to ensure medication adherence, encourage healthy habits, and provide personalized digital therapeutic content. By enabling remote care delivery and comprehensive assessments of well-being, MiiCare supports caregivers in reducing costs and hospitalizations while enhancing the overall quality of care for aging individuals.

MiiCare

Grant in 2020
MiiCare is an innovative company that has developed an AI-powered Home Care Platform tailored for older adults, their families, and caregivers. This platform aims to transform living spaces into safe and connected environments, promoting active aging through a focus on prevention and personalized care. MiiCare integrates various technologies, including telehealth devices, passive sensors, and acoustic sensing, to monitor health determinants such as physical environment, vital signs, and mental well-being. Central to its approach is a conversational AI named Monica, which serves as a Digital Health Coach. Monica engages with users to ensure medication adherence, encourage healthy habits, and provide personalized digital therapeutic content. By enabling remote care delivery and comprehensive assessments of well-being, MiiCare supports caregivers in reducing costs and hospitalizations while enhancing the overall quality of care for aging individuals.

BrainWaveBank

Grant in 2019
BrainWaveBank, established in 2015, is a UK-based brain health research company. It specializes in developing data-centric solutions to track and understand cognitive health. The company's flagship product, also named BrainWaveBank, is a wearable EEG headset that measures brain activity while users engage in mobile games, enabling daily tracking of cognitive health at home. This data is securely stored and analyzed, creating neurocognitive profiles for individuals and populations, and aiding clinical professionals in advancing brain health research and treatments. The company has offices in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Dublin, Ireland.

Emteq Labs

Grant in 2018
Emteq Labs, established in 2015 and based in Brighton, UK, specializes in developing brain-computer interface technology. The company's core product is a pair of facial wearables, akin to glasses, which understand and interpret the expressions and emotions of the wearer. This is achieved through advanced AI techniques, enabling enhanced Human-Computer Interaction, Human Augmentation, and Emotion Analytics. Emteq's platform measures, monitors, and improves mood, health, and performance, allowing users to personalize their training and treatment.

Andiamo

Grant in 2018
Andiamo is a digital clinic focused on providing specialized care for neuromuscular conditions, starting with cerebral palsy. The company offers a custom medical wearables platform that allows families to connect with specialists conveniently and efficiently. By leveraging technology, Andiamo aims to improve access to healthcare resources and support for those affected by neuromuscular disorders, ensuring that families receive the necessary care when and where they need it.

Current Health

Grant in 2017
Current Health Limited, founded in 2014 and based in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, specializes in developing wearable healthcare devices that monitor patients' vital signs. These devices are designed to measure key health metrics such as oxygen saturation, respiration rate, pulse rate, temperature, motion, activity, and posture, allowing for the early identification of unwell patients and timely medical intervention. The company also offers a patient monitoring platform that facilitates home-based care by enabling patients to share daily activities, report symptoms, and respond to structured questionnaires for their healthcare providers. By focusing on remote patient management, Current Health aims to reduce healthcare risks and costs while enhancing patient engagement and monitoring. Formerly known as Snap40 Limited, the company rebranded in December 2018 to better reflect its mission.

BrainWaveBank

Grant in 2017
BrainWaveBank, established in 2015, is a UK-based brain health research company. It specializes in developing data-centric solutions to track and understand cognitive health. The company's flagship product, also named BrainWaveBank, is a wearable EEG headset that measures brain activity while users engage in mobile games, enabling daily tracking of cognitive health at home. This data is securely stored and analyzed, creating neurocognitive profiles for individuals and populations, and aiding clinical professionals in advancing brain health research and treatments. The company has offices in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Dublin, Ireland.

Sky Medical Technology

Grant in 2015
Sky Medical Technology Limited develops innovative neuromuscular electro-stimulation medical devices aimed at enhancing vascular health. Their flagship products include the geko device, which stimulates the common peroneal nerve to activate muscle pumps and improve blood flow, and the firefly device, designed for athletes to enhance lower limb circulation for quicker recovery. The company's OnPulse™ therapy represents a significant advancement in bioelectronic medicine, offering clinically proven solutions for various acute and chronic circulatory conditions, including the prevention of blood clots, treatment of swelling post-surgery, and management of non-healing wounds. These devices are utilized by healthcare professionals, including surgeons, nurses, physiotherapists, and podiatrists, across NHS and private hospitals, as well as in clinical studies. Sky Medical Technology distributes its products globally, reaching markets in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. Founded in 2006 and based in High Wycombe, United Kingdom, the company addresses the needs of over forty million individuals facing vascular-related health challenges.
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