The UK is emerging as one of the strongest digital health ecosystems outside the U.S. By the end of 2024, health tech startups in the UK were valued at £32 billion, having raised a combined £27.4 billion in capital alongside £865 million in grant funding, with an average of £9.6 million per company.
What makes the UK distinct is the combination of deep scientific expertise, National Health Service (NHS) integration, and a steady pipeline of startups turning research into usable products. Academic spin-outs are creating global drug discovery platforms, while newer entrants are reshaping access to care, whether through clinical trials, elder care, or personalized health apps.
This list focuses on companies with visible traction: those raising significant funding, securing NHS and pharma partnerships, and expanding internationally. Some are publicly traded, others still early, but all are shaping how digital health evolves inside and outside the UK.
22 Digital Health Startups Leading the Way in the UK
1. Exscientia
Founded: 2012 | Location: Oxford (spin-out from Dundee) | Category: AI drug discovery (small molecules)
Exscientia designs small-molecule drugs using its AI platform, cutting discovery timelines from years to months. It raised $510M in Europe’s largest biotech IPO (2021) and was acquired by U.S.-based Recursion in 2024 for $688M. The company works with global pharma on AI-led discovery programs and exemplifies how UK spinouts are scaling from academic labs into global biotech leaders.
2. Healthily (also known as Your.MD)
Founded: 2013 | Location: Bournemouth | Category: AI symptom checker and preventative health
Healthily provides an AI-driven symptom checker and self-care platform for consumers. It has raised a $30M Series A round in 2020, led by Reckitt Benckiser. The app aims to reduce avoidable GP visits by triaging symptoms and nudging preventive care. Healthily is one of the earliest UK digital health companies to scale into consumer self-care.
3. Healx
Founded: 2014 | Location: Cambridge | Category: AI drug discovery for rare diseases
Healx uses AI to repurpose existing drugs for rare diseases. Backed by Atomico and others, it raised $47M in 2024 (Series C) and advanced a lead program into FDA-cleared phase 2 trials for NF1. Its platform, Healnet, combines patient insights with data-driven discovery, tackling conditions often overlooked by traditional pharma.
4. Strolll
Founded: 2019 | Location: Staffordshire (UK) | Category: AR therapy for neurological neuro-rehab
Strolll develops AR software to support rehab for Parkinson’s, stroke, and MS patients. It raised £10M in early 2025 to expand sales, regulatory approvals, and U.S. partnerships. Clinical trials have shown strong usability and adherence. Strolll blends gaming-style design with regulated digital therapy for neurological care.
5. e-therapeutics
Founded: 2001 | Location: Westminster, London | Category: Computational drug discovery (RNAi therapeutics)
e‑therapeutics combines computational biology and RNAi chemistry to target liver diseases. In 2024, it raised £28.9M from M&G and Griffiths after delisting from AIM. Its HepNet™ and GalOmic™ platforms are now incorporating large language models to improve discovery workflows. The move reflects both the resilience and funding pressures of UK biotech.
6. Causaly
Founded: 2018 | Location: Camden, London | Category: AI biomedical research platform
Causaly provides an AI platform that helps researchers query biomedical literature and datasets in seconds. It has raised $93M to date, including a $60M Series B in 2023 led by ICONIQ. Customers include pharma, regulators, and academics. Its positioning as an “evidence graph for biomedicine” makes it a key UK SaaS export.
7. Numan
Founded: 2018 | Location: Camden, London | Category: Digital men’s health platform
Numan offers online consultations, prescriptions, and diagnostics focused on men’s health. It raised £30M in 2022 from White Star and Novator, bringing total funding to $113M. The company also acquired Swedish startup Vi Health to expand into AI triage. Numan is one of the UK’s best-funded consumer health brands with pan-European ambitions.
8 Eolas Medical
Founded: 2019 | Location: United Kingdom (NHS-focused) | Category: Clinician knowledge management platform
Eolas Medical provides a platform that consolidates clinical guidelines and protocols into one searchable interface. It is now used by 80% of NHS trusts, reaching 200K clinicians. The company raised $2.8M in 2022 to expand adoption. Eolas highlights how clinician-led design can achieve unusually deep NHS penetration.
9. Lifebit
Founded: 2017 | Location: London (City) | Category: Cloud genomics and federated health data AI
Lifebit enables secure analysis of genomic and clinical data without moving the data itself. It has raised $60M from Tiger Global and Eurazeo, alongside InnovateUK grants. Lifebit runs national population genomics programs, including Genomics England. Its federated approach makes it a key infrastructure play for precision medicine.
10. BenevolentAI
Founded: 2013 | Location: Camden, London (with research hub in Cambridge) | Category: AI drug discovery / precision medicine
BenevolentAI’s platform uncovers novel drug targets from biomedical data. It raised €225M via SPAC in 2022 and secured a $594M deal with Merck KGaA. After delisting from Euronext in 2025, it refocused on tech-first partnerships over internal drug development. The shift highlights both the promise and volatility of UK AI biotech models.
11. Lottie
Founded: 2021 | Location: London | Category: Social care marketplace (care homes, home care, retirement living)
Lottie is a digital marketplace for care homes and elder services. It raised $21M in a 2023 Series A led by Accel, bringing total funding to $31.7M. The platform now serves 500K+ monthly users and partners with 4,000+ providers. It topped the 2025 Startups 100 ranking, reflecting rapid traction in a traditionally fragmented sector.
12. Gaia Family
Founded: circa 2019 | Location: London (UK-founded, serving UK and beyond) | Category: Femtech / IVF financing platform
Gaia Family (commonly known as Gaia) offers financing and insurance products to make IVF more affordable (£2,000–£4,000 as of writing), with repayment tied to successful outcomes. It raised $20M in a 2022 Series A led by Atomico and has backing from Lloyd’s of London. The company was named one of Wired’s “hottest startups in London” and is pioneering a financial layer for fertility care.
13. Current Health
Founded: 2014 | Location: Edinburgh | Category: Remote patient monitoring (wearables + AI)
Current Health makes wearable and at-home monitoring devices integrated with AI-driven clinical dashboards. It was acquired by Best Buy in 2021 for $400M (and sold back to the founder in 2025), marking one of the UK’s largest digital health exits. The platform has been deployed across NHS trusts and U.S. hospital systems. It reflects strong demand for “hospital at home” infrastructure.
14. Lindus Health
Founded: 2021 | Location: London (UK) | Category: Clinical trial automation (anti-CRO)
Lindus Health calls itself the “anti-CRO,” offering a tech-enabled platform to run faster and cheaper clinical trials. It raised $55M in a 2025 Series B from Balderton and others, bringing total funding to $81.3M. To date, it has run 42 trials across Europe and North America. Its vertically integrated model is attracting attention from pharma and regulators alike.
15. ZOE
Founded: 2017 | Location: Lambeth, London | Category: Personalized nutrition (AI, genomics, microbiome)
ZOE delivers at-home microbiome and blood testing with an app that personalizes diet recommendations. It has raised ~£90M to date, including £11.7M in 2024 for U.S. expansion. A 2024 Nature Medicine study validated its program’s cardiometabolic impact, though experts caution on over-reliance on biomarkers. ZOE sits at the crossover of consumer health and clinical science.
16. PharmAppy
Founded: 2022 | Location: Manchester (UK) | Category: Patient-facing pharmacy app fully integrated with pharmacy workflows
PharmAppy integrates directly with pharmacy workflows, letting patients track prescriptions, book services, and message their pharmacist. It’s backed by angel investors, including an undisclosed six-figure sum by Invatech Health’s CEO. PharmAppy is now in use by one of the UK’s top 10 pharmacy chains. The platform aims to modernize patient engagement and reduce missed scripts.
17. Novai
Founded: circa 2020 | Location: UK (Reading) | Category: Early glaucoma and retinal disease diagnostics (DARC technology)
Novai’s DARC technology uses biomarkers and AI-enhanced imaging to spot glaucoma, AMD, and other neuro-degenerative conditions years earlier than current methods. Phase 2 trials have shown predictive power up to 36 months in advance. Named in the 2025 Startups 100, Novai is advancing to larger trials and regulatory pathways. It’s raised $11.1M.
18. Siloton
Founded: ~2020 | Location: Bristol | Category: Eye imaging via photonic OCT chips
Siloton is developing photonic chips for compact eye imaging, enabling at-home scans for conditions like macular degeneration. It has raised ~£1.7M and partnered with Moorfields and NHS trusts. Early trials in 2024 captured the first human retinal images using its coin-sized chip, potentially saving the NHS over £1B annually.
19. Enbiosis Biotechnology
Founded: circa 2021 | Location: London | Category: AI-driven gut microbiome personalization
Enbiosis uses microbiome analysis and AI to design personalized diets and supplements. A 2024 RCT published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology showed superior IBS outcomes versus low-FODMAP diets. The startup has won UK government awards and Bayer accelerator backing, making it one of the most clinically validated gut health platforms. It’s raised $1.5M.
20. XR Therapeutics
Founded: 2020 | Location: Newcastle / North East England | Category: XR-enhanced therapy for anxiety and mental health
XR Therapeutics develops immersive XR programs to support treatment of anxiety disorders and autism. Its tech has been trialled with NHS trusts, showing 90%+ of patients report reduced symptoms. The company raised £925K from the North East Innovation Fund and is expanding its Boundless platform for PTSD and psychosis.
21. Untap Health
Founded: 2021 | Location: London | Category: Wastewater-based disease detection and early warning
Untap Health builds plug-and-play sensors that track pathogens like COVID-19, flu, and norovirus in sewage, providing early outbreak warnings. It raised £1.1M pre-seed in 2022 and has since published peer-reviewed validation studies. The model positions wastewater as a low-cost public health surveillance tool.
22. Cogs AI
Founded: 2021 | Location: London | Category: Neurodivergent mental health support app
Cogs AI, co-founded by Zareen Ali and Felix de Grey, builds mental health tools designed with and for neurodivergent users. Features include text, voice, and drawing journaling, sensory-friendly activities, and burnout tracking. Early NHS contracts gave the app to 15,000 ADHD and autism patients, with reported 30%+ symptom improvement. The startup has raised ~£650K from Innovate UK and others.
Signals for Investors: What these Startups Reveal
- AI drug discovery is a UK stronghold.
Exscientia, BenevolentAI, Healx, Causaly, and e-therapeutics anchor a cluster that has attracted billions in funding and global pharma deals. Their models show how British academic depth and computational expertise converge into exportable biotech platforms.
- Personalized health is moving mainstream.
Startups like ZOE, Enbiosis, and Healthily highlight consumer appetite for tailored nutrition, microbiome insights, and preventative care. These platforms blur the line between wellness and clinical care—an area investors are watching as payers demand outcomes.
- Digital delivery is broadening beyond GP access.
Current Health, Numan, Lindus Health, and Lottie illustrate new layers of digital-first infrastructure—ranging from at-home monitoring and obesity care to trial automation and elder care marketplaces. These businesses tap into systemic NHS pressures while creating scalable SaaS and B2B models.
- Mental health innovation is diversifying.
XR Therapeutics and Cogs AI show how founders are building condition-specific and neurodivergent-focused tools. Unlike generic therapy apps, these solutions are clinically targeted, often NHS-integrated, and designed for underserved communities—opening distinct markets.
- NHS integration is both an edge and a challenge.
Eolas Medical, Novai, and Siloton underscore how embedding into NHS workflows can create strong validation and defensibility. But they also reveal the friction of scaling within public healthcare systems, requiring careful iteration and procurement strategy.
Final Thoughts on Digital Health Startups in the UK
As other markets wrestle with fragmented infrastructure, the UK is quietly producing globally relevant healthtech: platforms that prove new science can scale, that consumer care can be personalized, and that public systems can adopt innovation. For anyone watching where the next generation of digital health leaders will come from, the UK is firmly on the map.
Check out our other rounds up on the top digital health startups in India and the Middle East.
