PocDoc has taken its pre-Series A funding past £10 million after raising £5m from MMC Ventures, Molten VC, Simplyhealth Ventures and KHP Ventures, the first NHS-anchored venture fund.
The Cambridge-based HealthTech startup says the raise is the UK’s largest ever pre-Series A funding round for a digital diagnostics company.
Launched in 2020, PocDoc is revolutionising access to cardio, metabolic and renal diseases by enabling patients to use smartphone-based technology to undertake screenings that provide almost instant results in workplaces, communities and at home.
In 2024 the firm says it has experienced explosive growth in both the public and private sectors.
In the summer, it unveiled its first-of-its kind integration into the NHS app, enabling patients to undertake its ‘Healthy Heart Check’ – a point-of-care diagnostic test for Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) that lets patients see their results immediately in the NHS app.
To date, the Healthy Heart Check service has been used by tens of thousands of patients across the country and patient feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with 97% saying they would recommend the service to a family member or friend.
With the NHS actively seeking to make digital health checks more widely available, PocDoc has been commissioned in a number of NHS regions to increase access to critical screening for cardio, metabolic and renal diseases, particularly in areas of health inequality.
In the pharmacy sector, PocDoc’s commitment to community pharmacy has continued apace. The business has launched a national partnership with Asda, while continuing to scale its relationship with Pharmacy2U and Lincolnshire Co-op Pharmacy. A number of other notable high street chains are set to launch PocDoc’s Healthy Heart Check before the end of the year.
Cancer & dementia battle boost as UK genetics partnership signed
The new investment will support the company’s continued rapid growth, fuelled by its growing list of pharmacy, retail, and corporate partnerships, as well as its deepening relationships with the NHS across the UK.
“Today’s announcement of our heavily oversubscribed investment round is a major endorsement of our incredible technology and our journey to date,” said Steve Roest, CEO and co-founder.
“We are delighted to see such healthy interest in our vision of revolutionising access to screening from the investment community and we’re thrilled to have Molten Ventures, MMC Ventures, and Simplyhealth Ventures investing.
“The inclusion of KHP Ventures as a fund backed by NHS institutions is a clear signal of our NHS traction and alignment with overall NHS priorities – we couldn’t be happier that they’re investing in our journey.
“Prevention is the lifeblood of our business. Through our screening technology we believe we can drive a fundamental shift in how we treat chronic diseases, helping people detect problems earlier and faster, get treatment sooner, and, in doing so, reduce the burden on under pressure health services.
“As proven by our growing list of partnerships in both public and private sectors and the tens of thousands of people that have already benefitted from PocDoc’s diagnostics, we’re already making a massive impact.
“But the good news is that we’re only just getting started. We have new tests for metabolic, kidney and whole body health in the pipeline, and we’ll be scaling into new international markets next year.”