Pre-Activ, a platform with the aim of reducing surgical complications through personalised prehabilitation, has just raised £500,000.
Founded by NHS employees, Dr Alec Snow and Dr Rebecca Allam in 2020, the startup optimises patients before surgery using technology that creates individualised programmes.
Similar to rehabilitation but pre-surgery, prehabilitation focuses on improving a patient’s cardiovascular fitness and strength, while also providing nutrition, lifestyle and psychological support to prepare them for their upcoming surgery.
As of April 2024, NHS England’s perioperative mandate requires NHS trusts to integrate prehabilitation into their care protocols. This is largely because surgery complications affect 15-40% of patients but many of these risks can be minimised through effective prehabilitation, according to Pre-Activ.
However including this as a service can bring significant financial challenges for healthcare providers, with face-to-face and telemedicine appointments carrying a price tag of up to £1,000 per patient.
Pre-Activ founders believe their platform can help both patients and healthcare providers and claim their digital approach removes the need for hospital visits and reduces pressure on healthcare providers.
So far the platform has been regarded as a success by its founders as “all users fitness has improved within six weeks by an average of 25.9% and adherence to all sessions prescribed is a staggering 99.6% with 88.4% of patients completing three sessions within seven days.”
“This preliminary data showcases the power of individualised digital prehabilitation. We look forward to releasing the final clinical data within the coming months,” said co-founder and Dr Allam.
The startup’s investment round was led by Exceptional Ventures, with participation from Bethnal Green Ventures alongside Angel Academe and a group of angel investors.
Funding will go towards expanding operations and development efforts.
Alongside closing their pre-seed investment round, the company is also in the final weeks of its clinical trial, in collaboration with Bath University and Royal United Hospitals Bath.
Exceptional Ventures Investment Manager, Michella Botto said: “We are thrilled to partner with Rebecca and Alec on Pre-Activ’s journey to revolutionise the prehabilitation space. Their scalable, evidence-based programmes significantly reduce surgical complications and accelerate recovery, offering a cost-effective solution to the £14 billion burden on the NHS.
“PreActiv’s integration of patient data, support networks, and educational resources makes it a promising innovation in improving surgical outcomes and long-term health.”
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