Novartis: Health Hub Accelerator 2020 finalists announced

At Novartis UK, we are passionate about harnessing the power of digital and working with health tech pioneers to build a healthier tomorrow for all patients. In 2019, we partnered with Wayra UK to launch The Health Hub to support start-ups developing innovative tech to address today’s healthcare challenges. This year, a renewed call for the 2020 cohort was announced looking for start-ups and small and medium enterprises with digital solutions to help address the medium to long term challenges for the NHS created by COVID-19.

Irfan Mohammed, Strategic Partnership Lead, Novartis UK, said: “Being completely unbossed, and having the flexibility to make our own decisions, we were able to quickly pivot, and change our priorities to respond to what was, in effect, a rapidly emerging public health crisis at a scale never seen before – a real-world problem that we could address quickly through our Biome UK approach.”

“In April, we made a renewed call for applications to our Health Hub Accelerator in partnership with Wayra UK, Telefonica’s open innovation facility. Together, as the Novartis Biome UK, we’re unearthing some of the best digital healthcare ideas from the health tech ecosystem, and partnering entrepreneurial start-ups with all the resources a company such as Novartis can provide.”

This year’s Health Hub Accelerator finalists were announced at our virtual launch event on 20th July and the three chosen finalists were Albert Health, MedWise and Vinehealth. Read more about the finalists below:

Albert Health

Albert Health is a voice-based health assistant app that ‘helps patients to take the right dose at the right time and make life easier for caregivers.’ The app supports medication adherence with a user-friendly medication management tool, particularly useful for elderly patients who may find it difficult to keep track of their medicine schedule. The app also offers other features such as symptom checking, stock tracking, and a medical diary. Albert Health has provided a smart digital solution to the increased demand for telemedicine due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

MedWise

MedWise is an artificial intelligence powered platform that indexes biomedical journal articles and guidelines to provide instant answers to clinical queries. It also connects clinicians to other clinicians to discuss complex patient cases, share knowledge and help facilitate a collaborative decision-making process. MedWise is able to reduce the time it takes for clinicians to find the latest evidence and guidance to make better and informed decisions for their patients.

Vinehealth

Vinehealth app combines behavioural science and artificial intelligence to support patients during their cancer treatment and optimise care. The app allows cancer patients to manage their medication and appointments, keep track of symptoms and access cancer advice and guidance. Managing cancer can be complex and Vinehealth has partnered with leading cancer institutions to provide a digital solution to empower cancer patients to feel more in control of their treatment journey.

Bruno Moraes, Country Manager at Wayra UK, said, “In a very short time the Health Hub has solidified its significance in the digital healthcare space in the UK and strengthened the partnership between Wayra and Novartis. The launching event had over 200 people attending from across the country and from abroad.”

“We are proud that Health Hub 2020 is happening at such a crucial time for healthcare in the UK. The three new start-ups will help the NHS to deal with the future challenges created by COVID-19 and we look forward to creating a healthier, better and stronger future with them.”

Albert Health, MedWise and Vinehealth will gain access to a wealth of support, including investment, mentoring, networking, residency and access to a range of commercial and healthcare masterclasses. At the end of the programme, the start-ups will be supported to establish ongoing relationships with the wider health tech ecosystem, the NHS and Novartis.