Nowadays, there's an app for pretty much anything you may need, and the startup behind breastfeeding and early parental care app LatchAid has secured around £1 million (€1.19 million) to fund its growth.
Dr Chen Mao Davies with lead investor Dan Cobley. Credit: LatchAid
Secured through seed funding and a £510,000 (€610,444) grant through Innovate UK, the money will help the firm bring its app to new mothers, helping them with issues such as post-natal depression, breastfeeding support and loneliness.
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Founded by former visual effects artist-turned R&D specialist Dr Chen Mao Davies, the app was born out of her own difficulties in early motherhood.
She said it "can be difficult" to initially secure funding for a women's-oriented healthcare app, "but if you can find the right investors, great ideas and a great team will ultimately attract funding.”
The UK has among the lowest rates of breastfeeding in the world, with as many as 90% giving up before they want to owing to physical pain. Only 48% continue breastfeeding past 6-8 weeks and a 2016 study suggests only 0.5% of mothers in the UK continue for a year after the birth of their baby.
It has already won grants from several places, including a Covid-19 Fast Response grant, a Sustainable Innovation Fund grant, the prestigious Women in Innovation Award from Innovate UK and grants from NHS Improvement, UnLtd, the EU, and the Health Foundation.
The app offers interactive 3D models to teach new skills or can integrate users into peer-to-peer support groups where they can exchange advice, support, or guidance. The app also has an AI-controlled chatbot that can provide any relevant links or aid or connect users with experts.
The latest wave of funding will almost entirely be used to bolster its B2B offerings, primarily to healthcare providers, as a licensed app and to insurance companies.
Other goals include adapting the services of the app to include a 1000-day support package - from as close as possible to conception until the baby is two years old - enhancing the 3D model renders and adding cross-platform capabilities for iOS and Android.
“Chen has already achieved so much with such limited resources. I am convinced that, with this funding and the support of such a great group of investors, LatchAid will grow to be an amazing force for good in this critical health area, first in the UK and then across the world," said lead investor Dan Cobbley, former head of Google UK and co-founder of ClearScore and Salary Finance.
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LatchAid is currently available in 84 countries and offers 24/7 digital support for users.
It recently completed a pilot with 12 NHS Trusts and the HCRG Group which reportedly demonstrated "positive health economic benefits."
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