Discovery Park has welcomed eight promising cardiovascular and cardiometabolic health startups to its Sandwich, Kent campus.
The cohort is embarking on the ‘Discovery Spark’ business growth programme, championing and supporting early-stage businesses working on innovations in heart health.
The early-stage companies were selected from a wide pool based on the need for their innovation, the uniqueness of their solution and the strength of their team.
Over the next six weeks, the companies will attend expert-led sessions focused on investor readiness, covering essential business topics from intellectual property to branding.
The programme culminates with a pitch day on 16 October, offering the chance to receive up to £250K investment from venture capital firm Zinc and the opportunity for free lab or office space at Discovery Park.
As the fifth iteration of the Spark programme, the cohort’s focus on heart health was selected for its high burden on lives, with cardiovascular diseases accounting for one in four of all deaths in the UK.
There is also a significant gender health gap for heart diseases, with women less likely to receive the appropriate diagnostic tests and treatments. Despite often being seen as a “man’s disease”, heart disease kills more than twice as many women as breast cancer in the UK every year.
Programme lead Renos Savva, head of innovation and venture development at Discovery Park, said: “These eight startups have huge potential to deliver life-saving solutions for heart health, and it’s incredibly inspiring to consider what they could achieve with the right support, network and infrastructure.
“The Spark programme is a key part of Discovery Park’s commitment to early-stage businesses, sharing business skills to enable founders to secure investment and grow in a challenging business landscape.”
Emilie Syed, principal, healthcare, Zinc, added: “Cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases remain the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, yet innovation in these areas continues to lag behind their global burden.
“Zinc is excited to partner with Discovery Park on the 5th cohort of the Discovery Spark programme, leveraging science-based innovation to make an impact in this area of unmet clinical need.”
Hosted by Kent’s innovation ecosystem Discovery Park, Cohort 5.0 is partnered with Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex, providing participants with valuable contacts across NHS and academia, plus Zinc VC, delivering direct connections to potential investors.
The programme is also designed to provide opportunities for early-stage companies to grow a network of peers, mentors and expert advisors, as part of a friendly and collaborative cohort.
Discovery Park: Cohort 5.0 Participants (listed alphabetically)
Coblum
Coblum empowers bystanders to save lives when cardiac arrest strikes. By automating CPR and defibrillation, their device removes panic and skill barriers to deliver complete first
aid within seconds. No skills. No strength. Just set it up — Coblum takes over.
Dimension Biotechnologies
Dimension aims to make microvascular disease (damage to the microscopic blood vessels that feed organs with a constant supply of blood) routinely detectable by doctors. They are developing the first liquid biopsies for microvascular health and disease, providing insight into currently inaccessible parts of the circulatory system for earlier diagnosis and treatment.
HeartGuard
HeartGuard aims to make heart health simple, convenient and accessible. A smartphone application and newsletter helps to alleviate some of the mental health burdens of living with heart disease, coupled with a supplement to support physical heart health.
MediPacks
MediPacks is developing next-generation pharmaceutical solutions for use in medical emergencies outside of the hospital, with an initial focus on cardiovascular events such as heart attacks. Their mission is to empower faster intervention, reduce avoidable deaths, and transform emergency care at the community level.
Oxy Genomics
Focusing on women’s cardiovascular health, Oxy Genomics is aiming to transform cardiovascular disease detection through advanced multiomics and AI technologies, which can identify novel, early-stage biomarkers that traditional diagnostics often miss.
Persis Health Innovation (PHI)
PHI is developing a non-invasive, AI-powered biosensor that detects key cardiovascular biomarkers. They are aiming to transform the future of women’s health through earlier detection and preventive care for cardiovascular disease.
QDR Health
QDR Health is building a clinical and financial operating system for heart failure, anchored by a predictive algorithm, a clinician tool, and a patient-facing AI agent. They aim to support timely and appropriate follow-up care, improving health outcomes.
SignaCor
SignaCor is a clinical stage drug development company developing a first-in-class treatment for symptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (thickening of the heart muscle), going beyond symptom management to target the underlying disease pathology.
