A company that span out from Newcastle University has secured £3 million funding.
Changing Health is a digital platform designed to help people live healthier lives. Professor
Michael Trenell, a lecturer here at Newcastle, is the Chief Scientific Officer of the company.
On the Changing Health website, Tina from Northamptonshire explains how her symptoms
got worse and worse until she was diagnosed with diabetes, explaining she “lost (her) way”
that is, until she started using the platform. The intervention was a huge success, and in just
12 weeks Tina was able to reverse her type 2 diabetes.
The aim of the platform is to help people “lose weight... feel better and have more
energy”. Made for those who suffer from or are at risk of type 2 diabetes, the platform has
received a £3m investment from Tate & Lyle Ventures, Shift Invest and Northstar Ventures.
John Grumitt, CEO of Changing Health, said “This investment will allow us to reach more
people and support them in new and exciting ways.”
The way it ‘reaches and supports’ as it currently stands is simple. On their phone or
computer, users work through an educational course about diabetes (while 2 in 3 people
with diabetes don’t understand their condition, explains the Changing Health website, only 3
in 100 attend similar courses in person). After that, users gain access to a lifestyle coach,
who helps them come up with a specially-tailored diet and exercise plan.
Changing Health is what’s known as a spin-out, an American term to describe a
business that started life as part of a bigger organisation. In this case, the company began at
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle University. He’s helped
Changing Health have a promising beginning, and now equipped with deeper pockets, it’ll be
interesting to see what the company does next.