Having collectively spent over two decades building businesses from the ground up across recruitment, travel and high-end hospitality, it was not their first rodeo. Yet incentifi comes from a very personal place for them both.

“I lost my dad suddenly when I was young, and in recent years my mum has been living with dementia. It really does change your perspective on life,â€� Paul tells ÀϾÅÆ·²èCloud. “You start to think much more about your own health and how important it is to make the most of your time.â€�

After turning 40, he built an online community around a series called ‘Lads & Dads’ which saw him share a video a day highlighting how men his age could look after themselves – and ultimately have more time with their families.

“That is our goal is with incentifi – to create a platform that rewards employees by simply getting their steps in each day, looking after their health and, in return, being rewarded with discounts on their travel and next holiday,â€� Paul explains.

“My co-founder James and I unfortunately share a mutual pain of both losing our dads at a very young age. It is what motivates us everyday with building incentifi.�

Rewinding back to 2013, he founded recruitment-to-recruitment agency Madison Warner, with offices in London and Manchester. He then pivoted during the COVID pandemic to become a luxury travel consultant. Madison Warner was dissolved in 2023.

James, meanwhile, spent 15 years in Las Vegas building a VIP hospitality and corporate events company. He still runs London 2 Vegas today, but has returned to the UK to build incentifi.

“When we met in 2022, we realised we were both watching teams become dramatically more productive, engaged and energised when the reward wasn’t another bonus or voucher, but something experiential such as travel,� says Paul.

“We come from very different industries, but both have taught us the same thing – it is all about putting people first.

“From running our own businesses, we saw first-hand that prioritising the wellbeing of your team is essential to success, as people work harder, smarter and more creatively when they feel heard, rested and healthy.�

James says the UK is the best place to start and grow their startup – contrary to the common narrative that entrepreneurs are desperate to leave the UK. The startup has raised more than £150,000 pre-seed funding under the SEIS scheme and is targeting £500k.

“London is the right place for us to build and grow incentifi: the city has a vibrant startup ecosystem with attractive financial incentives such as the SEIS and EIS schemes which our investors have benefited from,� says Paul.

“The UK also makes sense for us as a market because it has always been at the forefront of employee wellbeing compared to the US. We get a lot more annual leave, parental leave, health insurance – there is just a much bigger emphasis on wellbeing in the UK, so it makes sense to start here and go from there.â€�

Being your own boss means there’s no off switch

incentifi users earn i-Points through daily activity tracked via existing health data from the likes of Apple Health and Google Fit. These points then get converted into i-Coins, which unlock real cash back when booking travel through the incentifi platform.

Coins can be used to reduce the cost of future travel or redeemed for digital gift cards.

“Delivered through employers, we are building a platform that is accessible to every level of the workforce, making wellbeing genuinely motivating and inclusive – and not just a benefit for the few,â€� explains Paul.

“Most wellbeing platforms track behaviour and offer token rewards; a discount here, a voucher there. incentifi does something structurally different: it turns consistent healthy habits into real financial value, not symbolic gestures.

“Rather than a one-off yoga class, employees are working towards something tangible and aspirational – a more affordable holiday.

“The second differentiator is the travel layer itself: incentifi gives employees access to closed user group pricing with wholesale hotel rates unavailable anywhere publicly.

“Before a single point is earned, the platform already delivers exceptional value. Add cashback on top, and the proposition becomes impossible to ignore.�

So what are their growth plans over the next 12 months?

“We are looking to launch our pilot soon, with the aim of fully launching soon after,� says Paul. “We want to ultimately expand into the insurance, healthcare and consumer space, positioning incentifi at the intersection of health, rewards and commerce.

“Our growth strategy is all about scaling through employers first. We recently announced our new partnership with Healf, which we are really excited about, as it will allow incentifi users to take part in Healf-branded challenges such as run clubs, movement challenges and lifestyle activities.

“We want to continue to partner with brands such as Healf to grow incentifi into the best platform available for employee wellbeing.�

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Typically this involves spinning out private companies, with a stake retained by the institution. However the University of York and HealthTech have evolved a very different model.

“We are wholly owned by the University of York,â€� PCMIS co-founder and CEO Byron George tells ÀϾÅÆ·²èCloud. “It puts us in a unique position. We are able to tap into some of the world’s most experienced mental health researchers to help build, test and deploy cutting-edge algorithms to improve patient care.

“It’s a very collaborative and collegial approach… the more innovation we develop, the more sales and revenue are generated from that.

“But we’re not a full-out commercial company, and that puts us in the fantastic position of being able to Gift Aid any profits back to the university to advance further mental health research.â€�

PCMIS develops evidence-based digital case management tools for mental health. It has over 20 years’ experience supporting large-scale healthcare services and mental health programmes such as NHS Talking Therapies.

Able to provide detailed reports into waiting times, treatment outcomes, operational efficiency and more, the firm – which featured on our HealthTech 50 ranking last year – has a dedicated team of just over 20 staff, but its huge network means it can scale rapidly when necessary. 

“Depending on what we need to do at any given moment, we can be 3,000-strong – or 20 experts delivering business as usual!â€� says Byron.

As well as mental health researchers, the extended team might take in experts in finance, marketing comms, innovation, tendering, proposals or wider collaboration with other universities.

“We’re very much positioning our business to be collaborative for the greater good,â€� says Byron.

Data-rich

Recognised as an exemplar in mental health case management, PCMIS is designed in collaboration with mental health experts through evidence-based research to increase patient recovery and reduce treatment costs.

It is widely adopted within the NHS, with tens of thousands of clinicians and healthcare professionals utilising its electronic patient record (EPR) system on a daily basis. However the tech is also utilised across the globe.

PCMIS – innovative, evidence-based case management tools for mental health

“We arguably hold one of the world’s largest, most complete and data-rich mental health patient systems to date,â€� Byron explains. “We have 99.6% data completeness, which is incredible.

“That allows us to deliver services which drive true clinical insight… and develop algorithms to be a predictor in terms of patient care.

“[Under a traditional model] a HealthTech might conduct a research trial; capture some data; do seven years of evaluation; create a novel product; and then go to market. In a fast-paced digital environment, seven years doesn’t cut it. 

“We’ve overcome that by having this deep, embedded relationship with our researchers and leading experts in the entire field of mental health – that means we can develop things, evidence-based, with real-time input from patients.â€�

A billion problems

It’s reported that one in four adults at some point in a given year will need mental health support. 

“If you scale that up, that’s about a billion people across the world currently living with mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression,â€� says Byron. “So we wanted to develop something that was clinically proven, evidence-based, that would help track, manage and improve the lives of people suffering with their mental health.â€�

For example, PCMIS’s outcome feedback technology is able to predict in real-time when patients are not on track with their treatment and inform clinicians that they are at risk of dropping out.

“Based on the research, we can reduce deterioration by 73%,â€� says Byron. “One of the biggest risks is when a patient is receiving treatments but drops out and doesn’t complete; then there’s a risk, if they are referred back in, that it’s going to be harder to achieve reliable recovery or improvement in health.â€�

One of PCMIS’s collaborations, with the University of Oxford, aims to identify new ways of supporting patients in between CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) sessions. 

“We know that routinely 20% of patients will drop out between the initial assessment stage and in treatment; there is a bit of attrition. We’re working with them to identify and analyse that activity to improve the fidelity of the treatment.

“We can help therapists to identify where patients need extra support, and to guide the patient in being able to overcome potential obstacles that may be a barrier to improving their recovery. So it’s very much enhancing that relationship between the therapist and the patient.â€�

In the last decade, PCMIS has also empowered patients to submit routine outcome measures and questionnaires, freeing up valuable time for a clinician to deliver care to patients.

“We’re currently processing over five million outcome measures for services, and that alone is saving close to £400,000 in cost savings,â€� adds Byron. “We routinely have over 80% of patients completing the forms in advance. 

“There’s nothing worse and more frustrating than having an appointment and seeing a healthcare professional having to fill in paperwork rather than delivering care.â€�

Infected blood scandal

Late last year, PCMIS and NHS England launched a new Infected Blood Psychological Service (IBPS) digital pathway to facilitate dedicated psychological support to those infected or affected by the national infected blood scandal.

The new digital pathway, live across England, is part of the, which delivers specialised, trauma-informed psychological and psychosocial care on behalf of the NHS. It ensures that anyone infected or affected, regardless of location, can securely self-refer online and access the support they need through a streamlined, secure digital pathway.

“It was arguably the largest and most complex mental health deployment in recent years,� says Byron. “It was deployed to 16 Trusts: the NHS very rarely does such a large-scale national deployment of such a sensitive and confidential programme. 

“So we were really proud to be recognised and chosen as the supplier of choice for that.�

Talking Therapies

PCMIS is also the provider for the largest NHS Talking Therapies service in the country in Greater Manchester. “They see over 40,000 patients every year just within that one service: it’s four times bigger than the average.

“It’s important for them to optimise their workforce and delivery service, so we weren’t there just as a supplier: it was a truly valued partnership that we built with them to help understand their challenges and how we could deliver support in terms of consolidating multiple complex services into one streamlined system.â€�

Byron adds: “One of the key areas of NHS Talking Therapies is to empower patients in the ability to retain employment or to move back into employment. We are now providing Talking Therapies across Australia, Ireland and Hong Kong, for example, where they’ve adopted a similar model.â€�

Off-piste

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Byron is an advocate of physical activity and sport, with a personal passion for off-piste winter sports. “There’s a lot of evidence to show that a healthy body is a healthy mind. 

“It’s definitely been a saviour for me, when I’ve needed a little bit of clear thinking, to go away and do something quite intensive physically over the weekends and come back with my batteries recharged for Monday.â€�

So what is it that gets him and the team out of bed on the weekday mornings?

“We aren’t financially driven: making a real difference in patient care is what drives us.�

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Founder Dr Jonti Hudson is a practising GP and computer engineer whose real-time AI model is designed to support clinicians during live consultations.

The company’s Consultation Dashboard (CoDa) platform passively listens to conversations between doctors and patients. It then identifies ‘red flags’ signaling possible serious illness and raises them instantly for clinical consideration.

To bring his vision to life, Dr Hudson worked with GM ÀϾÅÆ·²è Growth Hub’s Innovation Service, receiving innovation grant funding and expert guidance to develop the platform.

The innovation grant-funded a five-month product development project which enabled external specialists to complete the required data generation, model tuning, clinical evaluation, and a full system audit. 

The company has strengthened its AI engine, mapped a clear route to regulatory validation, and is forecasting a 1,000% increase in turnover in the next three years having received a £19,100 innovation grant. 

“This project has allowed us to build a stronger and safer AI engine ready for clinical settings,� said Dr Hudson. “The funding accelerated technical development, but the strategic guidance has been equally important. 

“The support helped us understand where our product fits in Greater Manchester’s fast-moving health innovation landscape.�

Dr Yousef Taktak, Innovation Specialist for Health and Life Sciences at GM ÀϾÅÆ·²è Growth Hub, commented that “regulatory alignment and scalable infrastructure planning can be easy to overlook at an early stageâ€�. 

He added: “These are very important foundations, but ones that can be difficult to resource for a HealthTech startup.� 

With his PhD, MBA, and years of experience helping healthcare companies navigate everything from NHS market access to investor pitches, Dr Taktak helped Dr Hudson to take their clinical intuition and translate it into a value proposition that makes commercial sense to people who have never worked a 10-minute consultation. 

“Our aim was to help the company build scalable infrastructure with patient safety at its core,� said Dr Taktak.

In September 2025 Augmented Healthcare presented at the Greater Manchester-Germany Innovation Summit. Following that, the company was selected to join a life sciences trade mission to Ireland in November. 

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Led by Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, and Steve Rotheram, Mayor of Liverpool City Region, the delegation explored Ireland’s evolving healthcare landscape, gaining market insight and identifying the potential for collaboration, innovation and export.  

These opportunities linked Augmented Healthcare to the region’s innovation ecosystem and to international partners.

“Dr Jonti’s journey with Augmented Healthcare is an outstanding example of purpose‑driven innovation making a tangible difference to the healthcare sector,â€� said Yvonne Grady, head of innovation at GM ÀϾÅÆ·²è Growth Hub. 

“They’ve created an incredibly powerful market‑first product that gives clinicians rapid, reliable insight into early signs of serious illness supporting faster decisions, better outcomes, and ultimately safer patient care.�

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Asclepius MedTech, Harmonai Hub and Mind Body Goals will also receive a bespoke package of future support from Innovate UK.

The challenge was launched by Mayor Tracy Brabin in February 2025 to accelerate innovative solutions, products or services to overcome health inequalities among communities in West Yorkshire.

In July 2025, 19 finalists were selected and awarded £20,000 each as well as a package of support to accelerate the development of their solutions. 

Now the three ultimate winners have been announced.

Asclepius MedTech Ltd has developed Surgfit: a remote monitoring system to help hospitals deliver safer and more effective surgical care.

Harmonai Hub has created an AI-powered wellbeing platform for carers, offering personalised support and empowering mental health, resilience and connection.

Mind Body Goals has developed Luma Editions, offering breathwork and mindfulness techniques, providing accessible, preventative mental wellbeing support.

“The Mayor’s big ideas challenge has been an invaluable catalyst for our work,� said Michael Morgan-Curran, CEO, Asclepius MedTech. 

“It has deepened our understanding of the scale of health inequalities across West Yorkshire and allowed us to further develop Surgfit: a practical solution capable of addressing this challenge in a measurable way. This is not the end of the journey – it is the beginning of implementation at pace.â€� 

Dani Deane, founder & CEO, Harmonai Hub, said: “I became a carer at a young age. Like many others in that position, I never saw myself as someone who needed support; I was simply focused on caring for someone else. 

“Over time, the responsibility took a significant toll on my mental health and made me realise how little accessible support exists for carers before they reach crisis point. 

“Winning the Mayor’s big ideas challenge is an incredibly meaningful moment for Harmonai, and the funding will allow us to accelerate our work. For too long, carers have faced some of the highest levels of stress and burnout, with very little support. 

“We’re changing that, so that those who spend their lives caring for others no longer have to suffer in silence.�

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Michael Crinnion, founder, Mind Body Goals, said: “In my 20s, I navigated a very difficult period with my own mental health. Discovering the power of breathwork was a fundamental part of my journey back to wellbeing. 

“My experience as a teacher and senior leader has also shown me the long-term impact that a lack of emotional self-regulation skills has on young people as they grow into adulthood – which is where the idea for Mind Body Goals came from. 

“Standing here today as a winner of the challenge, I am committed to using the funds to ensure that Luma becomes a tool that is accessible for all those in West Yorkshire, so that preventative mental health skills become a normalised and accepted part of everyday healthcare.�

Mayor Brabin said: “Our region is home to endless talent, creativity and ambition, and today I’m thrilled to announce the three winners of our Big Ideas Challenge. 

“Each team will now receive £100,000 to accelerate the development of their life-changing technologies – boosting health and wellbeing throughout West Yorkshire, and creating good skilled jobs in our region.

“By investing in innovation and backing the entrepreneurs who are determined to make a difference, we’re building a stronger, brighter West Yorkshire that works for all.�

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Dr Paul Pantiru says he is offering a new, science-informed approach designed to help users begin to regulate their emotional state in under four minutes.

The app, Radismile, provides short, guided audio experiences built around smiling, breath and nervous-system regulation to help interrupt stress and emotional fatigue.

The platform is structured around a simple four-step framework called R.I.S.E – Regulate, Integrate, Strengthen, Elevate – guiding users through experiences, known as Emotional Supplements, that feel intuitive from first use.

The app has been designed to slot easily into everyday habits, with sessions short enough to use alongside routines such as brushing your teeth, helping users support their emotional wellbeing as naturally as they care for their smile.

Dr Pantiru has been practising for more than 17 years, including over 12 years in the UK. He currently works at Turncroft Dental Practice in Stockport and MyDentist in Hollinwood, and has previously practised across Manchester, the North West and London.

The idea for Radismile emerged from his clinical experience, where he noticed a consistent link between emotional stress, breathing patterns, posture and facial tension. He continued developing this concept alongside training in somatic practice, breathwork, sound healing and holistic therapy. 

“Working in dentistry, I spent years watching how emotion shows up physically in the face and body,� said Dr Pantiru. “A stressed person doesn’t just feel different, their breath, expression and nervous system change. 

“Radismile was designed to help people gently regulate that state in minutes, without needing long meditation sessions or prior experience.�

Unlike traditional meditation or breathwork apps, Radismile uses short three-and-a-half-minute audio practices that work with micro-smiling cues, nervous-system relaxation and intentional breath patterns. 

Alongside these emotional supplements, the app also includes a mood-tracking dashboard that allows users to reflect on emotional patterns over time, identify triggers and track progress in a visual, structured way.

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The platform also generates personalised ‘Smile Rituals’ based on the user’s emotional check-in, offering short activities such as calming breathwork, guided reflection and gratitude journaling. A community feature, named Smile Stories, allows users to share reflections and experiences with others around the world.

The app is designed for busy professionals, healthcare workers and anyone seeking a fast, accessible way to regulate stress during the day.

The app has been self-funded to date with support from collaborators in the digital health sector, and discussions are now underway with health organisations, gyms, dental groups and workplace wellbeing providers to explore integration opportunities.

Radismile is available globally on iOS and Android, launching with a seven-day free trial.

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Research published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) confirms that Holly Health meaningfully improves subjective well-being in people living with multiple chronic conditions.

The research, conducted with University College London (UCL), tracked 565 users over 12 weeks and found significant improvements in life satisfaction, happiness, sense of purpose and anxiety across all age groups, including older adults.

The study also identified how the platform drives change. The app’s chatbot, habit-tracking tools and small-goals framework were found to reduce feelings of loneliness, build self-compassion and support sustained behaviour change. 

Holly Health – digital health coaching for chronic conditions & day-to-day wellbeing

The JMIR publication is believed to be the first peer-reviewed study examining the impact of a digital health app specifically on people with multimorbidity. This group represents one of the NHS’s most complex care challenges, with numbers projected to grow significantly by 2035.

Holly Health, founded by Grace Gimson (pictured) in 2020 and featured on ÀϾÅÆ·²èCloud’s HealthTech 50, is already deployed across more than 200 NHS GP practices and recently announced a white-label partnership with GLL to bring its coaching to over 350,000 leisure centre members nationwide.

Holly Health is backed by the NHS Innovation Accelerator and is now available as a white-label integration for global health and wellness organisations.

The full study is available to read at

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Mari-Carmen Sanchez-Morris has raised £315,000 for her startup Matresa, which aims to provide mothers with personalised, continuous care throughout the maternal journey – from preconception through pregnancy and into postpartum recovery.

Sanchez-Morris’s experience working in paediatric intensive care, combined with her own journey through motherhood, revealed how maternal health needs often go unseen once a baby is born. 

Also founder of The FIT MAMA Way app, she is a health and wellness coach focused on new and expectant mothers.

“Poor maternal healthcare doesn’t exist in isolation. It affects women’s health, careers, families and the wider economy,� she said. 

“Tailored maternal care isn’t a privilege – it’s a necessity. Mothers deserve to feel safe and supported, and we must do more to tackle this crisis.â€�

The pre-seed funding, led by SFC Capital, will accelerate the development and rollout of Matresa’s platform, which is set to launch this summer.

It comes at a critical time for maternal health in the UK, with maternal mortality rates now at their highest level in more than two decades and growing evidence of gaps in support for mothers before and after childbirth. 

Matresa team with Mari-Carmen Sanchez-Morris centre

One in five women in the UK experiences maternal mental health conditions or serious complications following childbirth. Many of these outcomes are preventable with earlier intervention and better continuity of care, yet maternal services remain fragmented and reactive.

Preventable maternal health problems are estimated to cost the UK economy between £13 and £15 billion annually through healthcare spending, lost productivity and long-term social impact. 

Matresa is named after matrescence, the complex transition into motherhood that spans physical, psychological and social change.

It combines clinical expertise, behavioural science and AI-driven insights to deliver personalised maternal health support across pregnancy and early parenthood. 

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The platform focuses on three high-risk periods: maternity leave; the return-to-work transition; and early workforce re-entry.

By supporting mothers during these phases, Matresa helps reduce health risks, workforce drop-out and long-term complications.

Maternal health challenges directly affect workforce participation. Currently, one in three mothers leaves the workforce within a year of childbirth, creating significant economic and organisational impact. 

Replacing a skilled female employee post-maternity can cost employers between £30,000 and £150,000, highlighting the need for preventative maternal support in workplaces. 

In a pilot with a global professional services firm, Matresa says it demonstrated measurable outcomes: wellbeing scores increased from 5.2 to 7.8; productivity rose by 20%; and energy and mood improved by 50%.

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As a co-founder of Talis Capital, Matus Maar led funding rounds for several leading UK tech companies including Darktrace, Onfido and iwoca.

However when the COVID-triggered valuation bubble began to deflate, he found himself drinking every day.

“I lived through over 10 years of a bull run,� he told The Times. “The last really big push was COVID, where suddenly everyone thought they would never step outside their house and everything’s going to be remote forever. Valuations went crazy. 

“Companies that used to trade at 10x revenue were suddenly trading at 35x. And at the same time, their profits were going lower and lower because they were building huge infrastructures.

“When the [correction] happened, it wasn’t just mild, it went really, really deep. The IPO window shut. Apart from some very vulture types of transactions, there was no M&A. It was very difficult. There was a lot of pressure from the LPs [who had invested in funds]. 

“To cope with the stress, I found myself drinking more than I would. I would drink probably every day. While I was definitely high functioning and a lot of people in finance or the City might even find it normal, a lifestyle like that obviously takes a toll.�

Maar, who had previously co-founded Threads Styling – which he exited to Chalhoub Group in 2022 – took the opportunity to go travelling with his family and reset.

He read about the opioid blocker naltrexone, which if taken an hour before drinking limits the feelings of pleasure alcohol generates. And when he returned, he founded Nul in London.

Nul, a fully remote subscription service, combines clinical care and prescription medication, digital treatment pathways and behavioural support.

“Telehealth and online pharmacy platforms have transformed categories like weight loss and mental health, yet alcohol has been left behind despite the scale of the problem,â€� says Maar.

“Nul is about making evidence-based treatment accessible, discreet and compatible with real life.�

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Nul has onboarded more than 120 paying customers since beginning its testing phase last year and already claims to have built an annualised revenue run rate of over £300,000.

The $1m round was led by dmg ventures and BYVP, with participation from angel investors. It will support a full UK commercial launch and prepare the firm for future international expansion, including the US market.

“I want Nul to be a really successful company, but I feel I am a lot more patient now,� Maar told The Times of his decision to stop drinking. 

“I understand what it is to build really sustainable growth, rather than being impatient, maybe half hungover and really just going as fast as possible without stopping.�

Nul is also planning .

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Dr Ramzan Mohammed founded Manchester startup My Dental Buddy in 2023 and says it has developed a ‘world-first’ in AI functionality. 

The platform now offers a live dashboard for supervising tooth brushing sessions and tracking engagement for children and their guardians. At home or in schools, parents, guardians and professionals can access free tools including interactive brushing guides, habit trackers and dentist-approved educational content to reinforce healthy routines.

My Dental Buddy has been awarded a £248,000 two-year oral health programme contract with Oldham Council.

The company is projecting £1.6m of total revenue in the next three years.

Almost half of UK children have gone more than 12 months without a dental check‑up. After witnessing first-hand how reduced access to an NHS dentist impacts on preventable dental disease for children and families, Dr Mohammed founded My Dental Buddy.

His aim was to make oral health education engaging, accessible and sustainable for all children. The service combines national curriculum-aligned sessions in schools with accessible digital tools that continue the learning at home.

“Children’s oral health in the UK is in a real crisis,â€� Dr Mohammed explains. “Tooth decay is the number one reason children aged five to nine are admitted to hospital, and children in the most deprived areas are nearly three times more likely to experience it. 

“With NHS dental access at record lows, more than half of UK children haven’t had a check-up in the last year.�

The platform’s patent-pending real-time AI feedback works with any toothbrush. Using a standard smartphone or tablet camera, the technology analyses brushing in real time. It can track coverage, angle and inferred pressure. 

This gives every child, even those using a simple manual toothbrush, access to immediate and actionable brushing guidance. They plan to launch the AI-enabled product in the coming months, with a wider rollout later this year.

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With support from GM ÀϾÅÆ·²è Growth Hub, My Dental Buddy secured £19,520 in innovation grant funding. This financed the development of the current version of the app, now available on Apple and Android. Close collaboration with the Hub’s Health and Life Sciences Specialist Dr Taktak helped Dr Mohammed to refine the project scope and find the right machine learning specialist.

“The benefits for children are clear,� says Dr Yousef Taktak. “With this AI module, My Dental Buddy can help maintain the improvements achieved through dentist-led interventions and keep plaque levels low between check-ups.�

The commercial potential of My Dental Buddy’s innovation is significant and is gaining momentum fast.

“The UK dental devices sector is worth over £350m and expected to exceed £460m by 2030,� says Dr Taktak. “My Dental Buddy is operating at the cutting-edge of dental technology and is well positioned to thrive.�

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India and Portia Healy O’Connor have raised £2.25 million pre-seed funding to scale Linda AI, an agentic technology which is already live in 50 sites in the UK and Ireland, across the dentistry industry.

The former Goldman Sachs sales and trading professionals grew up around their father’s medical practice, gaining early insight into the operational strain faced by healthcare clinics. 

Their first startup was Xelda, formerly a cashless payments platform and now a developer of pre-accounting automation payments, which is backed by Sequoia Capital and the founders of Irish unicorn Flipdish.

Their second business, Curie, is an AI transcription programme aimed at the medical sector which counts their father Dr Hugh O’ Connor as chief medical officer.

Curie founding engineer Lucio Tudisco, who previously built enterprise systems at Amazon, Patreon, and Circle, has also joined them at Linda AI.

Dental practices continue to rely heavily on phone calls to manage appointments – yet more than 25% of inbound calls are missed. This represents over £8,000 in lost monthly revenue for a typical four-surgery clinic. 

They are now increasingly looking to leverage voice AI to convert missed calls into confirmed bookings and reduce no-show rates. Linda AI’s voice agents are available 24/7, handling overflow, after-hours, and outbound calls to complete bookings, confirmations, and rescheduling workflows end-to-end within existing practice management systems.

“A lot of missed bookings come down to capacity,� said CEO India, who is married to Gloucester and former Ireland rugby player Ross Byrne. “Linda handles inbound calls when front desks are stretched, so clinics don’t miss opportunities while teams focus on patients in the chair.�

The round was led by 6 Degrees Capital and will be used to expand the engineering team, grow the senior sales function, and scale deployments across additional dental practices in Ireland and the UK.

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“Voice AI agents are taking markets by storm, rapidly transforming industries through improved operational efficiency and customer experience,� said Christina Franzeskides, principal at 6 Degrees Capital. 

“The dental sector is particularly attractive because it is operating at full demand but is constrained by front-desk capacity. Linda AI addresses this bottleneck by using voice AI that integrates seamlessly into existing practice operations, rather than attempting to replace front-desk teams, delivering clear ROI for practices and enabling them to meaningfully increase revenue.

“We are thrilled to partner with Linda AI, and were drawn to them from our very first meeting with the founders at a female-founder dinner. As sisters, they have highly complementary skill sets and have demonstrated a rare combination of focus, execution strength, and unique team synergy – one we have rarely seen in other founding teams. 

“We were especially impressed by the speed at which they secured early partnerships with dental practices, demonstrating their ability to execute. We are committed to supporting Linda AI in becoming a category winner, and believe the company is uniquely positioned to win in this rapidly evolving space.�

Ex-Zego MD launches new venture with ManyPets co-founder

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