UK healthtech startup raises seven-figure investment

UK healthtech startup raises seven-figure investment

12 December 2016

MedShr – the app for doctors – has secured a seven-figure investment round

• Cash injection will accelerate growth and expansion of the community
• Founded by consultant cardiologist Dr Asif Qasim in 2015, the app based community now has over 120,000 medical professionals as members in over 180 countries

MedShr, the secure app and website for medical professionals to share and discuss clinical cases, has today announced the closure of a seven-figure investment round. Founded by Dr Asif Qasim, a leading cardiologist based in London was launched in 2015 and is now being used by over 120,000 doctors, dentists, medical students and other healthcare professionals in over 180 countries.

The round was led by former investment banker Karl-Georg Altenburg and the family office of Udo Müller, Founder of Ströer SE; Karl will join the MedShr Board as a non-executive director. The money raised will be used to accelerate growth of the global community and to develop educational and commercial partnerships.

MedShr is a powerful tool for medical education that enables verified medical professionals to shareand discuss clinical cases and medical images so that they can share knowledge and skills and ultimately, save lives. Patients are able to provide consent easily and securely, meeting confidentiality and governance guidelines.

MedShr members include consultants and surgeons who are connected in specialist groups; junior doctors and medical students (digital natives who use the app to aid their learning and revision); and doctors in developing countries who have limited access to postgraduate education and specialist
conferences.

Dr Asif Qasim, MedShr Founder and CEO and Consultant Cardiologist, said:

“Our rapid growth shows there is a real need for a credible and secure platform for medical professionals to share knowledge and support each other across a broad spectrum of specialties. We have seen amazing examples of how MedShr is being used as tool to improve doctors’ clinical practice with significantly better patient care. It has been inspiring to see doctors and medical students from every corner of the world sharing cases and learning from each other on MedShr. From top London hospitals to refugee camps in Syria, doctors are using MedShr to seek support and learn from each other. Winning Facebook Start Social Good App of the Year 2016 is testament to the volume, depth and value of the discussions on MedShr.”

Karl-Georg Altenburg, said of the investment round:

“MedShr is connecting specialists from around the world who would otherwise only meet at conferences. We see this app now becoming part of daily practice and enhancing the learning of the next generation of health care professionals. We believe this has the potential to disrupt medical education and see the important role that smart technology plays in the future of medicine."

MedShr launched in August 2015 from Founders Factory, the corporate backed incubator and accelerator founded by Brent Hoberman and Henry Lane Fox. It was a part of the EdTech cohort for the 2016 accelerator programme, backed by Holtzbrinck Macmillan.

MedShr has won Facebook Start Social Good of the Year 2016 and is a founder member of the TechFugees initiative.

So far this year they have secured partnerships with several NHS bodies, Health Education England, Doctors.net, Doctors of the World, Haymarket publishing group and a number of commercial partners. MedShr has joined Digital Health London – a collaboration between the three London ASHNs, the Mayor of London and Academic Science Centres to support companies in embedding their promising technologies in the NHS.

CASE STUDIES: MedShr in practice

Infection of heart valve, UK - sharing rare cases

Scaffolder, Mark Garland (aged 32) from London, came to hospital with a fever and was feeling generally unwell. He had a small haemorrhage in his nail, and a sore tooth. The cardiologist, a user of MedShr, recognised these subtle signs of a rare but serious infection of a heart valve. The team scanned the heart and diagnosed infection on the aortic valve. He underwent emergency life-saving surgery to replace it. Mark gave consent to the doctor using the MedShr app to photograph the signs, and upload the case to the MedShr network to highlight this rare case to peers. The father of two is now fit and well and back at work. He said: "I was happy to help the doctors by sharing my story. It's going to help other doctors treat patients like me, and that has to be a good thing".

Skin lesions, Serbian Refugee Camp – seeking advice from other doctors around the world

Dr Dejan Popovic, a GP working with refugees in Serbia, treated an 18 year-old refugee from Afghanistan with skin lesions. Popovic made a spot diagnosis and prescribed him a specific cream, and uploaded the case to MedShr to get a second opinion from specialists around the world. His image was soon commented on by six fellow doctors, including a mix of other GPs and Dermatologists, and they were able to confirm his diagnosis and treatment were the best possible in the circumstances.

[Clinical images available on request]

[ENDS]