This week's big theme
Marathon Madness
I've run the London Marathon twice - thankfully this year I'm taking a back seat.
I know exactly how those 50,000 people are spending this week - reviewing their Strava data, unboxing their carbons and checking their planned splits over and over, looking for anything that might give them an edge on race day.
And yet, most of them will still be on their phones at midnight the night before.
We are great at optimising the things we can see and feel. Far fewer of us pay attention to the thing that would actually move the needle most.
Shaun Traynor, founder of KIP, put it plainly when we sat down this week. He thought he had a sleep problem. It turned out he had a phone problem - and it was holding him back in every area of his life.
Most of us can say the same and KIP is here to change it.
Industry News
Cera Launches World-First Care AI Lab
Cera has launched an AI lab backed by an eight-figure investment to develop tools to tackle global home care capacity and workforce shortages. The lab will use anonymised data from 2.5 million monthly home visits to build and test new tools with plans to license proven technologies to health systems internationally. (digitalhealth.net)
Why it matters: Cera is unusual because it builds the AI and delivers the care, which means it can test tools against real patients at real scale rather than in a pilot. Most health AI companies don't have that. Whether the international licensing model holds up depends on whether what works in UK home care translates elsewhere, which isn't guaranteed.
£1.5m FemTech Fund Launched Under Women's Health Strategy
The UK government published its renewed Women's Health Strategy last week, including a £1.5m FemTech challenge fund. Rather than funding companies directly, grants go to NHS bodies to run real-world pilots with femtech developers - with a focus on conditions like endometriosis and fibroids where the clinical gap is biggest. (digitalhealth.net)
Why it matters: The money is small. The mechanism is more interesting. Grants go through NHS systems to run pilots with femtech companies - which is a different route to adoption than most founders have access to. Worth understanding how the fund actually works before it launches.
New AI Tool Allows a Million Patients to Book Appointments via the NHS App
Rapid Health's Smart Triage has been integrated into the NHS App, allowing more than a million patients to book GP appointments directly rather than waiting up to 24 hours for practice staff to process requests. The tool is live across 200+ GP practices and 31 integrated care boards, with a full rollout planned throughout early 2026. (digitalhealth.net)
Why it matters: One early-adopter practice saw clinician satisfaction up 26% and patient satisfaction up 33%. The NHS App is becoming a real front door for primary care. The question for anyone building in that space is what other workflows are still sitting in a practice inbox waiting for the same approach.
Technogym Partners with Google Cloud on AI-Powered Fitness
Technogym has announced a multi-year collaboration with Google Cloud to integrate Gemini AI across its platform. The deal has two parts: an AI Coach for end users and an AI Assistant for gym operators covering workflow automation and member retention. Announced at FIBO in Cologne as Technogym crossed €1 billion in annual revenue for the first time. (technogym.com)
Why it matters: Technogym just crossed €1bn in revenue - and their next move is software. The Google deal is really about giving gym operators tools to keep members coming back and take admin off their plate. The equipment companies aren't just selling kit anymore.
Protocole Launches Clinical Peptide Platform with $6m Seed Round
Protocole has launched out of stealth with $6m in seed funding led by Rare Capital, building a clinical-grade platform that connects members to licensed clinicians and FDA-registered pharmacies for personalised peptide protocols. The New York-based company arrives as the FDA prepares to reclassify 14 peptides, shifting the market away from unregulated sourcing towards clinical distribution. (insider.fitt.co)
Why it matters: Peptides have been sold mostly through grey market channels - overseas suppliers, no clinical oversight, no quality control. The FDA reclassifying 14 peptides will close a lot of that off. Protocole is positioning early as the compliant route in - clinician access offering regulated pharmacy, personalised protocols.
Investment Updates
brainjo, €2m seed (techfundingnews.com) - German startup raised a seed round led by HTGF to build a prescribable VR therapy app for children with ADHD, with clinical validation and DiGA regulatory approval targeted for 2028.
ScreenPoint Medical, $16m (eu-startups.com) - Netherlands-based breast AI company behind Transpara secured $14m from Insight Partners and Siemens Healthineers alongside $2m in non-dilutive research grants, taking total funding to $49m.
ONTO Health, $20m Series A (femtechinsider.com) - Chicago-based AI fertility and longevity provider raised a Series A co-led by ARTIS and Humania, with funding supporting US clinical expansion and entry into the Gulf Cooperation Council region.
Episode 4 - Trailer
Shaun Traynor - Founder of KIP
Shaun spent two decades building teams at Virgin Active, Gymbox and Until before founding KIP - a physical tag and app that helps people disconnect from their phones. In this episode he talks about building a hardware product with no prior experience, the founder moment he didn't want to share, and why screen time might be the next wellness flex.
Roles Worth Knowing About
Head of Channel Sales - MARCHON London HQ | Full-time
MARCHON is a premium performance-lifestyle brand founded by ex-England rugby player Ollie Marchon, spanning gyms, supplements, apparel and a training app. This role builds the non-DTC commercial engine for the supplements line from scratch, opening accounts across wholesale, Amazon, hospitality and premium lifestyle retail. Apply here
Head of Technology / CTO - Coopah London / Remote
Coopah is an AI-powered running coaching app that raised £1.5m seed in late 2024, with adaptive training plans and a real-time Race Day Confidence Score. This role leads technology strategy and AI adoption for a fast-growing consumer health app at a critical growth stage. Apply here
Director of Program Management, EMEA & APAC - Oura Remote
Oura's smart ring is worn by over 2.5 million people worldwide for sleep, activity and readiness tracking. This senior role leads go-to-market program management across retail, ecommerce and commercial partnerships in EMEA and APAC, requiring 12+ years of regional experience. Apply here
Staff Software Engineer - Oviva Remote (UK / Europe)
Oviva is Europe's leading digital clinic for weight-related conditions, having supported nearly 1 million patients across the UK, Germany and Switzerland. The role involves designing and owning large-scale distributed systems using Java and Kotlin, with architectural responsibility for core backend services. Apply here
Product Designer (Staff / Principal Level) - Anima Remote (UK)
Anima is a YC-backed NHS care enablement platform that grew 450% in 2024 and raised a $12m Series A from Molten Ventures. This is a high-ownership design role working directly with GP practice users to build tools that automate clinical workflows. Apply here
That's it for Issue #7.
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