Accurx raises £8.8M for messaging app for the NHS

UK startup and Entrepreneur First alumni, Accurx, has developed a messaging service for doctor surgeries. Their series A funding has raised £8.8 million.

Atomico, the London based venture capital firm led the round, with participation from LocalGlobe and EF. Reportedly, the round was highly contested, potentially raising Accurx’s valuation.

The company was co-founded by Jacob Haddad and Laurence Bargery, who met at Entrepreneur First in 2016. Accurx’s initial aim was to develop a data-set and tools hoping to tackle the problem of inappropriate use of antibiotics. The startup has since pivoted, now focusing on creating a broader communication platform, bringing medical teams and patients closer.

Today, Accurx’s main product is Chain SMS. The product is a messaging app for use by doctor surgeries to communicate with their patients. It has been designed with the goal of supporting nurses, administration staff and practice managers etc., as well as GPs. Typical use-cases for Chain SMS includes notifying a patient of normal results, sending advice to patients and reminding them to book appointments. All these communications are then saved to the patient’s medical record to ensure a more cohesive approach than could be achieved using traditional communication methods, such as telephone calls and sending letters in the post.

Chain SMS is already in use by 20 percent of GP practices in England, from close to zero when it launched in February 2018. This is no doubt a positive sign and will not have gone unnoticed by investors. Typically, startups have found it difficult to penetrate the NHS, but  this is beginning to change. GP surgeries, although funded by the NHS, are actually run as independent businesses so are arguably easier to sell into.