Neighbourhood Health Ventures launches to build solutions to frontline care challenges

Neighbourhood Health Ventures (NHV) has launched to turn problems in urgent, community and neighbourhood healthcare into new businesses that improve care for patients and communities.

Neighbourhood Health Ventures is an independent venture builder established with the support and facilitation of UHUK, which is also an investor alongside founding investors DHU Health Care and FCMS.

NHV formally launched on 12 October and is already working through an initial group of problems raised by UHUK members. It operates as a separate limited company, with its own board and executive team.

Its approach starts with understanding a problem in care delivery, then testing potential solutions before committing further resources. The team will take an active role in building the most promising opportunities into businesses, assessing both their social impact and commercial viability.

NHV uses its investment to test and build ventures itself. It is not a grant programme or a fund inviting applications for investment. The immediate invitation is to bring forward problems that could benefit from a new solution.

The team

Dr Ayesha Kotecha, Senior Venture Associate, and Alexia Lamprakaki, Venture Associate, joined on 12 October. Professor Steve Myint will join as independent Chair in mid-November, and Harry George will join as Head of Ventures at the end of November.

Together, they bring experience across medicine, investment, venture building and healthcare business development.

How to get involved

All UHUK members can raise a problem, whether or not they have invested in NHV. Initial conversations are free and carry no commitment. Members can help the team understand challenges in their services, with potential opportunities to trial solutions as ventures develop.

Clinicians, entrepreneurs and investors interested in working with NHV are also welcome to get in touch.

Visit www.nhventures.co.uk for more information.