Little Journey has secured £6 million in Series A funding to enhance paediatric care.
- The funding round was led by Par Equity, with additional contributions from several investors.
- Little Journey aims to expand into the US healthcare market, focusing on children and families.
- The investment will be used to improve data capabilities and product enhancements.
- Partnerships with global pharmaceutical companies will accelerate paediatric research.
The healthtech company, Little Journey, has announced a significant financial boost with £6 million gained during a Series A funding round. This substantial investment marks a pivotal moment for the firm, committed to transforming paediatric care through personalised psychological support. The funding was spearheaded by the venture capital firm Par Equity, based in Edinburgh and Leeds, with participation from Mercia Ventures, the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund I, Octopus Ventures, Calm/Storm Ventures, and other angel investors well-versed in healthcare and life sciences.
Little Journey’s strategic use of the funds will focus on scaling operations globally, with a particular emphasis on penetrating the US healthcare market. With early adopters already engaged, the firm seeks to broaden its transformative approach to paediatric support, reaching more children and families around the world. Additionally, funding will be allocated to product enhancements, concentrating on expanding scalable content as well as interoperability and data collection capabilities.
These advancements are expected to allow healthcare and life science organisations to employ more data-focused, patient-centred strategies in both caregiving and decision-making processes, leading to improved paediatric patient outcomes globally. Further, investment will support the maturity of Little Journey’s systems, ensuring robust and scalable infrastructure for widespread global adoption. Little Journey is also dedicated to enhancing its product capabilities, offering tailored support considering variables like age, language, procedure, and trial protocol.
Chris Evans, co-founder and CEO of Little Journey, highlighted the critical impact of this investment in easing the burden of paediatric clinical trials. Despite legislative efforts that have increased paediatric study numbers, a shortage of specialist knowledge in the field persists. This gap leads to lower recruitment, adherence, and trial completion rates compared to adult research. Evans noted the company’s unique positioning to address these challenges and push forward paediatric medicine globally. With backing from its investor network, Little Journey is reshaping the conduct of clinical trials by involving families at their core.
The company’s journey, which began in 2018, was cofounded by Evans and Sophie Copley, bringing together expertise in anaesthesia and human-centred product design. The app they developed initially supported children undergoing elective surgery and has since expanded to assist thousands globally. Used in over 100 hospitals across 11 countries, with content localised in 20 languages, the app aims to reduce barriers to trial participation, thereby empowering families and facilitating quicker medicine development for children.
This latest funding round also encompasses substantial grants from the LEGO Foundation and SBRI Healthcare, totalling over £2.5 million, to further Little Journey’s innovative projects. These funds will be directed toward enhancing app accessibility for children with disabilities and developing co-created solutions with neurodivergent children. The involvement of strategic partner Par Equity has been instrumental in driving Little Journey’s growth strategy, demonstrating the need for innovative solutions in paediatric healthcare.
Elizabeth Young from Par Equity expressed enthusiasm for supporting healthtech innovations tailored to children’s needs and acknowledged the promising future of Little Journey’s expansion endeavours. Little Journey’s progress signifies an important stride towards improved, patient-centred paediatric care that leverages data and family involvement in clinical settings.
The £6 million funding will significantly advance Little Journey’s mission to revolutionise paediatric healthcare worldwide.
