Rewired 2023: Limbic announced as first Pitchfest scale-up champion

Limbic has been announced as the first-ever winner in the brand new scale-up category of Digital Health Rewired Pitchfest 2023.

Limbic is the world’s first and only AI mental health chatbot with Medical Class IIa UKCA status. CEO Ross Harper accepted the award after pitching the innovation to a live audience and the judging panel before being selected as the winner ahead of the other finalists.

As winner of the Pitchfest scale-up competition, Limbic will be offered the opportunity to have their innovation tested and scaled at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust through the CW Innovation Programme – a collaboration between the trust and its charity CW+.

For the fourth consecutive year, the CW Innovation Programme has offered the winners a real-world test bed in whichever care setting their concept or start-up is based.

Chris Chaney, chief executive of CW+ and co-lead of CW Innovation, said: ‘Congratulations to Limbic for winning the scale-up final of this year’s Pitchfest, and to all the finalists in the competition.

“We are excited to work with Limbic, and through our flagship CW Innovation programme, we will test and scale their innovation at the trust to bring their ideas to life. We already work on transforming mental health services for young people through our Best For You programme.

“Collaborating with Limbic will further demonstrate our commitment to supporting mental health care across the community we serve.”

The scale-up entries where whittled down to the final eight before Rewired, with the competitors split into two heats.

Two scale-ups from each heat progressed through to the live final at the Business Design Centre in London to pitch to an expert judging panel in a bid to become the inaugural Pitchfest scale-up champion.

The three runners-up were: 

• Abtrace– GP software for scanning clinical records to monitor existing long-term conditions, detecting new disease, and optimising preventative treatment
• Dr Julian– tele and virtual health solutions for mental health providers
• Panakeia Technologies– AI software platform offering biomarker results in minutes instead of days or weeks

The final ran during the afternoon of day one of Digital Health Rewired 2023, live on the Pitchfest Stage. It was hosted by Digital Health’s CEO Jon Hoeksma, who was joined by a panel of judges who questioned each scale-up about their innovation and what makes it unique compared to others.

The judging panel across both Pitchfest competitions this year consisted of:

• Chris Chaney, chief executive, CW+
• Dr Rachael Grimaldi, co-founder and CEO, CardMedic
• Jon Hoeksma, CEO, Digital Health
• Rhod Joyce, deputy director of innovation development, Transformation Directorate NHSE & I
• Dr John Lee Allen, managing partner, RYSE Asset Management
• Megan Morys-Carter, director, The Hill
• Rachel Murphy, public speaker, health tech advisor and former CEO, Difrent
• Chris Sawyer, innovation lead, Digital Health Innovate UK
• Joe Stringer, partner, Octopus Ventures
• Rebecca Todd, investment director, Longwall Venture Partners LLP

Pitchfest 2023 is sponsored by CW+ and Silver Buck.