Graphene Trace, a startup focused on using sensor technology to eliminate pressure ulcers, has received a grant of £300,000 from Innovate UK. The startup, which was established in 2020, has been listed in the ‘GM 125 Rising Stars of Business’ along with the GM Business Growth Hub by BusinessCloud. The company has developed sensor technology for wheelchair users and hospital inpatients to help prevent pressure ulcers, which can reduce their incidence by up to 95%. This could save the NHS billions of pounds. The grant will be used to fund the creation of a demonstrator prototype and begin testing with end users.
CEO Scott Dean, a former student at the University of Manchester, said: “The Innovate UK grant of £300k will be transformative for our startup, taking us from the proof of concept in the lab we have now to a fully-fledged demonstrator prototype, and begin trialling it with end users.” The idea for the startup was first developed when Dean and his colleagues were studying graphene under the National Graphene Institute’s Graphene NOWNANO programme. Their initial idea was to use sensors to monitor sleep apnoea, but there was a lot of pressure from clinicians to tackle pressure ulcer prevention instead.
Pressure ulcers cost the UK 4% of annual healthcare spending, but up to 95% of them are avoidable. It is estimated that preventing all avoidable pressure ulcers could save the UK’s health providers up to £2.1bn annually. Graphene Trace’s mission is to create a smart pressure-sensing fabric that continuously monitors user pressure distribution to detect potential pressure ulcers.
Dean added that the Innovate UK grant was “instrumental” in getting the company off the ground. Being included in the ‘GM 125 Rising Stars of Business’ list is a “validation of what we’re doing,” he said. The company plans to use the grant to fund a global market research and customer validation journey, and is currently raising working capital to manage the grant project.
Graphene Trace, a startup focused on using sensor technology to eliminate pressure ulcers, has received a grant of £300,000 from Innovate UK. The startup, which was established in 2020, has been listed in the ‘GM 125 Rising Stars of Business’ along with the GM Business Growth Hub by BusinessCloud. The company has developed sensor technology for wheelchair users and hospital inpatients to help prevent pressure ulcers, which can reduce their incidence by up to 95%. This could save the NHS billions of pounds. The grant will be used to fund the creation of a demonstrator prototype and begin testing with end users.
CEO Scott Dean, a former student at the University of Manchester, said: “The Innovate UK grant of £300k will be transformative for our startup, taking us from the proof of concept in the lab we have now to a fully-fledged demonstrator prototype, and begin trialling it with end users.” The idea for the startup was first developed when Dean and his colleagues were studying graphene under the National Graphene Institute’s Graphene NOWNANO programme. Their initial idea was to use sensors to monitor sleep apnoea, but there was a lot of pressure from clinicians to tackle pressure ulcer prevention instead.
Pressure ulcers cost the UK 4% of annual healthcare spending, but up to 95% of them are avoidable. It is estimated that preventing all avoidable pressure ulcers could save the UK’s health providers up to £2.1bn annually. Graphene Trace’s mission is to create a smart pressure-sensing fabric that continuously monitors user pressure distribution to detect potential pressure ulcers.
Dean added that the Innovate UK grant was “instrumental” in getting the company off the ground. Being included in the ‘GM 125 Rising Stars of Business’ list is a “validation of what we’re doing,” he said. The company plans to use the grant to fund a global market research and customer validation journey, and is currently raising working capital to manage the grant project.