Buddi: against COVID-19 ^Company

Entity: Buddi

Category: HealthTech

Description: Buddi is an innovative, high-growth and british technology company that develops location and health monitoring technologies. Buddi was founded in 2005 by entrepreneur Sara Murray OBE. They began by developing state-of-the-art, proprietary mobile technologies for locating vulnerable individuals. Today, Buddi provides technologies to support service users across more than 80% of UK local authorities, as well as to Government customers around the world. They believe that this new technology, when combined with a smartphone, will have a significant impact on enabling healthier, happier and more connected lives. Their team is motivated to develop new technologies and systems that will help people to live more active and connected lives. Their research and development is concentrated on breakthrough solutions, which will also aid in other areas of healthcare, including diabetes prevention. Wearing a buddi 24 hours a day keeps you and the people you care about in touch. The wristband has alert buttons, a fall sensor, and works with your smart phone through a secure, personalised app where you select the people who you’d like to connect with. If you press the alert buttons for help, or if the system detects that you may have fallen, a message is immediately sent to the people you care about (the connections you’ve chosen). The wristband and phone also notify you that an alert has been raised, which you can easily cancel if you decide it was not necessary.

Project: TechForce19 challenge

Summary: People who may be particularly vulnerable or isolated during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, including new parents, the homeless, unpaid carers, young people and cancer patients, could soon benefit from a range of innovative digital solutions selected as part of the TechForce19 challenge. NHSX, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) have announced 18 innovative digital solutions being awarded up to £25,000 under the TechForce19 challenge. The funding for each project will be used to develop new ways to support vulnerable people who need to stay at home or need other help in the community for extended periods of time.
Buddi Connect is a smartphone app, enabling people to stay in touch with those they care for. Safe groups of connections are united through the app to share private, secure messages and raise instant alerts when help is needed. Important messages from the NHS can be shared directly to users. During this difficult time, while many vulnerable people are missing the face-to-face contact of family, friends and carers, the reassurance that help is available at the touch of a button is more important than ever.

+ Investors:

Techforce19.uk, NHSX. Buddi received investment from Techforce19.uk\NHSX, after a call on all innovators who can support the elderly, vulnerable and self-isolating during COVID-19 to apply for government funding of up to £25,000 to test their solution.

Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)

Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)