London-based digital therapeutics innovator, my mhealth, is transforming chronic disease management across the UK and US. Now supporting over 160,000 users in the UK, it is on track to reach more than half a million globally within the next three years. With tailored innovation and growth support from Innovate UK, the company has scaled from a team of 4 to 30 and launched fully commercial products on both sides of the Atlantic.
Founded to tackle one of the world’s leading causes of death – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), my mhealth has developed a globally scalable health platform featuring patient and clinician-facing apps for long-term conditions, including COPD, asthma, diabetes and cardiac disease.
Its flagship product, myCOPD, is the only digital treatment for lung conditions in the world with formal market approval, and the only software of its kind supported by the NHS through the Innovation and Technology Tariff; a scheme that covers the cost of proven technologies to encourage faster adoption. Its ability to reduce hospital admissions, support clinical care and improve patient outcomes also led to it becoming the first digital therapeutic commissioned by the NHS.
Claire Donnelly, Chief Strategy Officer of my mhealth, says: “Our technology was built to give patients greater control over their condition, while supporting clinicians with better tools and insights. We’re solving a long-standing challenge in healthcare; how to deliver high-quality, continuous care to people living with chronic disease, at scale.”
Targeted support fuels growth and commercialisation
In 2018, my mhealth began working with Innovate UK Business Growth, following earlier Innovate UK support including a Collaborative Research & Development grant to evaluate myCOPD’s clinical and economic impact. An Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Bournemouth University also helped the company develop an immersive virtual reality (VR) product to support patients experiencing anxiety.
As the company transitioned from early clinical validation to commercial scaling, innovation and growth specialist, Daniel Abdelmassih, worked with the team to develop a bespoke business growth action plan. This identified priority areas across funding, commercial strategy and internationalisation.
Global innovation made scalable through internationalisation
To support internationalisation goals, the company secured €594,599 through a successful Eurostars bid – an international funding programme that supports collaborative R&D between innovative businesses across Europe. It also completed a new funding round in 2024, building on an earlier £4 million private investment in 2018.
With international ambitions firmly in sight, my mhealth was supported by Innovate UK Business Growth through Innovate UK’s Global Explorers and Global Incubator Programme (GIP). These enabled strategic engagement with the US market, including guidance on legal and regulatory frameworks, business entity formation and in-market visits supported by the British Consulate.
This support proved pivotal in shaping my mhealth’s entry into the US, where the company has now launched commercially in states including Florida and Massachusetts, with trials underway in Kansas. The myCOPD platform has been adapted to meet US regulatory standards and is already delivering activation rates as high as 88%, far above the industry benchmark of 30%.
Its team has since grown from just 4 to 30 people across clinical, technology, commercial and communications roles. The company has introduced a new ‘digital health advisor’ role to support technology adoption mirrored by the NHS’s rollout of ‘digital health champions’ across the system.
Claire explains: “Each time we’ve engaged with Innovate UK Business Growth, our innovation and growth specialist (IGS) has been fantastic – mentoring us through the grant process, highlighting new opportunities across the Innovate UK landscape, and introducing us to both commercial and research partners.
“The GIP, paired with the guidance of our IGS was the catalyst for our US launch. Their support also helped us secure a follow-on grant, which enabled us to create a US entity and gain critical market insights – key reasons we were able to secure early sales. They’ve also been a valuable sounding board when we’ve faced business challenges, helping us problem-solve through thoughtful and strategic brainstorming.”
A digital-first future for the NHS and beyond
my mhealth’s growth reflects wider NHS priorities around prevention and digital-first care. The company holds contracts with 70% of NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and has twice been endorsed through NICE’s (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) Early Value Assessment process.
Its digital therapeutics are helping the NHS deliver more efficient, accessible care while relieving pressure on frontline services. At the same time, the company is creating high-value jobs, expanding UK-generated intellectual property (IP) and strengthening the UK’s global position in health tech.
The support has been truly transformational. Innovate UK Business Growth gave us the structure, focus and connections we needed to scale effectively. Their team really understood our vision and helped us unlock opportunities across funding, partnerships and new markets.
– Claire Donnelly, Chief Strategy Officer of my mhealth