London-based Univa Health raises €1.2 million for digital platform to address eating disorder care | EU-Startups

Univa Health, a startup on a mission to address the devastating impact of eating disorder conditions, has successfully raised €1.2 million in a pre-seed investment round led by Germany-based YZR Capital, and backed by Austria-based Calm/Storm Ventures, two of Europe’s most active healthtech investors. 

The funding will support the development and commercialisation of Univa’s personalised digital care platform, designed to transform how healthcare systems manage and treat eating disorders while improving the lives of those affected and their loved ones. The investment will also fund Univa’s first clinical study, beginning in October, in collaboration with the UK’s NHS as well as help build the tech, product, and clinical teams needed for the platform’s launch in early 2025.

Co-founded by healthcare entrepreneurs Rich Andrews and Jose Santos, Univa is addressing the critical challenges in eating disorder care. Over the past five years, hospital admissions for eating disorders have surged by 84% in the UK and 121% in the US, highlighting the urgent need to tackle the devastating impact of inaccessible and ineffective care.

The heterogeneity of eating disorders further complicates treatment, as many healthcare services rely on one-size-fits-all approaches. This lack of personalisation, combined with a shortage of skilled clinicians, results in half of those with eating disorders not responding to treatment. In 2023 alone, nearly 30,000 people in the UK were admitted to hospital for eating disorders, with stays typically lasting three to four months. Despite the need for early intervention, the NHS is only able to provide care for 10% of adults with eating disorders. Nearly half of urgent cases for children waited more than 12 weeks for treatment. This backlog forces systems to prioritise only the most severe cases, leaving many without timely, tailored care that reflects the complexity of their conditions.

Rich Andrews, co-founder and CEO of Univa, commented: “The widening gap between the need for care and available resources, along with the lack of personalised treatment options, urgently requires a radical rethink of how eating disorder care is provided. Our goal is to revolutionise care pathways, providing tools that empower clinicians and deliver meaningful results. We aim to keep people out of hospital and enable better long-term recovery while saving costs for the healthcare system. Univa’s platform will augment the overwhelmed clinical workforce by providing evidence-based tools to reach more patients and families, enabling earlier intervention, improved monitoring, and faster recovery.”

Univa addresses these challenges by offering a range of digital tools to enhance the management, monitoring, and treatment of eating disorders. These tools include tailored therapeutic programs, AI-driven health monitoring features, and real stories from individuals who have lived through eating disorders, delivered through interconnected apps for both patients and their carers. By involving families in the care process, Univa’s platform maximises treatment results and eases the burden on clinical teams.

Clinicians can use the platform’s professional portal to create tailored treatment plans and monitor patient well-being in real time. This approach allows for more individualised care and enables clinical teams to allocate resources more efficiently, ensuring that those most in need receive timely support while patients further along in their recovery continue to receive the necessary guidance and care.

Reinhard Meier MD MBA, Founding Partner at YZR Capital commented: “We at YZR believe in supporting transformative innovations that address urgent healthcare challenges. Univa’s approach to personalising eating disorder care represents a significant leap forward, oering a scalable solution to an issue affecting millions worldwide. We were particularly impressed by Rich’s experience as a serial entrepreneur, as well as the team’s connections to the NHS system, which strengthens Univa’s potential for real-world impact across the UK. We are excited to back such an experienced and passionate team, and we look forward to seeing Univa’s platform make a lasting impact on both patients and the healthcare system.”

Johannes Blaschke, Principal at Calm/Storm Ventures added: “At Calm/Storm, we seek out founders tackling systemic healthcare challenges with innovative,cutting-edge technology, and Univa Health exemplifies this with their transformative approach to eating disorder care. By leveraging an advanced, personalised platform that integrates both patient and caregiver tools, Univa is addressing one of the most complex and underserved areas in healthcare. With Rich and Jose’s deep experience in digital health and their strong clinical partnerships, we are confident that their AI-driven platform will significantly improve outcomes for those affected by eating disorders while also easing the burden on healthcare systems globally. This is exactly the kind of bold, purpose-driven healthtech innovation we are proud to support.”

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