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UpHill raises €7M to scale journey-based care
I'm beyond thrilled to announce our €7M series A round, with Explorer, Redstone, Brighteye Ventures and Maze leading the round, and continued support from Caixa Capital and Luz Saúde. In this blog post, I'll take you through key milestones that paved our way here and share our bold ambitions for the future.
Eduardo Freire Rodrigues
March 18, 2024 · 3 min read
Throughout UpHill’s history, there has been a common denominator: each year surpasses what we had planned for. This is a function of our work — our unique collective force —, as it is a function of how humanity really needs what we are building.
These two elements serve as the key contributors that have brought us to this moment when we joyously celebrate our Series A funding round. Following a remarkable year that showcased UpHill's capacity to deliver journey-based care that enhances healthcare capacity and elevates patient outcomes, securing multiple certifications, and launching Liber — an innovative digital service poised to transform the healthcare landscape — we stand ready to embark on the next chapter by scaling our impact through journey-based care.
Our solid journey to increase healthcare access at scale, steered by evidence, and in compliance with industry standards.
UpHill was founded in 2015 with a clear mission: to empower people to provide and receive the best care. This mission has taken several shapes and, fast forward to today, UpHill stands out as the most highly invested care orchestration company in the European Union. A milestone that attests to the robustness, safety, and efficacy of our technology, as well as our clinical knowledge, setting us apart from other players.
UpHill improves lives with care orchestration software that works both for healthcare teams and patients. During a turbulent period, when the healthcare system grappled with significant challenges in meeting population needs, UpHill was established as the “second brain” behind care provision within major institutions.
Together with the pioneering, dedicated, and talented frontline teams, we are successful in designing, implementing, and delivering novel journeys for the most challenging conditions.
The impact of what we have done together is refreshing:
- In chronic care, each doctor can save 1 day per month.
- For surgery, health teams doubled their capacity to manage post-surgical patients.
- Cumulatively, for each 1€ spent on UpHill hospitals get 5€ back.
- Most importantly, UpHill was so highly “resolute” that in selected cases it reduced ER admissions by 65%.
Liber: the next-generation care model
Throughout our journey, we've come to understand that issues impacting healthcare institutions, such as growing demand and insufficient capacity, are often tied to lacking alternatives that enable individuals to avoid using these services for all and every reason. In essence, healthcare systems are marked by uneven participation from both healthcare professionals and patients.
Healthcare professionals shoulder a heavy load, from diagnosing and treating acute illnesses to managing daily administrative tasks, preventing diseases, and overseeing chronic conditions. Conversely, in most cases, patients find themselves detached from their care journey, lacking information, and without the necessary tools to proactively engage in health promotion, prevention, and disease management.
This is why in 2023 we invented the next-generation care model: Liber.
Liber provides better care, faster, and at a lower price. Liber members can quickly solve acute health issues by interacting immediately with Liber doctors, and enrolling in disease prevention and health promotion programs. All happens at the pace of a high-tech, premium, and personalized service running on the UpHill platform, which accelerates both members and doctors, building on structured medical knowledge.
What’s next? Join us to widespread greater care. Globally.
As I am writing this, people are still awaiting help for hours long in crowded hospitals and primary care centers. From here across the globe, those in need have to wait years for surgeries, many months for appointments, and too many hours for acute care. This is unbearable. This is why UpHill exists, and this is why we are just getting started: our platform is the care orchestration software for the decades to come.
Our ambitions reach far and wide.
As we continue to solidify our presence in the Iberian market, UpHill is set to expand its footprint by opening offices in new locations such as UK and Spain.
With plans to double our team by the end of the year, we are on the hunt for the most talented people with a drive to change healthcare globally. When all is said and done, we are in the business of improving life.
We believe every patient must be on a well-defined, high-quality care journey.
A journey that augments healthcare workers' capacity, enables people’s self-efficacy, and streamlines healthcare systems coordination.
This is how we will achieve access to high-quality care at scale.
Eduardo is a Public Health specialist, CEO and co-founder of UpHill. He has a master's degree in medicine from NOVA University of Lisbon and a postgraduate degree in clinical research from Harvard University. He is also a visiting assistant in Digital Health at ISCTE and NOVA Medical School. Early on, he learned how to code at the age of 14 and became passionate about it since then.
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