Emerald secures £1.4m to expand preventative healthcare through employee benefits

Preventative healthcare platform Emerald has secured £1.4m in funding to expand its screening and clinical services, as it looks to reach one million members through partnerships including the employee benefits, fintech and fitness sectors.

The investment comprises a £700,000 grant from Innovate UK and £700,000 in venture capital, taking the company’s total funding since launching in 2024 to £2.9m.

The latest round was supported by existing investors, including Boost Capital Partners, alongside new investors Sequel and Highgoal Capital.

Emerald combines laboratory-based health screening with a digital platform that brings together biomarker results, wearable data and medical history, helping individuals identify potential health risks and access appropriate care.

Every member is also paired with a GP who can provide diagnosis, prescriptions and referrals into private or NHS services where appropriate.

The funding will support commercial expansion and further development of the platform’s clinical services. The Innovate UK grant will specifically fund the development of AI-enabled technology designed to support more personalised and proactive healthcare.

The investment comes as preventative healthcare becomes an increasingly important part of workplace health and wellbeing provision, with employers looking beyond traditional benefits towards services that can identify potential health concerns before they develop into more serious conditions.

For employers, access to preventative screening and ongoing clinical support could help employees better understand and manage their health, while contributing to wider workforce health strategies focused on prevention, early intervention and reducing longer-term health risks.

Emerald has established partnerships with employee benefits providers Pluxee and Epassi, as well as fintech company Yonder, creating opportunities to distribute its services through existing benefits arrangements.

These partnerships allow employers to offer preventative health screening alongside other workplace benefits, with employees able to access clinical guidance and follow-up care, rather than receiving test results alone.

The company reported a tenfold increase in its membership base since the start of 2026 and said it has now processed more than 100,000 laboratory tests.

According to Emerald, repeat-screening data has shown improvements in cholesterol levels for two out of three users, reductions in blood sugar levels of a third and improvements in inflammation markers of almost half. The company has not provided further details of the sample sizes or methodology behind these findings.

Alexander Badalyan, co-founder and CEO of Emerald, said: “There’s huge demand for access to simple healthcare tools that move beyond just testing. People want to understand what those results mean and the steps they can take to boost their long-term health – informed by guidance from trusted medical experts.

“A preventative approach to healthcare significantly improves long-term health outcomes by providing a more holistic view of a patient’s health, highlighting potential issues before they become critical, and empowering people to enter the right pathway earlier.

“Achieving this ambition is a cornerstone of the current Government’s current health agenda – but the NHS cannot deliver this shift alone. Government efforts must be matched with innovative solutions that are able to have widespread reach. Emerald has unlocked access to millions of potential users through its partnerships – with ambitions to become the UK’s go-to platform for long-term health management. This additional funding allows us to build on the demand we’re already seeing, deepen these partnerships, and expand care.”

Emerald is a clinician-founded, Care Quality Commission-registered healthcare provider, offering regulated diagnostic, screening and treatment services. Its platform is also registered as a UKCA Class I medical device with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Chris Sawyer, innovation lead, digital health at Innovate UK, said: “Connecting earlier health insights with appropriate care is an important opportunity for healthcare innovation in the UK.

“Through this award, we are supporting Emerald’s development of AI-enabled technology designed to help clinicians deliver more personalised, proactive care. We look forward to seeing the project progress and the impact it could have on health outcomes.”

Emerald aims to reach one million members within the next three years, using its distribution partnerships to expand access to preventative healthcare.

Its expansion reflects a broader opportunity for employers and benefits providers to connect health screening with clinical support, although the impact on workforce health outcomes, sickness absence and productivity will depend on employee engagement and the effectiveness of follow-up care.