Bioliberty secures £2.2M to fund soft robotic glove

by Startacus Admin
Archangels leads a £2.2m funding round for Bioliberty to support development of its innovative robotic glove that can help to restore upper limb mobility in stroke patients.
Scottish technology firm Bioliberty has secured £2.2 million in funding to develop a unique soft robotic glove which can restore upper limb mobility in patients following a stroke.
The funding round was led by Archangels, the world's longest running business angel investment syndicate, with participation from Eos Advisory, Old College Capital and Hanna Capital SEZC.
The Edinburgh-based business has created the Lifeglov – a soft robotic glove which offers rehabilitation for both the closing and opening strength of the hand. The glove monitors key metrics related to upper limb mobility and can show improvement as the patient progresses through their rehab.
The Lifeglov is accompanied by a Digital Therapy Platform, which provides the patient with tailored exercises to help develop natural hand strength. For stroke survivors, the glove helps carry out rehabilitation from the home. For Occupational Therapists, the glove is a tool to help manage their patients remotely and improve patient outcomes.
The new funding will allow Bioliberty to complete development of the trial product and finalise the development of its platform. The funding is also anticipated to fund the business through obtaining FDA approval and early commercial engagement in the US with rehabilitation clinics.
In the US alone, there are more than 800,000 strokes every year, with 88% of patients left with upper limb weakness. At the same time, there is an urgent need for at-home occupational therapy services, with demand for such services forecast to outpace the supply within all 50 states of the US by 2030.
Bioliberty’s Lifeglov provides a solution and its use of soft robotics in rehabilitation, which is currently unique in the market, means the product is more pliable, comfortable and complementary to the upper arm whilst also generating useful data related to stroke recovery.
The initial application is in the upper limb rehabilitation market, but it is anticipated that the technology will have a broad range of clinical applications including lower limb.
The business was co-founded in 2020 by Rowan Armstrong (CEO), Conan Bradley (Chief Design), Ross O’Hanlon (CTO) and Shea Quinn (COO) and currently employs a team of 7.
Rowan Armstrong, CEO at Bioliberty, said: “Our aim at Bioliberty is to empower every human to live a longer independent life by providing assistive robotics and rehabilitative technologies. The Lifeglov is a first step on this journey and the funding announced today will allow us to complete its development, along with our software platform, while preparing the runway for our US sales push. We’re confident in our technology and excited by the benefits it can deliver for both patients and occupational therapists.”
Niki McKenzie, Joint Managing Director at Archangels, said: “Bioliberty has developed a highly effective solution for helping patients with hand weakness, with the potential to improve the quality of life for millions worldwide. We believe its technology has far-reaching benefits beyond this first application, providing the business with an excellent opportunity to grow quickly from its base here in Scotland. Archangels is excited to be supporting the team as they finalise what we hope will be the first of many products and start scaling up their sales activity.”
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Got a business in the manufacturing sector? These tips on how you can reduce energy costs while being more sustainable are well worth a read...

Innovative InsurTech startup SureIn announces a €4M Seed round to further its mission of making insurance easy, transparent and hassle-free for SMBs.

Nassia Skoulikariti, Director of IoT Programmes, Mobile Ecosystem Forum shares some insights on how IoT is having a significant impact on all our lives.

Roger James Hamilton, Founder and CEO of Genius Group, a world-leading entrepreneur Edtech and education group, discusses how introducing a globalized curriculum will help better prepare students.

SuperFi, the debt prevention platform, has announced a $1m pre-seed funding round to support people during the cost of living crisis.

41 startups from 13 countries, including the UK, have been selected for the 8th Kickstart Innovation program, one of Europe’s leading innovation platforms.

Personal training platform Another Round has secured £300k in its latest fundraise, including investment from angels and its community.

Thingtrax Secures £4.3M to Empower Manufacturers to Build the Factories of the Future

A measure of inflation relief for small firms sees transport costs fall but service price increases remain elevated

Bedfordshire-based HR tech startup HR DataHub has built a range of tools for HR departments
Published on: 4th April 2023
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.







- SureIn Secures €4M to Close the SMB Insurance Gap 15th Aug 2023 Innovative InsurTech startup SureIn announces a €4M Seed round to further its mission of making insurance easy, transparent and hassle-free for SMBs.
- SuperFi raises $1M pre-seed funding round 28th Jul 2023 SuperFi, the debt prevention platform, has announced a $1m pre-seed funding round to support people during the cost of living crisis.
- Startups rely on AI & sustainability for new partnerships 27th Jul 2023 41 startups from 13 countries, including the UK, have been selected for the 8th Kickstart Innovation program, one of Europe’s leading innovation platforms.
- Another Round closes £300k Seed round to revolutionise personal training 21st Jul 2023 Personal training platform Another Round has secured £300k in its latest fundraise, including investment from angels and its community.