January 5, 2023

Black-Owned Suvera Named Among World’s Most Promising Digital Health Startups

Suvera co-founders Will Gao, Ivan Beckley and Ryzard Akita

Black-owned startup Suvera has been named one of the world’s most promising digital health companies.

The UK-based virtual care platform made CB Insight’s Digital Health 150 – a list of 150 companies transforming healthcare using digital technology. The 150 winners were selected from a pool of over 13,000 companies.

What is Suvera?

Suvera uses a dedicated remote care team and in-house technology to reduce the workload and waiting times at doctors’ clinics. From tracking blood pressure readings to administering prescriptions, the platform supports people with chronic health conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes.

Founded in 2019, Suvera began as a university project by Ivan Beckley and Will Gao. Today, it boasts a team of over 30 people managing over 20,000 patients with Professor Bryan Williams, International Hypertension Society president and chair of medicine at University College London, as its Chief Medical Advisor.

Suvera reports raising over £7 million ($8.4 million) in funding with backing from Google for Startups’ Black Founders Fund, Calm/Storm ventures, Ascension Ventures, and several angel investors. 

From college project to world-leading startup

Why do people struggle to take their medications? This is the question Ivan Beckley asked himself at medical school. 

Little did he know this question would ultimately birth Suvera, one of the world’s most promising digital health companies.

“Building a health business takes time. As it should do. Patient focus is essential for success,” said Ivan Beckley, Suvera’s CEO and co-founder. “We’ve been patient, we’ve been focused. We’re just beginning.” 

Meet Ivan Beckley: The Student Doctor Who Built A Google-Backed Medtech Startup

After graduating from medical school in 2021, Beckley was able to shift his focus to Suvera.

“In truth, 2022 was my first full year as a full-time CEO,” he explained in a LinkedIn post. “The learning curve has been beyond steep. I have made mistakes, I learnt from all of them. I know very clearly what being CEO requires of me.”

“By turning every misstep into a learning, Suvera continues to flourish. We are achieving world-class outcomes for the conditions we support. Consistently hundreds of patients have rated the service 5/5. So much more on this from us this year!”

Article Tags : , , ,
Samara Linton

Community Manager at POCIT | Co-editor of The Colour of Madness: Mental Health and Race in Technicolour (2022), and co-author of Diane Abbott: The Authorised Biography (2020)