Written by Ellie Halliday, Senior Manager, Data Privacy & Compliance 

Barclays Health Elevate 2025 brought together a diverse mix of entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators spanning healthtech, medtech, digital therapeutics, and software. It was energising to see the breadth of talent on display, and clear that Barclays is serious about cultivating an ecosystem that fuels health innovation across the UK. 

The keynote from Dr Kendall Jamieson Gilmore set the tone for the day, addressing the future of the NHS and how public-private collaboration will be essential in achieving long-term, sustainable healthcare improvements. His emphasis on efficiency, patient access, and aligning innovation with national priorities mirrored many of the conversations that followed.  

Investment is evolving, not vanishing

Post-pandemic realities have reshaped the investment landscape. While optimism remains high, especially around AI-led solutions, raising capital is now more nuanced. Seed rounds are smaller, investors expect longer runways and stronger proof points, and there is greater value placed on founders with deep, lived experience. Differentiation and the ability to tell a compelling story quickly are critical. Many investors do not have a healthcare background, so clarity, context, and mission alignment are essential for building trust early on. 

 Scaling in the UK means more than capital

Unlocking scale within the UK life sciences sector requires more than just funding. Founders need to plan ahead, anticipate inflection points, and keep their governance and IP structures clean and investor-ready. US-based founders are often more confident in commercial storytelling, which is a reminder for UK companies to sharpen their market narratives. Resources like  PISECES and the British Business Bank are enabling earlier exits and alternative pathways, while more support from UK pension funds could help strengthen the domestic innovation pipeline. 

AI cannot deliver without responsible design

One of the most thought-provoking sessions focused on inclusive AI in health. AI is often positioned as a game-changer in areas like drug discovery and rare disease detection, but its potential is only as strong as the data that trains it. If datasets are biased or incomplete, outcomes will reinforce existing disparities. That is particularly concerning in underrepresented groups and women’s health. Federated learning, synthetic data, and confidence intervals can support more ethical outcomes, and initiatives like Microsoft’s TRAIN are beginning to operationalise these principles. But there is still a long way to go. If we are serious about ethical, impactful AI in healthcare, diversity in data must be a non-negotiable from the outset. 

What stood out most

Throughout the day, the recurring theme was balance – between ambition and accountability, innovation and evidence, speed and safety. From early-stage start-ups to scale-up ready ventures, everyone in the room shared a common goal: to build smarter, more inclusive, and more sustainable health solutions. 

Events like this remind us why cross-sector collaboration is so vital. It is not just about building new tech or launching new tools. It is about building better systems, rooted in trust, aligned to national priorities, and designed for all.