Inverness-based medical technology firm Aiber has completed a £2m fundraising round led by BGF, with existing investors Scottish Enterprise and Equity Gap also participating.
Aiber, the trading name of MIME Technologies, is first aid software with onboard kit, designed to support medical emergencies in environments remote from professional medical care.
The technology was developed with input from two of the world’s leading airlines and is suitable for use on aircraft and ships.
Providing an end-to-end connection with medical services, it is specifically designed for use by non-medical professionals like cabin crew, allowing for more informed decisions about almost everything from burns and allergic reactions, to potential heart complaints.
The product will initially be rolled out in the aviation and maritime sectors, where several direct sales and channel partner trials are underway in Europe and the US.
With one diversion costing an airline anything from £25,000 to £500,000, improving medical outcomes in the sky alone has positive implications for passenger wellbeing, safety and efficiency.
This new funding will help the company, which was originally spun out from the University of Aberdeen - and has offices in Inverness and Edinburgh - to further roll out its product to customers.
Aiber’s huge potential and ability to align and support existing first aid training was further highlighted when the company participated in the prestigious ATI Boeing Accelerator Programme in 2021.
BGF, which provided £1.6m of the funding total, has introduced Tony Davis - an aviation sector expert and former chief executive of bmibaby and Tiger Airways - as a non-executive director.
Keith Barclay, investor at BGF, commented: “The company’s pioneering product has a significant addressable market, and we look forward to supporting their push into new areas.
“It has also been hugely positive to introduce Tony Davis to the company as part of our investment process to support with the growth journey.”
Anne Roberts, co-founder and chief executive of Aiber, said: “As we continue to scale Aiber and its affordable one-touch technology, this investment will allow us to accelerate the roll out of our potentially life-saving solution to more customers in our target sectors.
“Whether in the air or at sea, a medical event in these situations can be incredibly stressful and isolating for those tasked with responding, and we are confident Aiber can reduce the burden and improve passenger health outcomes.”
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