A University of Liverpool spin-out, LiftUpp, has secured £425,000 of investment from a consortium of funders including the North West Fund for Digital & Creative, managed by AXM Venture Capital.
LiftUpp is a software platform which monitors the academic performance of dental students. It also provides learning management and pedagogical tools to dental therapy, veterinary and physiotherapy courses.
Real-time monitoring
The software allows for real-time monitoring of student performance, to develop a personalised development profile designed to improve academic performance and clinical progress.
The software was originally developed by the Dental Education Group at the University of Liverpool, with Professor Luke Dawson and Dr Ben Mason leading the project. Since its adoption in the University’s Dental School, LiftUpp has contributed to a 99% student satisfaction rate for Dentistry according to the 2015 National Student Survey.
LiftUpp has attracted significant interest from other dental and medical schools across the country, and its potential for use in other disciplines has been widely recognised. In response, the team has already worked to diversify the product for use in other healthcare fields.
Expansion
LiftUpp Operations Director, David James, said: “Following our success in the dental education market, the team was keen to expand the product for use in new markets. The investment from AXM, coupled with the support we have received from the University, will allow us to achieve this.”
Chris Unsworth, IP Manager at the University of Liverpool, added: “The investment in LiftUpp is the latest endorsement of the ambitious entrepreneurial and innovative culture at the University of Liverpool.
“Over the last year, four spin-out companies associated with the University have secured venture investment, across the fields of ICT healthcare, biotechnology, chemistry and engineering. We look forward to continuing to support the development of STEM and healthcare across the region.”
