Viscgo secures investment to launch its innovative device to improve quality of life for people with swallowing difficulties
MANCHESTER, UK: 28th April 2021 -Viscgo Limited, a ground-breaking new medical device company, today announced receipt of £265,000 investment to launch its first-generation device to improve the management of dysphagia (swallowing difficulties). The funding came from a predominantly North West cohort of institutional and private investors including the GM&C Life Sciences Fund, managed by Catapult Ventures, and Deepbridge Capital.
Viscgo was founded by Dr Liz Boaden, FRCSLT, and Steven Bookbinder specifically to address the unmet need for a quick, easy, accurate way to ensure that drinks thickened for people with swallowing difficulties are at the prescribed consistency. The company’s initial devices, the Viscgo Drink Thickness Test Sticks, provide an extremely simple solution to a complex healthcare problem and will be launched this summer. Viscgo also has several sophisticated digital devices under development funded by an Innovate UK grant and SEIS investment from Deepbridge Capital.
Co-Founder and CEO Steven Bookbinder, who designed Viscgo’s products, said: “We are delighted to receive this next phase of investment to fund the launch of our initial products which help improve the quality of life for people with dysphagia. Viscgo’s tools also have applications in other industries, such as cooking, construction, DIY, lubricants, oils and many others. The way we presently use and control fluids and solids are in practice very basic. I see Viscgo as the start of a new fluid and soft solids control revolution.”
Vijay Curthan from Catapult Ventures said: "We're very pleased to support Viscgo with the launch of its game-changing product for dysphagia and the company’s growth in Manchester. We believe that its Drink Thickness Test Sticks will have a huge beneficial impact on the health and quality of life of those people suffering with swallowing difficulties."
Ben Carter, Investment Manager, Deepbridge Capital added: “As long-term partners of Viscgo, we are delighted that Catapult Ventures has joined us in enabling this exciting company to continue its development with investment alongside our EIS funding. Viscgo represents a great example of the type of company that the Enterprise Investment Scheme was intended to support; being innovative, growth focused and solving a real market problem. We look forward to working with Catapult as the Viscgo team progress on their journey.”
