Little Journey, an app created to help children and families prepare for surgery, has closed a £2.5m funding round led by Octopus Ventures.
The app, co-created by anaesthetist Dr Chris Evans, features animated characters that explain to young users the nature of their upcoming procedure, attempting to calm their nerves during the stressful pre-surgery period.
Evans co-founded Little Journey in 2018 after his time as a doctor gave him first-hand experience with children and families in distress.
The app also includes games to occupy the children while waiting in hospital. For families, the app has content explaining what the patient will be going through and what the next steps are.
Little Journey is also customisable depending on the user’s age, condition and hospital. Participating hospitals can choose specific content to appear on the app to increase the personalisation options.
“We’re passionate about improving the experience of children coming to hospital and providing data-driven personalised care,” said Evans.
“This investment will help us support more children undergoing a wider range of procedures all over the world.”
Joe Stringer, a partner at Octopus Ventures said: “Chris, Sophie and the Little Journey team have developed a platform that not only has a hugely positive impact on the kids it’s built to help but reduces costs for hospitals delivering paediatric care and smooths the creation of new, better treatments for children.”
The London-based company’s last funding round came in February 2022, when it received £1.5m from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.