A medical startup helping doctors diagnose blood cancers faster and more accurately has secured a £425,000 investment as part of a £1.125m funding round.
Daresbury's Spotlight Pathology is developing AI-powered pathology tools to support faster diagnosis of lymphoma and leukaemia. The company, founded by Dr Martin Fergie and Prof Richard Byers and led by Dr Sam Perona, has developed computer vision models trained on Ƶ hospital datasets.
Its £425K funding round includes a “six-figure commitment” from EHE Ventures through its its AI Growth Fund,alongside support from DeepBridge Capital and Lyva Labs.
Spotlight says the funding will help it to complete its AI platform development, to secure Ƶ regulatory approval, and to launch pilot programs across the Ƶ, Europe, and the US alongside EHE’s Venture Studio.
Spotlight CEO Dr Sam Perona said: “There’s a critical shortage of pathologists, and the stakes are high—delayed diagnosis means delayed treatment. Our platform gives clinicians the tools to confidently streamline diagnostic workflows.
“This investment is a major step forward in bringing our technology to market and improving outcomes for people affected by blood cancers.”
Andrew Round, investment director at Deepbridge Capital, said: “Spotlight Pathology represents exactly the type of highly innovative company that Deepbridge is privileged to invest in. We initially supported the team through our Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS), and are now pleased to back them again through our EIS fund, alongside EHE and Lyva Labs. We look forward to supporting the team as they scale in the exciting field of digital pathology.”
EHE Ventures launched its AI Growth Fund in 2024 to back Ƶ startups in areas including healthcare, agriculture, climate, and infrastructure. The Spotlight investment marks the fund’s fourth deployment, following recent investments in SUBJCT, Scooch, and Fotenix.
Neil Vose, CEO of EHE Venture Studio, said: “Spotlight is exactly the kind of company our fund was built to support – founder-led, mission-driven, and applying AI to solve one of the most urgent challenges in global healthcare.
"We’re not just providing capital. Through our Venture Studio, we’ll be working side-by-side with Sam and the team to scale the platform, accelerate development, and prepare for market entry.”
