Funding for tech firm helping tackle Covid
A Borders tech business is helping hospitals to tackle coronavirus infections after securing early-stage loan funding.
Trading under Thermafy, Kelso-based Shock Innovations is using the financial boost to support the development of its thermal imaging technology.
An initial loan from the Scottish Microfinance Fund, which DSL Business Finance delivers on behalf of the Scottish Government, was provided to assist as part of an overall package to fund working capital as the business sought to establish itself in 2018.
A second sum was subsequently awarded using the Digital Development Loan Fund, a separate governmentfunded initiative delivered by DSL in partnership with Lanarkshire Enterprise Services to provide loans to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMES) working to improve their digital capabilities and capacity.
The loans have helped to fund the development of Thermafy’s thermal imaging technology, now being used by the NHS in a number of hospitals in the fight against Covid-19.
Formerly a thermal camera hardware distributor, the company identified a void in the use of its affordable cameras. Founder Amanda Pickford discovered that users of the technology required compatible and accessible software. By developing apps, she filled a gap in the market while providing the business with greater longer-term sustainability.
Pickford said: “During the first pilot our systems scanned over 150,000 people in just three months. Now the stations are a permanent feature, scanning over 7,000 patients and staff every day.”