High-flying Aiber secures boost of £2m

Inverness firm Aiber plans to further roll out its in-flight technology across the aviation and maritime sectors following a £2 million fundraising round.

BGF – formerly the Business Growth Fund – has ploughed £1.6m into the medical technology company.

Existing investors Scottish Enterprise and Equity Gap have also committed new funds.

Aiber is the trading name of Mime Technologies, which has developed a device for managing medical emergencies in the air.

The technology is expected to benefit the many thousands of travellers who fall ill on flights annually.

According to Aiber, one leading airline diverts as many as 60 flights a year due to health problems.

Welcoming the cash injection, co-founder and chief executive Anne Roberts said: “This investment will allow us to accelerate the roll-out of our potentially life-saving solution to more customers.

“Whether in the air or at sea, a medical event in these situations can be incredibly stressful and isolating for those tasked with responding, and we are confident Aiber can reduce the burden and improve passenger health outcomes.”

BGF investor Keith Barclay hailed the fundraising as “an exciting moment of growth”.

He added: “The company’s pioneering medtech software product has a significant addressable market, and we look forward to supporting their push into new areas.”

With one diversion costing an airline anything from £25,000 to £500,000, improving medical outcomes in the sky alone has positive implications for passenger wellbeing, safety and overall efficiency. Aiber’s wireless technology provides fast and accurate support to cabin crew, pilots and clinicians on the ground.

The medi-tech is specifically designed for use by non-medical professionals. According to Aiber, this allows for more informed decisions about a wide range of medical events from burns and allergic reactions to suspected heart attacks.

While some airlines can call on ground-based clinical support, this is not mandatory for all flights.

Communications can also be difficult, with crew needing to leave the patient to use the on-board phone or unreliable headphone technology.

INVESTMENT: Aiber COE Alasdair Mort, Anne Roberts, and BGF’s Keith Barclay.