Pictured from left, Cogniss's Joseph Barry (CCO), Leon Young (CEO) and Dr Lloyd Humphreys, (UK Managing Director). Supplied. Download the picture
Cogniss is now based at the Barclays Eagle Labs incubator in Cambridge. The company plans to create 45 new skilled, high value jobs within the next three years.
Cogniss makes it quick, easy and affordable for researchers, clinical entrepreneurs and healthcare workers to build sophisticated patient-facing apps without needing to rely on developers or agencies.
The Combined Authority and Business Board established an inward investment team as part of the Growth Works business growth service to promote Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to internationally and nationally expanding businesses.
The support provided has also helped the company to quickly build strong collaborations within the local economy, including partnerships with life sciences and healthcare investors Start Codon and Health Innovation Network (HIN) set up by the NHS to turn health innovations into better health services for people.
Cogniss already works with digital healthcare innovators and researchers across the UK, including Onebright, Haemnet, Lumino, Givaudan as well as universities including Edinburgh, Surrey, Southampton, Plymouth and LSBU.
Cogniss CEO and Founder, Leon Young, said the decision to move the company’s global headquarters ‘next door’ to some of the world’s most groundbreaking research hubs made perfect sense. He said: “At Cogniss, our whole purpose is to drive a paradigm shift in the way digital health can be delivered to patients, giving those with the subject matter expertise the ability to digitise and scale their work on their own - with quick development, low cost, best-in-class features and productised security and privacy. We're already delighted to be working with many incredible health practitioners in the UK and look forward to supporting many more."
Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson, said: “It is great to welcome Cogniss to the region and is another endorsement of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough as a place to do business. It further highlights the strength and attractiveness of our health, tech and digital sectors amid strong global competition.
“Better digital healthcare technology also has wider advantages and with Cogniss already collaborating with our local NHS partners which are focused on developing healthcare technologies into real benefits for people, it is especially exciting we have this pioneering company in the region."
Chair of the Business Board, Al Kingsley, said: “Inward investment is hard won, and with our region competing with other places in the UK and internationally, it is vital we offer the right support to help companies like Cogniss choose Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. It is why we, along with the Combined Authority, invested in a dedicated inward investment team in the first place. This move also demonstrates the recovery of inward investment to the region after the Covid-19 pandemic.
“As well as jobs and economic growth, Cogniss is already embedding itself in the local business ecosystem, which again has been helped by our inward investment team. The service is not just about securing inward investment, but helping businesses to establish themselves too.”
Co-founder and CEO of Cambridge-based Start Codon, Dr Jason Mellad, said: “It’s great to partner with a company whose mission aligns so much with ours. Both Start Codon and Cogniss aim to drive the next generation of healthcare, empower innovators and address health inequalities.”
Rebecca Bekkenutte, Managing Director, Inward Investment, Growth Works said: "We are absolutely thrilled to have been able to support Cogniss into Cambridgeshire; especially as it was a nationally mobile opportunity, and Oxford and London were heavy contenders. Attracting companies like Cogniss is integral to driving local growth, creating local jobs, creating sustainability, building local supply chain and improving the overall community. Our team worked with Cogniss for over a year, providing multiple pieces of information spanning workforce, venture capital, clusters, and industry information. We also facilitated multiple visits to integrate Cogniss into the ecosystem. We guided and supported Cogniss at every stage of the investment lifecycle, and we are so pleased that we were able to be a catalyst to support the decision of Cogniss to set up in Cambridgeshire."
