UK-based preventative health startup Stride has raised £4.6 million in seed funding to further develop its diagnostics-driven health platform and support international expansion. The round includes investment from Arāya Ventures, Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures, Better Ventures, Innovate UK and an a16z Scout Fund investor, alongside a group of angel investors.
Launched in May 2024 by Andrew Steele, an Olympic medallist and co-founder of DNAfit, Stride offers a preventative health membership that combines DNA, blood and gut health testing with personalised insights. The platform aims to help individuals better understand their health data, track changes over time and make more informed decisions about their health and wellbeing.
Stride is focused on encouraging a shift from treating health problems after they emerge towards identifying potential risks and addressing them earlier. By combining diagnostic testing with personalised guidance, the company aims to make preventative health management more accessible and encourage long-term changes in everyday health behaviours.
Drawing on his experience in elite sport and genetics, Andrew Steele, founder of Stride, believes that making preventative health more engaging and accessible could encourage people to take greater control of their health:
Preventative health can sometimes sound boring or worthy, when actually it could be one of the most transformative opportunities of our generation. If we can make better health exciting, aspirational and genuinely engaging, and use deeper analysis to give people better insights earlier in life, we have the potential to change everyday behaviours at a scale that could fundamentally reshape how long and how well we live.
The company also sees preventative healthcare as a way to address some of the pressures facing healthcare systems. Stride aims to help people identify individual risk factors and make lifestyle changes earlier, potentially reducing the burden of preventable diseases on services such as the NHS.
As part of its development, Stride has secured Innovate UK funding for two research projects. The first focuses on developing a multiomic approach to measuring biological age, while the second involves creating an AI-powered health copilot that combines laboratory test results, wearable data, health records and other information to provide personalised insights and support.
Stride is also expanding into the premium wellness and longevity sector through partnerships with Triple Bond at The BoTree Hotel and LongLane, an alcohol-free biohacking destination. These partnerships use Stride's diagnostic testing to personalise members' experiences.
The new funding will support the development of a predictive and personalised health platform designed to help users manage their health more proactively. Stride also plans to launch its Stride One membership internationally, outside the UK, before the end of 2026.