neubond raises £1.5M seed to bring at-home stroke rehab wearable to market
What's the deal? NeubondDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a spinout from Imperial College LondonDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, has raised £1.5 million in seed funding to bring its at-home stroke rehabilitation wristband to market.
The round was led by Waseda University VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Tokyo deeptech fund, with SFC CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and New Wave VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → joining.
The forearm bracelet detects faint electrical signals from muscles, even when patients cannot see or feel movement. A companion app then shows the patient in real time that their muscle has activated, using sensory feedback to help the brain rebuild lost neural pathways.
Why now? The funding marks Waseda University Ventures' first investment in a UK company, since its launch in 2022.
In a pilot study with 15 patients, users improved their range of motion by 30% after one month. The money will fund MHRA certification and a clinical study at Charing Cross Hospital.
It also targets a real gap in NHS care. Guidelines say stroke patients should get at least three hours of therapy a day, five days a week, but the NHS cannot always deliver that.
Neubond's app lets clinicians design and monitor rehab programs remotely, tracking repetitions and progress without in-person visits.
What could go wrong? The device still needs regulatory approval and a successful clinical study before it can reach patients at scale.
Founders Dr Patrick Sagastegui AlvaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Jumpei KashiwakuraDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → met at Imperial while building a prosthetic hand, then pivoted to rehabilitation. Translating a decade of lab science into a simple home wearable remains the core challenge.
The signal: Waseda University Ventures, a Tokyo deeptech fund that typically backs software and semiconductor plays, chose an early-stage medtech spinout for its UK debut — a sign of the growing pull of cross-border academic IP deals. With SFC Capital, the UK's most active early-stage investor, also on the cap table, Neubond enters a field where neuroplasticity-based wearables are finally moving from lab evidence into patients' homes.
Read more: Tech Funding News
Image credit: neubond
