Launchpad FAQs

The DigitalHealth.London  Launchpad programme  is for early-stage digital health companies in London with a product or service that has high potential to meet the current challenges facing the NHS and social care and is nearing launch into the market. It equips early-stage companies with essential knowledge to refine and launch new products and services that are ready to enter NHS and social care markets. It is not focused on making introductions to potential buyers or pilot sites. 

In comparison, the Accelerator programme is for companies that have a product or service that has already been piloted in the NHS and is ready to scale. The 12 month programme is focused on the next stage of the innovation journey: spread and adoption. Through support from NHS Navigators, it focuses on facilitating introductions and growing networks to support conversations with potential buyers. We have had Launchpad companies who have progressed onto our Accelerator programme to continue the spread and adoption journey. 

The programme will be delivered between Monday 18 August and Thursday 23 October. It will offer at least 15 hours of support to participants over a 10 week period, including:  

Expert-led online workshops: Tap into the rich expertise of key DigitalHealth.London partners and healthcare innovation stakeholders through a series of online workshops, with topics including NHS system intricacies, evidence generation and patient engagement. 

Bespoke 1:1 advice: Navigate your launch through three one-to-one sessions with an assigned Digital Health Guide, who has firsthand NHS clinical and/or operational experience. This is not focused on making introductions to potential buyers or pilot sites but instead equipping you with the knowledge you need to enter your chosen market and refine your product or service so it is NHS ready. 

Peer learning and networking: Join a network of early-stage innovators, gain insights from their experiences and connect through our in-person onboarding, pitching masterclass and Slack community.  

Launch your product: Introduce your product to the health and care ecosystem. Companies must launch by 28 November 2025. 

The Launchpad does not provide direct funding and cannot formally advise on funding or make specific introductions. 

Launchpad is a hybrid programme, with two in-person elements: onboarding and a pitching masterclass. The rest of the 10 week programme will be delivered online, including a series of virtual workshops lead by experts and three one-to-one sessions with an assigned Digital Health Guide.  

The programme will total at least 15 hours over a period of 10 weeks, running between Monday 18 August and Thursday 23 October. 

We continue to work in partnership with our companies to design our Launchpad programme to ensure the format works for them.  

It is increasingly important that digital solutions address both health and social care problems, and the DigitalHealth.London Launchpad accepts applications from companies offering products and services in both the health and social care sectors.  

DigitalHealth.London has supported several companies in the social care space and has relationships with key stakeholders, enabling us to deliver a programme that meets the needs of companies and the developing integrated care landscape.

The Launchpad programme is designed to prepare companies to launch their products to market and to ensure that they are then ready to begin engaging potential stakeholders. Therefore, this programme is not focussed on introductions to the system or sales opportunities. 

We do encourage participating companies to engage with each other and we believe that networking between participants and peer-to-peer support are valuable opportunities provided by the programme. During the programme, there will be opportunities to connect with peers during our in-person onboarding, pitching masterclass and Slack community. 

Companies are invited to apply for the programme through an online application portal: Survey Monkey Apply. Applications are open until 11:59pm on Sunday 13 July 2025. 

Applications will be reviewed by the DigitalHealth.London team before being scored and shortlisted by an internal panel from DigitalHealth.London and CW+. Shortlisted candidates will be offered an online interview through Teams with the DigitalHealth.London team. 
 
At both the application form stage and at the interview, applications will be scored for their suitability for participation in the DigitalHealth.London Launchpad in three areas: 

1. Credibility of the company to develop and launch a product to the health and care ecosystem by 28 November 2025.  
2. NHS or Social Care need for the product or process.  
3. Potential of the company to benefit from the programme ^*

1. To be eligible to take part, companies must fit the definition of a Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME), as provided by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the UK Government. According to this definition, an SME is defined as a business that has fewer than 250 employees and a turnover of less than €50 million (approximately £43 million) or a balance sheet total less than €43 million (approximately £37 million). If you are not sure whether you meet the criteria, we will be able to make a judgment based on your responses to questions in the application form. 
 
2.  Companies need to be registered with UK Companies House. We unfortunately cannot accept sole traders or charities to this cohort of the Launchpad programme, due to restrictions on the current source of funding. 
 
3.  Companies wishing to take part in the DigitalHealth.London Launchpad must either have a registered London address or through a London office or a shared working space with a commitment to doing business in London. 

4. Companies must agree to attend the face-to-face onboarding session on the afternoon of Monday 18 August, all the online workshops running between 21 August 2025 to 16 October 2025, and the face-to-face Pitching Masterclass on 23 October 2025. The online workshops are all on Thursdays from 11.30am-1.30pm and vary in length from 1-2 hours. 
 
5.  Participation in the DigitalHealth.London Launchpad programme qualifies as Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) under  the Subsidy Control Act (2022). The estimated value of the MFA provided through the DigitalHealth.London Launchpad Programme is £4.500. Companies must ensure that this sum does not exceed the Subsidy Control Statutory Guidance MFA threshold of £315,000 over the current and preceding two financial years, as outlined in section 36(1) of the Subsidy Control Act (2022). As part of the application process, companies must confirm that they have not received more than £310,500 (£312,000 minus the value of this subsidy of £4,500) in MFA subsidies or similar types of subsidies (refer to section 42(8) of the Subsidy Control Act) between 1 April 2023 and the current date. 

At DigitalHealth.London and the Health Innovation Network for South London (HIN), we are dedicated to championing equality and diversity. We strive to be a fair and inclusive employer and are actively working to become an anti-racist organisation. Our core principles revolve around fostering a psychologically safe environment that embodies our values: brave, open, together, kind and different. 
 
All our staff have undergone the following mandatory Equality, Diversity and Inclusion training (provided by our internal teams or those at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust): 
– Microaggressions 
– Beyond Bias 
– Cultural Competency 
– Equality, Diversity and Inclusion 
– HIN Academy: Anti-racism Acclimatisation 
 
You can find out more about our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion work here. 
 
Where possible, a diverse panel will be used to review applications and at interviews. Diverse panels are a recruitment approach that involves including individuals from a range of diverse backgrounds and experiences in the selection process. The goal is to ensure that the selection process is fair and inclusive with appropriate reasonable adjustments, and that all applicants have an equal opportunity to succeed. 

In line with the UK Shared Prosperity Fund guidelines, the definition of diverse backgrounds includes individuals who identify as being from Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic communities, the global majority, female, neurodiverse and/or disabled. 
 
Global majority refers to people who are Black, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and/or have been referred to as “ethnic minorities”. 
 
The definition for disability is ‘A mental and/or physical impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to lead activities in everyday life. A disability can be visible (seen) or invisible (hidden)’ (The Equality Act 2010). A mental impairment could include neurodiverse conditions.  . 

The Launchpad programme is for digital health companies with a product or service that has high potential to meet the current challenges facing the NHS and social care today and are nearing launch into the health and social care market. Companies must be ready to launch their product by 28 November 2025.

Watch the 101 Webinar for further information directly from the programme delivery team.

The benefit received by your Company from the DigitalHealth.London Launchpad programme will be classified as Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) under the Subsidy Control Act (2022). The amount of Minimal Financial Assistance that your Company will receive through the DigitalHealth.London Launchpad Programme is estimated to be worth the equivalent of £4,500.  
 
Before making the payment, we will require written confirmation that receipt of the payment will not exceed your Company’s Subsidy Control Statutory Guidance MFA threshold of £315,000 cumulated over this and the previous two financial years, as specified in section 36(1) of the Subsidy Control Act (2022). This means you must confirm that you have not received more than £312,000 (£315,000 minus the value of this subsidy of £3,000) in MFA subsidies or comparable types of subsidies (see section 42(8) of the Subsidy Control Act) between 1 April 2023 and the date you submit your application.  
 
We take this opportunity to remind you that you are required to keep a written record of the amount of MFA you have received and the date/s when it was received. The written record must be kept for at least three years beginning with the date on which the MFA was given. This will enable you to respond to future requests from public authorities on how much MFA you have received and whether you have reached the cumulative threshold. MFA can be provided in various forms, including grants, loans, guarantees, and subsidised services.   

See here for more information.

Watch the 101 Webinar for further information directly from the programme delivery team.
 
Should you still have any questions, please email:  info@digitalhealth.london  with any queries and someone from the team will be happy to help you. In the unlikely event we are unable to answer your question over email, we will happily set up a call with an appropriate team member. 

You can also sign up to the DigitalHealth.London mailing list to receive all the latest announcements and opportunities from DigitalHealth.London, as well as follow our LinkedIn, X (formerly known as Twitter) and BlueSky channels for regular updates. 

Unfortunately, once you have submitted your application, you are unable to edit your answers. We recommend applicants review and proofread applications before submitting them.   

Due to the large number of applications we receive, we do not offer feedback if applicants are not successful at the application review stage. All unsuccessful interviewees are offered a feedback call with a panel member.