UK-based home healthcare provider Cera has raised $150 million in a mix of debt and equity funding, led by funds affiliated with BDT & MSD Partners and Schroders Capital, to scale its proprietary AI-driven platform. The company, which has raised over $407 million to date, plans to leverage the investment to further expand its services and improve patient outcomes.

The funding comes at a time when public healthcare systems, particularly in Western countries with aging populations, are struggling to cope with the demands of post-pandemic care. In the UK, the National Health Service (NHS) has been under significant pressure, making private companies like Cera an attractive solution to fill the gap. Cera's AI-driven platform, which uses proprietary modeling based on its own data, as well as aspects of Google's Gemini AI platform and Microsoft's ChatGPT, aims to provide high-quality, personalized care to patients in the comfort of their own homes.

In an interview with TechCrunch, Dr. Ben Maruthappu MBE, Founder & CEO of Cera, highlighted the company's progress towards profitability, citing its EBITA-positive status in 2023 and free-cashflow positivity in 2024. Maruthappu attributed this success to the company's technology and AI capabilities, which have enabled it to expand its services to include nursing, physiotherapy, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and mental health support.

Cera's platform uses data collected from patient visits to build algorithms that predict potential health risks, allowing carers to take proactive measures to prevent hospitalizations and falls. According to Maruthappu, the company's AI algorithm can predict over 80% of falls a week before they happen, resulting in a 20% reduction in patient falls, and up to 70% reduction in hospitalizations. These outcomes have significant implications for the NHS, which could save up to £1 million a day, according to an independent analysis by UK consultancy Faculty.

The company's approach stands in contrast to other healthcare startups, such as Babylon Health, which failed to deliver on its promises of AI-driven healthcare. Cera's focus on using technology to support, rather than replace, human care has enabled it to build a comprehensive healthcare at-home provider, covering around 30 million people with 10,000 carers and nurses, and working with over 150 local governments and two-thirds of NHS Integrated Care Systems.

The investment will enable Cera to further scale its business, supporting its mission to take pressure off the NHS and provide high-quality care to patients in their own homes. As Rob Platek, partner and global head of credit at BDT & MSD, noted, "Cera has achieved strong growth through a demonstrated ability to leverage technology to deliver exceptional care. We believe Cera is well positioned to further scale its business."

With this funding, Cera is poised to make a significant impact on the UK's healthcare landscape, providing a much-needed solution to the NHS's capacity challenges and improving patient outcomes through its innovative AI-driven approach.