UK-based healthtech startup Stride has raised £4.6 million in Seed funding to expand its preventive health testing services and launch its personalised health membership programme in the United States.
The round marks the company’s first external financing and includes participation from Arāya Ventures, Better Ventures, Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures, Innovate UK and angel investors.
Combining Health Testing With Personalised Guidance
Founded by Andrew Steele, a former British Olympic athlete and co-founder of genetic testing company DNAfit, Stride develops preventive health services designed to help individuals understand and monitor different aspects of their health.
Its approach combines DNA testing, blood biomarkers and gut microbiome analysis to provide insights into genetic predispositions, current health indicators and factors influenced by lifestyle.
Rather than offering individual test results alone, Stride combines these data sources with recommendations from qualified dietitians and nutrition professionals.
Customers receive guidance on potential changes to nutrition, physical activity, sleep and supplementation. Follow-up testing allows them to monitor changes in relevant biomarkers over time.
The company’s StrideOne membership programme brings these services together, combining testing, practitioner consultations and personalised supplements.
According to Stride, the company has served more than 16,000 customers. It also reports an 85% member retention rate over the first 13 months of its StrideOne programme.
Expanding Into the US and Developing New Tests
Stride plans to invest the new funding in three areas: expanding its testing portfolio, developing a multi-source biological age test and launching StrideOne in the United States.
The planned biological age test will combine several types of health data to assess biological ageing. StrideOne already includes a biological age estimate based on nine blood biomarkers, while the new test remains under development.
The US expansion will introduce Stride’s membership-based approach to American customers, although some of its existing tests remain available only in the UK.
“Health shouldn’t be harder than an Olympic training block.”
— Andrew Steele, Founder of Stride
Steele previously co-founded DNAfit, a genetic testing company acquired by Prenetics in 2018.
With its first external financing secured, Stride plans to expand its preventive health services beyond individual tests, focusing on ongoing monitoring and personalised guidance through its membership programme.