Herts alumnus’s pioneering stroke rehabilitation start-up receives £475K funding boost following University business support

A University of Hertfordshire alumnus, whose company has been supported by a number of the University’s business support schemes, has been awarded £475k funding to progress its revolutionary work.

International Business graduate Heraldas Gaspariunas is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Reneural, a ‘MedTech’ (medical technology) start-up transforming stroke rehabilitation by using innovative technologies to enhance patient outcomes, improve clinician support and reduce healthcare costs.

Launched with Victor Harabari (CEO), the company, formerly known as CardioCrown, are an incubator tenant at the University of Hertfordshire and have been further supported through the institution’s hugely successful Healthcare Technologies Capability Connector Accelerator. With support from HTCC, the Reneural team will advance the development of their remote patient platform and conduct a technical feasibility research study. This initiative aims to enhance their integrated ecosystem, which leverages virtual reality (VR), robotics, electromyography (EMG), and functional electrical stimulation (FES) to deliver comprehensive physical, visual, cognitive, and mental health therapies for stroke survivors and individuals with similar conditions.

The £475K pre-seed funding, received from SFC Capital, undisclosed investors and Innovate UK, will then allow Reneural to refine the platform and enhance its rehabilitation techniques to make them more accessible and effective, while reducing the strain on healthcare systems and providing more opportunity to investigate the mental health impact and burden for patients.

Heraldas Gaspariunas said: “A stroke can occur at any age, and it is a leading cause of disability in adults. NeuroVive is a seamless multi-disciplinary neurorehabilitation platform that will help improve stroke recovery and increase patient engagement by assisting in multiple areas of therapy using virtual reality, electromyography, functional electrical simulation, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

‘We are now in the process of commercialising our technology and are excited to have such an incredible group of investors  - alongside the University of Hertfordshire - supporting our mission to leverage technology in transforming healthcare delivery, improving access, quality, and efficiency for both patients and clinicians.”

Through a research study with Herts researchers that will begin in 2025, Reneural will next focus on the impact of remote VR-based therapies for patients recovering from stroke and neurological conditions. The company is working closely with healthcare professionals and experts to ensure the platform’s success and adoption across clinical pathways, both in hospital settings and at home.

Professor Wendy Wills, Pro Vice for Research and Enterprise at the University of Hertfordshire, said:

“Securing such significant pre-seed funding is a huge achievement for Reneural and will be the catalyst for many exciting developments to come. As a Herts incubator tenant and a HTCC accelerator awardee – as well as the fact that Heraldas is one of our graduates - it is wonderful to have been able to support Reneural to continue to grow and progress, while ultimately innovating healthcare technology that will bring huge benefits to many people.

“This continued collaboration showcases the University’s commitment to innovative healthcare solutions and transformative health technology advancements, and we look forward to seeing what Reneural achieve next.”

Read more about Heraldas Gaspariunas’s time at the University of Hertfordshire, or find out more about Reneural.