Hello Vet lands £15m Series A to cut veterinary admin using AI
This article covers Hello Vet, a healthtech startup, which has raised £15m in a Series A round led by Addition and Future Positive to expand its transparent clinic model across the UK. The development aims to support veterinary staff and pet owners by reducing administrative burden and burnout through clinic redesign and proprietary software and AI while increasing access to care as the startup scales.
Hello Vet, a healthtech startup that invites pet owners into treatment and recovery rooms, has raised £15 million in a Series A round led by Addition and Future Positive to expand its transparent clinic model across the UK. The raise, which brings total funding to £21 million after a £6 million seed round in August 2023, matters because the company is pitching a people-first approach to reduce veterinary burnout while using proprietary technology and AI to cut administrative time.
Why it matters
Veterinary services in the UK are grappling with high burnout and staff attrition: one in three vets is reportedly considering leaving the profession within five years and around 10% leave each year. Hello Vet’s model seeks to tackle that by redesigning clinic workflows and staff conditions while attempting to improve outcomes for animals and confidence for owners.
The company also aims to address access and cost pain points for owners: it says more than 7,500 patients are registered across its clinics, its Google reviews average 4.97, and a complimentary WhatsApp triage service has saved owners over £75,000 in fees in the past year. Those metrics are part of the rationale for investors backing a UK expansion and a hiring push.
Inside the product
Hello Vet’s core differentiator is clinical transparency and owner involvement. Clients are permitted into procedure rooms to hold their pets’ paws as anaesthesia is given and to be present during recovery. The company argues this reduces stress for pets and owners, can improve outcomes and recovery times, and builds trust by making care visible.
Operationally the startup is investing in proprietary software and AI tools designed to remove routine paperwork and operational tasks, claiming reductions in administrative time of up to 90%. The company says that freeing clinicians from administrative burden will allow more time for hands-on care.
Other practical features include the complimentary WhatsApp triage service, which connects registered owners to qualified practitioners without an in-person visit. Hello Vet opened its first site in London Fields in July 2024 and plans to roll out additional clinics around the UK while hiring a team of 200 vets and vet nurses over the next two years.
Who are the investors?
The Series A was led by Addition and Future Positive. The round totals £15 million and follows a £6 million seed round in August 2023, taking cumulative investment to £21 million. The seed and Series A rounds included participation from 15 leading and specialist vets, indicating some strategic investor involvement from within the profession.
In the announcement, Robbie Horwitz, Partner at Addition, said:
Hello Vet’s focus on better support for veterinary professionals is redefining what pet care can look like in the UK. We’re proud to back Hello Vet as they set a new standard for how vets, pets and owners experience care.
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Founder perspective
Hello Vet was founded in 2022 by James Lighton and Alessandro Guazzi, alongside veterinary surgeon Dr Oli Viner. The company frames its approach as rebuilding veterinary care to better support professionals and strengthen client relationships. The founders cite family and clinical roots: Dr Viner’s father, Bradley Viner, was a Blue Peter vet.
In the announcement, James Lighton, Co-founder & CEO at Hello Vet, said:
We know that most veterinary professionals come into this industry because they love working with animals. But too many good people are leaving this vocation. We want to become Britain’s best place to work, to ensure working in a vet clinic feels like the dream job it should be. When we treat our teams better, pets and their people benefit too. It’s a win-win.
The emphasis is on creating a sustainable workplace as much as rapid expansion; the stated goal is to combine clinic growth with improved working conditions and reduced administrative load.
The bigger picture
The raise sits at the intersection of two trends in UK and European healthtech: investor interest in operations-driven models that address workforce shortages, and the application of AI to reduce non-clinical burden. Hello Vet’s model also touches on consumer expectations for transparency in care, a trend visible across medical and veterinary services.
For policymakers and providers, the company’s focus on retention and clinic design is a reminder that solving access issues often requires workforce and process changes as well as capital. As Hello Vet scales, its experience will be relevant to conversations about training, regulation, and staffing in the UK veterinary sector and the broader healthtech ecosystem.
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