Saltroad, a start-up based in Northern Ireland, has recently raised £575,000 in pre-seed funding to launch an online marketplace for speech and language therapy. The co-founders, Debi and Darren Lester, have backgrounds in speech therapy and technology businesses, with Debi bringing over 12 years of experience as a speech therapist and Darren having previously built and sold an online marketplace in the UK construction sector.
The aim of Saltroad is to reduce delays in accessing speech therapy in the UK, where two million children are in need of therapy services.
The current provision through the NHS and private specialists cannot meet the demand, leading to long waiting times and high costs for families. By connecting parents with qualified practitioners through their platform, Saltroad hopes to streamline the process and provide faster assessments for children in need.
In addition to helping parents access therapy services more efficiently, Saltroad also aims to support existing private practitioners by providing them with a steady stream of patients and reducing administrative burdens. This approach not only benefits the practitioners but also creates more capacity in the market. With the backing of investors like Techstart Ventures and Ascension VC, Saltroad is poised to make a significant impact in addressing the growing problem of speech and language therapy access in the UK.
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