Ken Cahill, CEO, SilverCloud Health
Our latest One to Watch is SilverCloud Health, a new web-based health and wellness delivery platform targeted at healthcare organisations to offer computerised therapeutic programmes for clients and patients around areas such as depression and chronic illness care.
According to CEO Ken Cahill, SilverCloud Health is a spin-out from Technology Enhanced Therapy, a three-year joint translational research project carried out by the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC), Trinity College Dublin’s (TCD) school of computer science and statistics and Parents Plus at Mater University Hospital.
Before this, Cahill says the project had also undergone eight years of direct academic research at TCD.
So what is disruptive about SilverCloud’s technology?
According to Cahill, existing computer-based treatments for areas such as mental and behavioural health have very poor client engagement rates, as well as high dropout rates.
“In clinical trials, user trials and real-world deployments, SilverCloud has shown a threefold increase in client engagement rates when compared to other leading computer-based support/therapy programmes,” he explains.
Cahill says the platform has been designed upon four principles: to be interactive, personal, social and supportive.
The company has also been named the ‘Most Investable Business in Ireland’ by the Irish Software Association and Irish Venture Capital Association at the Software Investment Forum back in May.
SilverCloud succeeded in securing funding from Enterprise Ireland’s Competitive Start Fund in early 2012, while it has also been working with clients in Ireland, the UK and the US.
Watch our video interview with Ken Cahill here:
SilverCloud Health is supported by the National Digital Research Centre (NDRC). Since NDRC was founded in 2007, it has worked with and invested in almost 80 digital ventures. “In that time we have had over 1,000 ideas and individuals come through our doors, and facilitated over €5m in following on investment,” says NDRC marketing and programme manager Amy Neale. “Whether you are a tech innovator or a keen investor, our door is always open.” For further information, go to www.ndrc.ie
The One to Watch series is made possible through the support of NDRC, HBAN and Enterprise Ireland.
