Speechtools originated in 2011, after Sam Brady, a Speech and Language Therapist, became frustrated with Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF) technology. After seeing a patient with Parkinson’s Disease struggle with the available technology, which was clunky, expensive and slow, Sam took her concerns to her husband Garry, a software developer at Hewlett Packard. Working overnight on a new easy to use, modern and cost appropriate app, the pair developed ‘DAF pro’.
DAF pro works by enabling someone to hear their speech in an altered manner. This disruption to the normal auditory feedback loop causes them to slow down and thus speak more clearly. This technique is particularly useful for patients with Parkinson’s disease or those who stammer. Since DAF pro, Speechtools have gone on to develop four further apps to help combat problems in other clinical areas:
Speechtools’ apps, are used by over 10,000 people a month, including Speech & Language Therapists and patients in over 170 countries.
The freedom and advancements that Speechtools apps give clinical staff and their patients has improved patient recovery and means greater connections between patients and their clinicians. Feedback received by the team include stories from patients who say that the apps have changed their lives and allowed them to live with more freedom and independence. The apps have meant some patients are able to stay in employment longer and they have increased confidence in their ability to communicate and their voice. The apps have provided ‘at home support’ for many who would otherwise be on lengthy waiting lists, and it has enabled some patients to reduce their need for 1-1 time with a clinician thereby reducing overall waiting times.
Being based in the West of England has meant that Sam and Garry have been able to tap into the burgeoning networks for life sciences and Health-Tech within the region. Beginning with a funded program in 2017, from incubator SETsquared (the #1 university incubator) and the West of England Academic Health Science Network, Sam was able to learn about business models and ways of work, practice investor pitching, speak to established partners about funding opportunities, network and collaborate with other like-minded individuals.
Additional support from the Health Tech Hub in 2019 came in the form of 12 hours free 1-1 business support from James Barsby of Bristol Ventures. Networking meet-ups, the opportunity to showcase Speechtools to the Health-Tech cluster and the various events in and around the region have been invaluable in helping a micro business like Speechtools understand and navigate the larger business world and plan for it appropriately.
Sam said” There is a really supportive network in the region, and people are willing to give their time to help you develop ideas or discover where the next funding round can come from. I’d definitely say to any new start-up get your connections sorted from the beginning. I think if we’d started networking sooner and made more use of what we’ve now found out that would have been an advantage in the early stages. The sector is very welcoming and innovative and it’s an exciting place to develop Health-Tech.”
The Health-Tech sector is rapidly growing and Sam and Garry are proud to have been part of this from the early days of the smartphone. Current and future technologies will continue to enhance, improve and transform the way Speech & Language Therapists work and Speechtools are proud to be leading the field in this area.
“We love being in the West of England, there is so much opportunity here to grow and mature. We’ve noticed that our sales since the beginning of Covid-19 have increased due to patients having to stay at home. Speech Therapists recommend our products to their teams and we’ve noticed an uplift in our word of mouth marketing during this time. That’s amazing for a small company like us. We made these apps because Sam was frustrated by older out of date expensive technology and because we knew patients deserved better, more modern solutions.”
“The Health-Tech sector here is so exciting because it takes the research and the knowledge from health care and fuses it with the awesome tech scene that happens in the region. I don’t think we’d get that anywhere else.”
To find out more about locating your Tech business in our region, please get in touch with our Invest Bristol & Bath team