Bedi OralCare swallows angel funding

KELVIN Capital and the Scottish Investment Bank have pumped £140,000 of seed funding into Edinburgh-based Bedi OralCare, which is developing dental products for disabled people.

The Glasgow-based business angel network and Scottish Enterprise’s investment arm described founder Raman Bedi as a “leading figure in the international dental industry”.

Bedi is a professor at King’s College London and served as England’s chief dental officer between 2002 and 2005.

He said: “We are delighted to receive this vital seed funding. At present, the mainstream dental market does not cater adequately for the growing ageing population or those with special needs, for example, people suffering from dementia.”

The firm plans to target emerging markets such as Brazil, China and India and aims to turn over £1 million in 2015.

Paula Skinner, a partner at law firm Harper Macleod, which advised Bedi OralCare on the funding, said: “This deal once again shows that there is backing out there for companies that can provide genuine innovation.”

Bedi’s first product, the “dental shield” will help dentists to prop open their patients’ mouths, while its second device – the “Bedi tray”, which is due to be launched next year – will allow dentists to take impressions of children’s teeth without restraining them.