Borders tech firm helping hospitals tackle Covid secures fresh funding

A Borders tech business is helping hospitals to tackle coronavirus infections after securing early-stage loan funding.

Amanda Pickford, founder of Kelso based Shock Innovations, trading under ThermaFY.

Trading under ThermaFY, Kelso-based Shock Innovations is using the financial boost to support the development of its thermal imaging technology.

An initial loan from the Scottish Microfinance Fund, which DSL Business Finance delivers on behalf of the Scottish Government, was provided to assist as part of an overall package to fund working capital as the business sought to establish itself in 2018.

A second sum was subsequently awarded using the Digital Development Loan Fund, a separate Government-funded initiative delivered by DSL in partnership with Lanarkshire Enterprise Services to provide loans to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) working to improve their digital capabilities and capacity.

The loans have helped to fund the development of ThermaFY’s thermal imaging technology, now being used by the NHS in a number of hospitals in the fight against Covid-19.

Formerly a thermal camera hardware distributor, the company identified a void in the use of its affordable cameras. Founder Amanda Pickford discovered that users of the technology required compatible and accessible software. By developing apps, she filled a gap in the market while providing the business with greater longer-term sustainability.

Pickford said: “During the first pilot our systems scanned over 150,000 people in just three months. Now the stations are a permanent feature, scanning over 7,000 patients and staff every day. Helping to give people confidence that the hospitals are a safe environment.”

ThermaFY Group operates through three main internal brands covering a range of sectors in energy, digital health and agriculture. In 2020, it was approached by Microsoft to take on a project identifying foot and mouth disease in cattle in Columbia.

Pickford added: “Though our work in the digital health sector has been a big focus in the past year, our partnership with Microsoft to identify foot and mouth disease in cattle is ongoing. We have also been working on similar projects studying mastitis with local dairy farmers and the Edinburgh Veterinary Hospital.”

Stuart Yuill, executive director at DSL, said: “We were very impressed with Amanda’s extensive experience within the sector.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven’t already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription: www.scotsman.com/subscriptions