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Pontiro

Category: AI in Healthcare

End-to-end healthcare AI infrastructure platform that provides automated medical imaging data anonymisation and AI evaluation solutions, enabling NHS organisations to safely share patient data and validate AI solutions in real clinical workflows. Pontiro was founded in 2024. The company is led by Lewis Bowen. Based in Newport, Wales, United Kingdom. Team size: 3-5. Total funding raised: £357,500. Latest round: Seed (£357,500, Feb 2026). Key investors include ["SFC Capital","Plug and Play Ventures","British Business Bank"].

Founded
2024
Headquarters
Newport, Wales, United Kingdom
Team size
3-5
Total funding
£357,500

Value proposition

Automates manual medical image anonymisation (reducing 6 minutes per study to seconds) with 99.9% PII removal accuracy while preserving all diagnostic value; provides structured AI evaluation with baseline comparison and ROI analysis for informed procurement decisions, enabling safe data sharing and evidence-based AI deployment.

Products and solutions

["DataScrub Anonymisation Platform - removes patient identifiers from medical images and clinical reports","AI Assessment/Evaluation Platform - time-boxed evaluation with baseline vs. real-world comparison and ROI analysis","Continuous Monitoring System (Coming Soon) - tracks AI performance over time with ongoing evidence and alerts"]

Unique value

Built inside the NHS alongside clinical teams who use it daily, addressing real workflow bottlenecks. Combines homomorphic encryption with automated anonymisation to enable secure computation on protected data. Achieves 99.9% PII removal accuracy with 98% time reduction (from 6 minutes per study to seconds) whilst fully preserving diagnostic value. Processes seamlessly in the background within existing hospital systems rather than requiring workflow changes.

Target customer

NHS trusts and healthcare organisations, clinical research centres, medical AI developers and vendors, health boards requiring data sharing capabilities, and healthcare providers implementing AI solutions

Industries served

["Healthcare & NHS","Medical Imaging & Radiology","HealthTech & Digital Health","Clinical Research","Healthcare AI/ML","Data Privacy & Compliance"]

Technology advantage

End-to-end healthcare AI lifecycle platform covering data access, validation, and sustainability. Integrates directly into NHS workflows and hospital infrastructure with GDPR compliance and NHS approval. Provides structured AI evaluation with baseline comparison and ROI analysis for evidence-based procurement. Platform has demonstrated scale with 2M+ medical images processed across multiple NHS Wales health boards. Addresses the complete journey from locked patient data to proven AI value with continuous monitoring capabilities.

How they differentiate

Built inside NHS alongside clinical teams with end-to-end platform covering data anonymisation AND AI evaluation/validation. Achieves 99.9% PII removal accuracy with 98% time reduction while integrating directly into existing hospital workflows. Combines homomorphic encryption with automated anonymisation, plus structured AI evaluation with baseline comparison and ROI analysis—addressing complete healthcare AI lifecycle from locked patient data to proven AI value.

Main competitors

["Segmed","Gradient Health","Avandra"]

Key partnerships

["NHS Wales (multiple health boards with operational deployment)","SFC Capital (lead seed investor)","Plug and Play Ventures (seed investor)","Cyber Innovation Hub Wales (venture building programme)","Alacrity UK Entrepreneurship Programme (company formation)","Cardiff University (founding team alma mater)","UK healthcare institutions, NHS trusts, and research centres (customer base)"]

Notable customers

["NHS Wales Health Boards","UK Healthcare Institutions","NHS Trusts"]

Major milestones

["Founded August 2024 through Alacrity UK & Cyber Innovation Hub programmes","Won Best Pitch at ECSO Investor Showcase at The Shard","Awarded Innovate UK Growth Catalyst Grant in AI category","Shortlisted for Technology Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 (Great British Entrepreneur Awards)","Presented at UKIO (UK Imaging & Oncology Congress)","Secured £357,500 seed funding led by SFC Capital (Feb 2026)","Processed 2+ million medical images across NHS Wales"]

Growth metrics

2+ million medical images processed across NHS Wales; 99.9% PII removal accuracy; 98% reduction in processing time (6 minutes to seconds per study); operational deployment across multiple health boards

Market positioning

Early-stage NHS-focused healthtech specialist competing against larger US-based data platforms. Positioned as integrated NHS workflow solution rather than standalone data marketplace, with unique dual capability in both anonymisation and AI validation/monitoring.

Geographic focus

United Kingdom (Primary: NHS Wales, expanding UK-wide to NHS England and other health boards)

Patents and IP

No registered patents disclosed as of latest update (February 2026)

About Lewis Bowen

Co-founder and CEO at Pontiro (2024-present). Recent Cardiff University graduate. Emerged through Alacrity UK Entrepreneurship Programme and Cyber Innovation Hub Venture Building Programme. Co-founded Pontiro to address healthcare data anonymisation challenges identified through NHS Wales stakeholder engagement. Led the company to secure £357,500 seed funding from SFC Capital and Plug and Play Ventures (February 2026). Successfully scaled platform to process over 2 million medical images with 99.9% PII removal accuracy.

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