Company co-founded by Dunn School alumnus awarded £1.8 million to tackle Postoperative Delirium
Dr Benjamin Dodsworth completed his PhD in the Dunn School and went on to co-found and become the Chief Scientific Officer of PIPRA (Pre-Interventional Preventive Risk Assessment) based in Zurich, Switzerland.
Founded in 2019, PIPRA is a digital health company that aims to combat Postoperative Delirium, the most common post-surgical complication affecting 20% of patients over 60. Patients with postoperative delirium exhibit sudden changes in cognitive function and behaviour, which in 38% of cases is the beginning of long-term cognitive decline. PIPRA uses patient data to help predict, pre-empt and prevent postoperative delirium – improving post-surgical patients’ recovery and reducing treatment costs.
PIPRA has now completed its £1.8 million (2.1 million CHF) seed funding round. The round was led by the Start Angels Network and included Dutch-based Forward VC, Zurich Kantonalbank, and Silicon Valley’s Plug and Play. This achievement builds on previous successes of €1.3 million from the EIT Health Wildcard award and support from the Oxford Foundry Accelerator Programme.
About his success, Benjamin said: “I’m very grateful for the support we’ve received from the Oxford Ecosystem. The Dunn School, in particular, has a special place in my heart. I received excellent scientific training, of course, but I also remember it as a fertile ground for ideation, which set me up nicely for my entrepreneurial journey. I feel confident in saying that the Dunn School and the wider Oxford Ecosystem have been absolutely essential to our success.”
Written by Isabella Maudlin (Murphy lab) @BellaMaudlin
