LatchAid: A Smart, Scalable, and Accessible Solution to Support Breastfeeding and Early Parenthood Journey

英国是全球母乳喂养率最差的国家[2](所有参考文献见第四季度附录)，尽管81%的母亲开始母乳喂养，但遗憾的是，90%的母亲在想要母乳喂养之前就放弃了，原因是身体、情感上的痛苦和缺乏支持。Latchaid是一家屡获殊荣的FemTech初创公司。其开创性的应用程序利用尖端3D可视化技术帮助用户直观地从3D化身学习母乳喂养技能，利用虚拟支持小组将父母连接到紧密的点对点支持网络，以及基于人工智能的虚拟支持者聊天机器人，利用1对1的现场专家聊天为用户提供全天候的个性化专业知识和陪伴。通过包括女性创新奖在内的3个成功的Innovate英国资助项目，Latchaid已在苹果应用商店推出(在医疗类别中排名第46位)，吸引了来自6大洲20个国家的活跃用户。该项目的主要动机是扩大我们改变游戏规则的研发：多平台和多语言开发可扩展的、强大的、全天候虚拟支持平台精准、多样化的3D母乳喂养动画和AR全面的人工智能知识库感知人工智能和多响应行动系统：人工智能支持的虚拟伴侣到2025年，女性健康市场的价值估计将超过500亿美元。Latchaid的潜在市场总规模为1亿人。我们的愿景是成为全球市场领导者和母乳喂养和育儿支持应用程序。通过B2B(针对医疗机构、企业和保险公司)和B2C(针对母亲、准妈妈)的商业模式，我们的目标是到2025年占领英国市场20%-30%的份额，同时向讲英语的国家和世界其他地区扩张。Latchaid拥有强大的技术团队(包括奥斯卡/BAFTA获奖的3D摄制组、世界级软件/人工智能开发人员)、商业(数字健康专业知识)和临床团队(顶级婴儿喂养、产妇保健专家)和一个多学科咨询委员会，以确保成功的研发和商业交付。我们的团队在性别、种族和遗产方面都是多样化的。我们的目标是通过股权投资、创新贷款和产品收入为我们的加速增长提供资金。股权投资和产品收入将为我们的商业和运营活动提供资金。创新贷款对于快速跟踪我们的产品研发，以确保B2B商业交易，获得英国市场主导地位，并扩展到国际市场至关重要。Latchaid的创新解决方案将带来积极/重大的健康、经济、环境和社会影响。到2028财年，其经济增长有可能创造112倍的投资回报率和90多个就业岗位。

The UK has the worst breastfeeding rate globally [2] (All references in Q4-appendix) Although 81% of mothers initiated breastfeeding, regrettably 90% of them gave up before they wanted to because of physical, emotional pains and lack of support.LatchAid is an award-winning FemTech start-up. Its pioneering app utilises cutting-edge 3D visualisation technology to help users learn breastfeeding skills intuitively from 3D avatars, virtual support groups to connect parents to a close-knit peer-to-peer support network, and an AI-powered virtual supporter chatbot, leveraging 1-1 live expert chats, to provide users with personalised expertise and companionship 24/7.Through 3 successful Innovate UK funded projects including the Women in Innovation Award, LatchAid has launched at Apple AppStore (peaked at No.46 in the medical category), attracted active users from 20 countries across 6 continents, and are running pilot studies with 12 NHS trusts & VirginCare across the UK.The main motivation of this project is to expand our game-changing R&D:Multi-platform & multi-language developmentScalable, robust, 24/7 virtual support platformAccurate, diverse 3D breastfeeding animations & ARComprehensive AI knowledge baseSentiment AI & multi-response action system:AI-powered virtual companionThe women's health market is estimated to be worth over $50-billion by 2025. LatchAid has a total addressable market of 100m users. Our vision is to become the global market leader and go-to breastfeeding and parenthood support app.Through B2B (targeting healthcare organisations, corporates, and insurers) and B2C (targeting mothers, mothers-to-be) business models, we aim to capture 20-30% of the UK market by 2025 while expanding to English speaking countries and the rest of the world.LatchAid has a strong technical (including Oscar/BAFTA award-winning 3D crew, world-class software/AI developers), commercial (expertise in digital health), and clinical teams (top infant-feeding, maternal health experts) and a multidisciplinary advisory board for successful R&D and commercial delivery. Our team is diverse in terms of gender, ethnicity and heritage.We aim to fund our accelerated growth through equity investment , innovation loan, and product revenues. The equity investment and product revenue will fund our commercial and operational activities.The innovation loan is critical to fast track our product R&D to secure B2B commercial deals, gain UK market domination, and expand to the international market.LatchAid's innovative solutions will deliver positive/significant health, economic, environmental, and societal impacts. Its economic growth has the potential to create a 112-times Return on Investment and over 90 employed jobs by FY2028.