Naq, a cybersecurity company based in London, UK and the Netherlands, has secured £5.1 million in Series A funding, to help health technology companies meet cybersecurity standards for the NHS and wider healthcare sectors.
Naq stated that the funds will be used for product development on its compliance platform, with the goal of incorporating more AI capabilities and additional standards. The company said this is necessary “amid rising cyber threats and regulatory delays”. Naq aims to provide a single platform for digital health technology companies to meet various requirements, including Cyber Essentials, the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT), and NHS Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC).
Naq is currently used for “more than 150 vital health technologies that serve the NHS”, and it plans to expand its presence across the UK and Europe.
Nadia Kadhim, co-founder and CEO of Naq, said: “As the NHS shifts from analogue to digital, protecting patient data and systems is vital. With this funding our technology will help even more NHS suppliers to meet security standards without complexity or the excessive cost of consultancy offerings, saving innovators more than 180,000 hours or £20,000 per compliance standard.”
Automate Health, the sole investor in this round, is also providing Naq with access to its operating practices, capital base, and advisor network, which includes Dan Taylor and Pam Garside. The article also mentions recent guidance from NHS England for non-executive directors on cyber security and a recent update to the Cyber Assessment Framework by the National Cyber Security Centre.
Image source: LinkedIn
