Souuthe, a Saltburn-based start-up developing soothing technology for people living with dementia and receiving palliative care, has won a £75,000 grant as part of Innovate UK’s largest ever Women in Innovation cohort.
Lou Willis-Keeler, founder of Souuthe, is one of 61 women entrepreneurs nationwide to win this year’s Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award, as the programme marks its 10th anniversary with a record 1,590 applications, the highest in the award’s history.
The idea for Souuthe took shape after Lou, a former NSPCC child protection manager from Saltburn, lost four family members within under a year. The project first took on new meaning when her mother was given a terminal diagnosis and an early prototype of the technology was one of the few things that visibly helped her mother settle during palliative care. Since then, Lou has lost three further family members within ten months.
The grant will fund clinical testing and support Souuthe’s regulatory approval process, ahead of planned trials with local hospices and NHS trusts, accelerating the company’s route to market from its Teesside base. Lou will also receive 12 months of business support from Innovate UK, including training, networking and mentoring.
Souuthe’s technology is built into familiar, comforting objects such as teddy bears and cushions, drawing on research into what makes a hug physiologically calming, from the release of feel-good chemicals to the way touch can help regulate heart rate. Souuthe is clear the technology is intended to sit alongside existing care, not replace it.
Up to 347,000 people receiving palliative care in the UK are estimated to experience significant anxiety each year, often managed with medication. Souuthe estimates that if its technology replaced even one medication-led intervention per week, the NHS could save in the region of £98 million a year in nursing and monitoring time.
“This validates years of hard work,” said Lou. “I’m neurodivergent, with dyslexia, ADHD and Tourette syndrome, and I’ve often struggled to get a vision onto paper in a way that attracts funding and recognition. I know firsthand how little support there is around anxiety in end-of-life care, and how much reliance there still is on medication as the only answer. To anyone holding a loved one’s hand right now, I want them to know: we see you, and we’re building something for you.”
Emily Nott, Head of Inclusive Innovation at Innovate UK, said: “Huge congratulations to everyone recognised in this year’s Women in Innovation Awards. Reaching the 10th anniversary with record levels of engagement demonstrates the extraordinary talent and groundbreaking innovation being developed by women across the UK.”
