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Ben Sweeney from VidiVet with his dog Oakley – a 15 month old fox red Labrador

Ben Sweeney from VidiVet with his dog Oakley – a 15 month old fox red Labrador

Vet-tech Company Recognised As A Rising Star

1 year ago
694 views

Posted
25th November, 2022 10h05

Author
VidiVet


Liverpool based VidiVet has been named as a rising star and one of the city’s most exciting early-stage technology scaleups, in a competition that showcases the UK’s best and most innovative technology companies. 

VidiVet is an app that gives pet owners immediate access to a UK registered vet, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. VidiVet, which was founded by vet Ben Sweeney in 2020, employs a team of 33 and is already used by more than 10,000 pet owners. 

Ben said: “There are 3.2 million pets not registered with a vet in the UK and 4 million are living with untreated conditions. In addition, 57% of veterinary practices are not currently accepting new clients and with such a surge in pet ownership and 46% of vets leaving the profession after just five years, this all combines to create a real crisis when it comes to accessing veterinary care for pets.

“Our app has been designed to support both pet owners and vets. By providing pet owners with instant access to a UK vet, they get quick, reliable answers via the app, which brings peace of mind and a plan of action that’s right for their pet. You can’t replace the vet digitally, but you can help pet owners and the vets in practice delivering care” 

It’s not only pet owners who are realising the benefits of the app. Veterinary practices from across the country are signing up to VidiVet, to increase capacity within their practices, alleviate pressure on their teams and address the age-old issue of out of hours care. 

Kate Higgins from Liverpool based Village Vets, said: “When pet owners use VidiVet they come to us reassured and informed, as they have already consulted with a vet online. They bring useful insights and maybe even some samples, which can help us diagnose illnesses faster. VidiVet also email us all the interactions before the appointment, which saves time and gives additional insight. 

“A huge benefit of VidiVet is that the vast majority of out of hour calls aren’t deemed to be emergencies and after consulting a vet through the app, patients will be redirected to us the next day. This enhances our bond with the owner and pet and also reduces the pressure on out of hours vets alongside the costs pet owners may incur.” 

Rising Stars 5.0 is the UK’s most exciting competition for innovative, early-stage technology companies. Hosted by Tech Nation, the growth platform for technology companies and leaders, it is the UK’s only national scaleup competition, designed to be accessible to the best early-stage technology companies from all areas of the country. As one of just four City winners, VidiVet will now go through to the next stage of the competition.

Ben added: “Our app will never replace vets in practice, or prescribe online, but what we have done is digitally enable both pet owners and vets to communicate accurately and effectively and Tech Nation has recognised this. The award is a great achievement for us and gives us even more credibility and access to further investment.” 

Kate added: “We are not surprised that VidiVet has won this award – we love it! There is a misconception that digitalisation of vet consults will result in a disconnect with clients, but with there being a direct link between the service and our practice, we’ve found it perfectly augments what we are doing in clinic. 

“It takes pressure off our already busy team since we have an army of remote vets to support us, we have seen a great return on our investment and our clients are giving us positive feedback. We work in unison with the app, and it gives us much more detail about the problem before the pet comes into the practice. We are working together to deliver the best direct care to pets and reassurance and guidance to their owners via this incredible app.” 


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