Prema Cognition secures £550k pre-seed to detect dementia earlier with memory-precision tests
This article covers Prema Cognition, a biotech startup, which has raised £550,000 in a pre-seed funding round led by SFC Capital. The funding will support expansion of clinical datasets, progress towards regulatory approval and wider deployment of PREMAZ, a digital memory test designed to enable earlier detection of dementia for clinicians, researchers and trial recruitment.
Prema Cognition, a biotech startup developing digital tests for the early detection of dementia, has raised £550,000 in a pre-seed funding round led by SFC Capital. The oversubscribed round — originally targeting £500,000 — will fund expansion of clinical datasets, progress towards regulatory pathways and wider deployment of PREMAZ, the company’s memory test that aims to identify at-risk patients years earlier than conventional tools.
Why it matters
Early detection of cognitive decline is a persistent gap in dementia care and research. Most standard cognitive tests pick up impairment after substantial, likely irreversible, brain changes have occurred. Tools that can detect subtle memory changes earlier could reshape patient pathways, clinical trials and the targeting of emerging therapies designed for the earliest disease stages.
For clinicians and researchers, a validated digital test that works in real-world clinical settings could mean earlier referrals, more efficient trial recruitment and better monitoring of at-risk populations such as contact sport participants.
Inside the product
PREMAZ is a digital cognitive testing platform derived from a decade of research at the University of Cambridge Memory Lab. The test focuses on memory precision and is designed to capture small changes that precede a formal dementia diagnosis by years.
Prema Cognition says PREMAZ is already deployed in more than 30 clinics across the UK and the US. That footprint provides the company with real-world datasets to validate sensitivity and specificity across diverse clinical and research populations. The new funding is allocated to grow those datasets and to progress regulatory work that would allow broader clinical use.
Who are the investors?
The round was led by SFC Capital and included a syndicate of angel investors with backgrounds across pharma, biotech, enterprise software and longevity. Named participants include Jasbir Singh, Steve Hartman, Keith Williams and Yin Chao Lee, alongside follow-on investment from existing backers and new strategic angels.
SFC Capital is known for early-stage investments in UK health and tech companies; its involvement signals continued interest from early-stage biotech investors in tools that support diagnostics and trial-readiness for neurodegenerative disease research.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Julia Cooney, Co-founder & CEO at Prema Cognition, said:
Many new therapies for Alzheimer’s disease and related conditions are designed to work at the earliest stages of the disease process. However, most existing cognitive tests detect impairment only once irreversible damage has already occurred. Our test shifts the detection window years earlier, providing a far more sensitive way of identifying subtle changes in memory.
Co-founded by Dr Julia Cooney, MD — recently named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list — and commercial lead Cameron Kirkpatrick, the team also draws on a scientific and clinical advisory group. Advisors include Dr Helena Gellersen, whose postdoctoral work on memory precision underpins the technology, and Dr Ravi Badge, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon who advises on clinical pathways and applications in contact sport populations.
The company plans to present data at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London this July, indicating an intent to engage both clinical investigators and industry stakeholders as it seeks wider adoption.
The bigger picture
This funding round arrives as interest in earlier diagnosis and trial-ready populations grows across the UK and Europe. As disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s and related dementias advance through trials, diagnostics that identify individuals at the right stage will become increasingly valuable to researchers, clinicians and payers.
Prema Cognition’s path — from university research to clinical deployments and pre-seed capital — is typical of UK biotech spinouts aiming to bridge lab discoveries and healthcare implementation. Success will depend on rigorous validation, regulatory clearance and integration with existing clinical pathways, but the company’s progress highlights a broader push to equip clinicians and researchers with more sensitive digital tools for brain health.
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