A SCOTTISH health tech start-up that produces wearable devices which monitors the human body to identify health risks has secured $8 million (£6.1 million) in seed financing from technology-focused venture capital firm Accelerated Digital Ventures (ADV) with participation from MMC Ventures.

Based in Edinburgh and with an office in New York, snap40 has now raised $10m and says this latest investment is the “largest seed financing round for a digital healthcare company in the UK”. The firm plans to accelerate its expansion in the US where it has clinical trials and pilots with several hospitals and institutions.

Private investors who participated in the round include notable industry leaders including Craneware co-founder Gordon Craig, Skyscanner’s Gareth Williams and TalkBin founder, Qasar Younis. The company will also continue to receive support from existing investors Par Equity and the Scottish Investment Bank.

Founded by Christopher McCann and Stewart Whiting, snap40 said it plans to double its headcount by the end of this year, focusing on “candidates who believe in using technology to save lives and improve healthcare”.

Mr McCann, the firm’s chief executive, said: “As a medical student, I witnessed patients live with long-term disability or die as a result of late recognition of their deteriorating health. This is where technology can make a difference.

“Using AI to recognise illness earlier and enable earlier treatment can save lives, and it can prepare our healthcare system for the future.”

ADV’s chief investment officer, Mike Dimelow, said: “The quality of the founding team, angel investors and progress to date have made us really excited about the potential here to redefine health monitoring and extend its reach well beyond hospital walls.”

Earlier this week, another Edinburgh tech start-up, Care Sourcer, secured £8.5m of scale-up finance from Legal & General ADV. Launched in 2016, the firm also added former Skyscanner chief operating officer Mark Logan to its board in a non-executive role.