Alderley Park healthcare testing facility secures £1.035 million investment

Alderley Lighthouse Labs, based at Alderley Park, has secured investment totalling £1.035 million from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF) and venture capital investor Seneca.

The company specialises in human diagnostic testing services, including blood, urine and cellular tests, and was founded immediately following the Covid-19 pandemic by Mark Wigglesworth and Simon Chapman who played leading roles in establishing the coronavirus testing facility at Alderley Park.

Alderley Lighthouse Labs has secured £800,000 funding from NPIF – Maven Equity Finance and a £235,000 investment from Seneca, which will enable the business to invest in expanding its range of services and scale up its team to support further new customer acquisition. Technology infrastructure is already in place for the healthcare testing facility to offer oncology testing and genome sequencing.

Gavin Bell, Investment Director at Maven, who led the deal, said:

“With self-testing and outsourcing driving demand in lab diagnostics, ALL is addressing a genuine market need with its impressive lab facilities at Alderley Park. We’re delighted to support Mark and Simon as they embark on an ambitious programme of growth to scale its team and expand into new markets and looking forward to working with the team in Cheshire to help grow the business.”

Mark Wigglesworth, CEO at Alderley Lighthouse Labs, said:

“We are passionate about deploying the very best diagnostics and using them to support people across the UK. With this investment our laboratory in the North West can continue to grow, providing much needed diagnostic information to patients and support good clinical outcomes. It is tremendously exciting to be partnering with experienced investors that share our vison and can help us to accelerate the delivery of diagnostics in a new way.”

Keira Shepperson from the British Business Bank, said:

“The funding will allow ALL to invest in its product development, laying the groundwork for the business to shape the North as a leader in its industry. The investment will support Cheshire, and the wider region, developing it into a hub for research and development in the pharmaceuticals landscape. NPIF champions research and innovation, and ALL is a great example of how new approaches, with the right support and funding, can help shape the direction of an industry.”

Victoria Edwards, Investment Manager at Seneca, added:

“In ALL we saw a unique opportunity to back an impressive team in establishing market-leading provision in a sector simultaneously undergoing change and attracting high levels of investment. Seneca’s follow on funding alongside Maven demonstrates the progress that Mark and Simon have made and supports this business to establish itself as a key player in diagnostic services.”