“AI should be seen as a tool, not a solution on its own” – in conversation with Martin Møller Paarse, COO, Liva Healthcare
In early February 2025, Copenhagen-based Liva Healthcare, a digital health company, acquired Discover Momenta and its subsidiary, Momenta Newcastle, for an undisclosed sum. Liva offers human-led therapeutic intervention programmes aimed at addressing chronic lifestyle diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.
Momenta, the acquired company, provides digital, virtual, and in-person healthy lifestyle programmes to NHS organisations, local authorities, and other third parties across the UK.
This acquisition forms part of Liva’s broader growth strategy to become a major provider in evidence-based therapeutic lifestyle interventions.
The global digital health market is set to experience significant growth, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 27% from 2022 to 2030. By 2030, the market is expected to reach $1.5 trillion. Additionally, over 40% of adults now use wearable devices that track at least one health metric, contributing to the growth of this sector.
HBI caught up with Martin Møller Paarse, COO of Liva Healthcare, to explore the evolving digital healthcare landscape in the UK and Europe, along with investment opportunities, market consolidation, and Liva’s mission in the sector.
Can you start by telling us a bit about Liva, your mission, and your presence in the digital healthcare sector?
Martin Møller Paarse, COO, Liva Healthcare
Liva is one of the major digital providers within the NHS. Our mission is to help people live better lives through digital health coaching, empowering individuals to manage and prevent lifestyle-related chronic conditions such as obesity, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes. With most of these conditions rooted in obesity, we focus on that. Our evidence-based approach combines technology with human support via health coaches, aiming to make sustainable health improvements accessible to all.
How exactly does Liva work? Can you walk us through your approach?
We have two main components in our platform. First, there’s the patient-facing app, which is designed to engage and motivate patients. It’s a communication tool between patients and their health coaches. The app helps with adherence to the program and ensures the patient gets the results they’re looking for. Second, we have the clinician portal, which is used by health coaches. This portal is highly efficient, allowing us to deliver personalised services to as many patients as possible. The combination of our technology and human support helps patients on their health journeys, whether it’s for weight loss or managing prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.
How does Liva define digital health, and what challenges do you see in its wider adoption?
For Liva, digital health is the combination of technology and human interaction, with the belief that the best outcomes arise from a hybrid approach. While technology is crucial, it needs to be supported by human input to deliver meaningful results.
As for challenges, regulatory compliance is a significant hurdle, especially for startups, as it’s both costly and essential. Data privacy and security are also major concerns, and while many startups overlook these initially, we’ve always implemented privacy by design at Liva.
Additionally, the slow adoption of digital health in public healthcare systems is a challenge, as these systems often require large patient populations and significant funding. We’re still in the early stages of this transition.
What is the age group of your consumers?
The age group varies. For obesity and weight loss programs, the patients tend to be in their 30s or 40s. However, as the conditions get more serious, such as prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, the age tends to increase. Unfortunately, we’re seeing younger individuals, even teenagers, being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, so these conditions are no longer just an issue for older generations.
Our programmes are for over-18s, and we see an increase in comorbidities with age.
How does Liva plan to integrate Momenta’s programs?
From the beginning, when we started talking with the CEO of Momenta, we saw clear synergies. Liva has a strong technical background, with our technology supporting health coaches. Momenta, on the other hand, specialises in in-person delivery, content, and program design. The combination of Liva’s technology and Momenta’s content will improve the quality of our services and enhance our delivery capabilities.
Could you share some success stories?
Our biggest market is the UK, where we work extensively with the NHS. We are part of three frameworks: the digital weight management program, the prediabetes prevention program, and the type 2 diabetes remission program. For the weight management program, we have one of the highest retention rates among providers. In the prediabetes prevention program, 80% of patients experience a reduction in their HbA1c levels, which is a significant improvement. For the type 2 diabetes remission program, 70% of participants end up in a non-diabetic range, which is incredible. We’ve also seen positive results with a Danish customer, where participants using GLP-1 medication saw a 32% reduction in sick days, which can have a major impact at a population level.
How does the public-private partnership (PPP) model work, and what do you see as the benefits of this approach?
What works really well with the NHS is the national tenders that allow for uniform contracts across different Integrated Care Boards (ICBs). It’s a single payer system, so it’s easier to manage. Other European countries could definitely learn from how the NHS operates with these frameworks. The UK government is also very pro-digitalisation, and they’re open to private partnerships, especially with the current government’s focus on improving healthcare, so that helps.
What are Liva’s expansion plans for 2025? Do you plan to expand beyond Europe?
Yes, we definitely plan to expand. Europe, especially the UK, is our main market, and we want to grow further with the NHS and other private partners. We also see big opportunities in the Middle East, especially in Saudi Arabia. With a population of 36 million people, 12 million of whom live with obesity or type 2 diabetes, the need for healthcare services is enormous. The government is heavily investing in healthcare as part of their Vision 2030 plan, so this is an area we are focusing on.
Do you think the digital healthcare landscape is consolidated in the UK?
No, I think consolidation is still ahead. There are a lot of startups, and with the current investment climate, many are struggling financially. Some of them will unfortunately go bankrupt. There’s definitely a need for consolidation, which is something we’ve experienced with Momenta.
Which sectors within the digital health landscape are experiencing the most growth, and what are the opportunities for growth?
Several sectors are experiencing growth, particularly AI startups, mobile apps, and wearable devices such as smartwatches. AI, which relies heavily on data, will continue to thrive as wearables provide valuable data, leading to increased collaboration between these sectors.
As for opportunities, while public healthcare remains crucial, we cannot rely on it exclusively. Targeting other customer segments, such as B2B or B2C, is key. At Liva, for example, we’ve partnered with Boots Pharmacy in the UK to deliver behavioural change services supporting weight loss medication. These types of partnerships present excellent growth opportunities.
How do you see the investment landscape in 2025, both in the UK and across Europe?
The digital healthcare sector in the UK is growing rapidly. We’re seeing new tenders being announced and a lot of interest from new providers. The market is becoming more competitive.
I’m hopeful that the investment landscape across Europe will improve in 2025. The past few years have been difficult, but I believe there is optimism. We’ll continue to see investments in solutions that leverage AI for personalised health interventions. However, AI should be seen as a tool, not a solution on its own. The combination of patient-facing apps, wearables, and AI is where we’ll see the most growth.
We would welcome your thoughts on this story. Email your views to Rakshitha Narasimhan or call 0207 183 3779.
