LDC Top 50 2022
Hamish Grierson and Tom Livesey
Founders
Thriva
“Our mission is one of empowerment. We want to transform the way people manage their own health,” says Hamish Grierson, who started Thriva in 2016 with Eliot Brooks and Tom Livesey. Their London-based healthtech company now employs 134 people and has posted and processed more than two million at-home finger-prick blood tests, which help people to measure things like cholesterol and hormone levels.
“I meet people who tell me that Thriva has changed their life. There’s nothing more motivating than that,” says Grierson.” “This business has so much potential, not just in terms of the size it can become but the impact it can make,” adds Livesey.
Our mission is one of empowerment. We want to transform the way people manage their own health.”
Q&A
What was the lightbulb moment?
Hamish: I was working with Eliot at Travelex and every few months he’d have to take time off work to get blood tests done for an inherited health condition. It was really frustrating for him and we started to wonder if there was a better way for him to manage his own health. At the time, a new wave of fintech companies were disrupting banking by giving customers agency, but there was nothing like that in healthcare. We teamed up with Tom, a technologist, and Thriva was born.
What was the toughest challenge?
Tom: The idea of DIY blood tests was completely new. We needed to prove or disprove our model. Would people actually pay to get a kit in the post, bleed into a tube, then send it back to get information about themselves? We didn’t want to spend years doing research, so we developed the product within three months. Hamish’s sister-in-law – the only GP we had easy access to – helped us with regulations and clinical safety, and we posted all the kits out ourselves. It was frantic.
What motivates you?
Hamish: I never wanted to be a tiny cog in a massive machine. I’ve launched different businesses – a digital receipts business, a skiing company, a lifestyle brand – but this is by far the most rewarding thing I’ve done. I meet people who tell me that Thriva has changed their life. There’s nothing more motivating than that.
