By Esther Onyegbula
Founder of Glowcheck, Ifeanyi ‘Ify’ Umezulike, has secured grant funding from Hatch to advance the development of his UK-based digital sexual health verification platform, with plans to strengthen research, refine the product and establish partnerships with healthcare providers.
The funding marks a significant milestone for the startup as it moves from concept validation towards real-world testing of a platform designed to promote routine sexual health testing, verified health information and transparent conversations between partners.
Glowcheck is being developed to enable individuals to maintain a portable record of their sexual health tests, understand their results and, where they choose, share verified information with their partners.
The platform also intends to collaborate with clinics and laboratories to ensure the reliability of test results and complement existing sexual health services.
Speaking on the development, Umezulike said the Hatch programme had provided an opportunity to learn from experts, refine the direction of the business and connect with other entrepreneurs building new ventures.
“Being accepted onto Hatch was one of the moments where building Glowcheck started to feel very real. The programme gave me the chance to learn from experts, sharpen the direction of the business and be around other founders going through the same process of building something from the ground up,” he said.
He explained that his ambition for Glowcheck went beyond developing another digital health application, stressing the need to make routine testing, verified information and honest conversations a normal part of sexual health management.
“My dream for Glowcheck is much bigger than creating another digital health app. I want us to help make routine testing, verified information and honest sexual health conversations feel normal, part of how people take care of themselves and each other,” Umezulike added.
The idea behind Glowcheck emerged from a personal experience that exposed the challenges surrounding trust and disclosure in sexual relationships.
According to the founder, he began questioning the reliance on verbal assurances in sexual health conversations after witnessing a close friend’s lifelong sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnosis being minimised by a partner.
The experience prompted him to consider how digital technology could help people access, maintain and share reliable information about their sexual health.
That concern informed the development of Glowcheck, which seeks to provide a digital platform for recording test information and sharing verified results with partners, where users choose to do so.
Beyond its technological offering, the startup aims to encourage behavioural change by making sexual health testing and disclosure less difficult to discuss.
Its approach centres on giving individuals greater control over their health information while encouraging responsible conversations between partners and stronger engagement with formal healthcare services.
As the company advances its development, research, product refinement and the identification of suitable healthcare partners are expected to be central to its next phase.
Glowcheck’s longer-term ambition is to become what its founder describes as a global trust layer around existing sexual health services, connecting testing, verified records and disclosure in a way that gives individuals greater agency.
The platform is also intended to reduce barriers associated with sharing sexual health information while supporting the work of existing clinics and laboratories.
Umezulike has a background in marketing, communications and advocacy. His experience in strategy, branding and public-facing campaigns informs Glowcheck’s approach to user adoption, trust and behavioural change.
The Hatch grant provides additional support for the startup as it works towards testing its model in real-world settings and building partnerships to support its growth.