Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Healthtech Startup Doccla Raises $46 Million to Expand in Europe

• Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
• Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor

The UK-based healthtech startup Doccla recently raised £35m—$46 million—during a series B led by the European capital firm Lakestar. In the round, current and new investors joined and will now allow the startup to expand.

Doccla describes itself as a “Europe’s leading virtual hospital” and has developed a technology to help doctors manage patients remotely and for patients to easily access medical attention through an app.

“Doccla was founded to provide hospital-level care and support at home for multiple patient profiles across the acuity spectrum: enabling the early discharge of patients, as well as ensuring that for those with chronic care needs, hospital admission might be avoided in the first place,” said Martin Ratz, Doccla founder, to TechEU . “Technology-enabled virtual wards deliver great benefits for patients, who can recover at home, while freeing up resources for healthcare providers.”

According to TechEU, with the new investments, the company—based in London—will consolidate its presence in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and expand its services in France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

As disclosed on its official website , Doccla already has a presence across more than 10 countries in the European Union, and monitors millions of users every month. According to the data features, they supervise 4 million patients a day.

“In less than five years Doccla has gone from a research project to establishing itself as the market leader in the UK. We are confident they will not just maintain that position but successfully launch in new markets, whilst diversifying their services,” said Oliver Heimes, Lakestar Partner and new Doccla board member, “Remote patient care delivers proven results and is ushering in new standards in the healthcare systems globally.”

Other UK-based tech startups have been developing new products and expanding across the world. London-based nutrition startup Zoe recently raised $15 million in a series B to expand to the United States.

Image by Mohammed Hassan, from Pxhere

Texas Law Protecting Children Online Partially Blocked

• Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
• Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor

A federal judge has issued a partial block on Texas’s SCOPE Act. The law, aimed at regulating minors’ online access, was set to take effect on September 1st. The judge halted it just before its implementation, citing concerns over free speech. as reported today by The Verge .

On Friday, August 30th, a federal judge in Texas issued a last-minute injunction against key provisions of the Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act, a law that would have imposed stringent requirements on web services to monitor and filter content accessible to minors, states The Verge.

The law, which was set to take effect on September 1st, mandates that large online platforms like social media sites take steps to verify users’ ages, restrict data collection, ban targeted advertising for minors, and prevent their exposure to harmful content.

Judge Robert Pitman’s ruling came in response to lawsuits from tech industry groups NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), as well as the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression ( FIRE ), who argued that the law posed a significant threat to free speech, notes The Verge.

The judge agreed that the law’s “monitoring and filtering” requirements were overly broad and could lead to unconstitutional censorship, especially since terms like “promoting,” “glorifying,” and “grooming” were left undefined, opening the door to selective enforcement.

The Verge reports that judge Pitman criticized the law for potentially blocking minors from accessing important information or participating in discussions on controversial topics, while pointing out the inconsistency in its application.

For instance, while teenagers could read about physician-assisted suicide in a book available on Google Books, they might be prohibited from watching a related lecture on YouTube.

While the judge’s ruling stops the enforcement of these provisions, other parts of the SCOPE Act will still go into effect. These include rules that limit data collection on minors and require age verification on platforms with significant amounts of adult content, as reported by Click2Houston (C2H).

The SCOPE Act also introduces measures to enhance consumer protection, such as preventing online platforms from listing fraudulent or dangerous products and increasing transparency about sellers on these platforms, notes C2H.

C2H reports that exemptions within the SCOPE Act include state agencies, small businesses, financial institutions, and digital service providers offering limited services like email or direct messaging. Additionally, internet service providers and search engines are generally exempt unless they are directly responsible for creating harmful content.

The law reflects growing concerns over the safety and reliability of digital marketplaces, especially regarding third-party sellers. Although the legal fight over the SCOPE Act is ongoing, the partial block highlights the challenges of balancing child protection with the preservation of free speech online.