Pioneering Change in Digital Healthcare How Numan is transforming the conversation around wellbeing
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Sokratis Papafloratos, the CEO and founder of Numan, a digital healthcare company based in London, is on a mission to redefine men's health by offering accessible and personalised care. In this Entrepreneur UK interview, Papafloratos shares his journey, the impact of Numan, and his passion for creating a healthier future for men.
What key strategies helped you scale Numan from a startup to a leading health platform?
When we launched Numan, we had a very clear mission: to tackle health issues that are often overlooked or stigmatised. I knew we needed to start small and focused, so we chose areas like sexual health and hair loss – conditions that many men experience but don't feel comfortable talking about or seeking help for. We wanted to solve real problems with tangible solutions, and that's where our journey began.
One of the key strategies was leveraging a digital-first model. From day one, we wanted Numan to be a place where people could access healthcare in a private, convenient, and stigma-free way. This meant investing in technology that would allow us to offer online consultations and personalised treatments, supported by our clinical team. Our digital approach not only gave us the flexibility to scale quickly but also provided a much-needed sense of privacy and accessibility for our patients, especially during the pandemic.
We were also deliberate about our fundraising and acquisitions. We secured early funding that helped us build a solid foundation, and we've continued to bring in capital to fuel our growth. The acquisition of Vi-Health, for example, was a strategic move to enhance our AI capabilities and support future expansion. With these resources, we've been able to broaden our services, moving from a niche men's health platform to a more comprehensive digital health provider.
Finally, we've also not just invested in technology but in brand, marketing and thought leadership. This has helped us raise awareness not only about Numan but also about the broader issues and stigmatised issues in healthcare that we're passionate about solving. It's also helped us challenge the scepticism around digital healthcare and earn consumer trust by proving who we are and what we stand for as a business.
How did you approach funding and what advice do you have for entrepreneurs seeking investment?
We raised very aggressively, very early on at Numan - going on to secure over $75 million. We took the approach of leveraging personal networks too - reaching out through connections like friends, former colleagues, and others with expertise in the digital health space.
But we never lost sight of the fact that it was crucial to focus on finding the right investors - those who were committed to our shared vision for the business.
That's the key bit of advice I'd always give other entrepreneurs looking to raise. Your investors are partners in your growth and success, so you need to be aligned on the vision and mission. Also, rather than just looking for capital, identify investors who can provide more than just money - such as industry connections and expertise. This is how Numan was able to scale into one of the leading digital health companies in the UK.
What were the biggest challenges you faced in the digital health space, and how did you overcome them?
Digital health is a rapidly evolving sector and the challenges we've faced have ranged from the regulatory to building consumer trust to achieving profitability.
Saying that, our priority at Numan has always been to be patient-first. That means building in a way that provides our patients with accessible, safe, science-backed care. It also means we've always been very deliberate about how we have scaled, hiring people who understand our values and investing in processes that could uphold our standards even as we grow. Every new product or service has to meet stringent standards - not just in terms of safety and efficacy, but also data privacy and compliance.
Our biggest challenge was therefore one we anticipated from the start - balancing innovation with regulatory adherence while keeping the patient at the centre. It took time, patience, and the right expertise to build a framework that supports both growth and compliance. I'm proud that we met this challenge head-on, allowing us to innovate responsibly and sustainably.
How do you balance rapid growth with maintaining a strong company culture?
The first thing is to recognise that company culture is not defined by things like employee perks or flexible working policies. Those may contribute to overall wellbeing and retention, but they do not hold a company together. A strong culture is about ensuring the entire team is united by a shared mission and common goals. If there's a lack of clarity on the mission, which can be a risk when a business grows, then company culture will also lose its way.
At Numan, everyone - regardless of their role - understands that our mission is to help as many people as possible to live healthier, happier, and longer lives. We're all united behind that mission - and the senior leadership team regularly share clear goals and priorities to show how we can strive for and deliver on that goal.
As CEO, one of my primary responsibilities is to maintain this alignment and clarity. I'm firmly of the belief that when everyone understands the mission and how they contribute to it, I can trust our team to work cross-functionally and execute effectively, even as we grow rapidly.
What trends do you see shaping the future of healthcare, and how should entrepreneurs prepare?Whilst it would be tempting to focus on regulation or on the demand for accessible healthcare in the UK, there are two big primary trends shaping healthcare - neither of which entrepreneurs can ignore.
The first is AI. It's already transforming the way we approach diagnostics, patient management, and even personalised treatment plans. The key will be how we harness its potential responsibly. Because it's about integrating AI in a way that genuinely enhances patient outcomes without sacrificing trust and human oversight. Companies that embrace AI and do the work to make sure it is being used in the right way and for the right reasons will absolutely outperform those who do not within the next five years.
The second is the shift toward preventative care. Traditionally, healthcare has been reactive - treating conditions once they manifest. But the future will be more about preventing those conditions in the first place. This means a deeper focus on lifestyle changes, digital health monitoring, and early interventions that can keep people healthier for longer. It's a mindset shift that entrepreneurs need to embrace if they want to create long-lasting impact.
What lessons from your previous ventures helped shape the success of Numan?
I have learnt a huge number of lessons since starting my first business in the early 2000s. This ranges from recognising the importance of finding the right investors and vision alignment with partners, through to realistically assessing market dynamics and a product's potential for exponential growth, rather than being blinded by the emotional connection to the product.
I've also very much learnt that being able to admit your mistakes and willingness to pivot are key skills for any entrepreneur. If I hadn't learnt that lesson, I would have stubbornly pursued a failing venture, instead of being able to take all the knocks and all the learnings and apply them, making sure that Numan is built on a stronger foundation.
Perhaps the most important lesson, however, is that you cannot compromise on your personal health and wellbeing. Early on in my early entrepreneurial journey, I very much neglected my own health and personal relationships because I had such a single-minded focus on the business. Now, always make sure to have a work-life balance. I exercise regularly, I try to get a good amount of sleep and I don't drink too much alcohol. I also make sure I set aside enough time to have outlets for the things that I enjoy doing. It would be impossible to lead the team at Numan and spend time with my family if I wasn't mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy.
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