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PocDoc expands across Community Pharmacy, powering digital Health Checks

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CAMBRIDGE, England, April 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — PocDoc, the Cambridge-based digital health platform today announces it has launched in 4 major community pharmacy chains across the UK, giving it access to over 300 locations nationwide.

In addition to Dears Pharmacy in Scotland, PocDoc is now partnered with Knights Pharmacy Group, Weldricks Pharmacy Group, Greenlight Pharmacy Group and Lincolnshire Co-op Pharmacy.

Across its partnership network, PocDoc is being used both in pharmacy and out of pharmacy in the community, targeting areas of health inequality to dramatically increase cholesterol testing, either as part of existing blood pressure clinics or as a standalone Health Check service.

Cardiovascular Disease has been identified as the single biggest condition where lives can be saved by the NHS over the next decade and the Company Chemist Association estimates that pharmacies alone can save 15,000 heart attacks and strokes in the next 3 years through focusing on CVD prevention measures1.

The evidence is clear: the more people tested, the more people can be treated and the more heart attacks and strokes can be prevented.

PocDoc is an app-based technology platform that combines proprietary lateral flow tests and cloud-based AI diagnostics to deliver end to end digital pathways for the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of major diseases. 

PocDoc is able to deliver the full end-to-end cardiovascular Health Check pathway, including a quantified, lab-grade 5 marker lipid (cholesterol) test with results in the app, in under 10 minutes per person.

The PocDoc app collects all the information required for a Health Check, including blood pressure and BMI. The app displays all results, including blood marker values, in a health dashboard with comparison to NHS clinical guidelines.

The patient receives a copy of their results emailed to them automatically and results can be sent to the patient’s record from PocDoc’s diagnostic cloud.  The pharmacy can also access the PocDoc clinical dashboard to assess future treatment pathways in real time, including prescription of statins where appropriate.

The PocDoc solution consists of a proprietary lateral flow test combined with an app downloaded onto a smartphone or tablet – it’s convenient for busy pharmacies with space constraints, it requires no calibration nor maintenance and there is no cost for large machines.

In addition to a growing pharmacy customer base, PocDoc has recently been awarded 2 major NHS contracts to dramatically increase access to cholesterol testing outside of a traditional GP surgery environment, including at-home, on the high street and in other community settings.

In March, PocDoc announced a major round of investment led by Forward Partners, MMC Ventures and Simplyhealth, one of the UK’s leading health insurance providers.

Steve Roest, CEO of PocDoc, says, “We are excited to announce our continued expansion in Community Pharmacy. We strongly believe that Community Pharmacies have a major role to play in delivering a step change increase in access to cardiovascular screening, both in pharmacy and in community settings. We’re pleased that PocDoc has seen such positive reactions from pharmacists and their customers across the UK and we are proud to support our pharmacy partners in their incredible efforts to improve their health of their customers.”

“Knights Pharmacy plays a critical role across the UK in providing services to those most in need in the community. We are always looking for new services that address key health issues for the public and the NHS so we are pleased to be rolling out the PocDoc cholesterol test and health screening app as part of our mobile health clinic, targeting areas of greatest health inequality.” – Pete Horrocks, Clinical Standards Director, Knights Pharmacy.

“Weldricks has a strong and proud reputation throughout its history of delivering services to customers that make a real difference and address their health concerns. Recently, it has become clear that heart and cardiovascular health is a big concern for both our customers and the NHS. We are pleased to be rolling out the PocDoc quantitative cholesterol test, we feel it’s the right product for pharmacy and for customers.” – Richard Hackett – Head of Pharmacy, Weldricks Pharmacy.

“As one of the leading London-based independent chains, we are seeing a huge rise in demand for services such as health checks from customers, including cholesterol testing. PocDoc is able to deliver a digital-first health check with a cholesterol test in a really patient friendly, pharmacy friendly way and we’re excited to offer it across our estate.” – Paras Shah, Lead Pharmacist, Greenlight Pharmacy Group.

Notes to Editors

Available for interview on request:

Steve Roest – CEO & Co-Founder, PocDoc

To book in an interview or for more information please contact: comms@mypocdoc.com

1About Cardiovascular Disease:

There are 7.6 million people living with CVD in the UK, and Cardiovascular Disease is a leading cause of premature disability, mortality, and health inequalities, and responsible for one in four deaths each year. 

(https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/contact-the-press-office/facts-and-figures#:~:text=Heart%20and%20circulatory%20diseases%20cause,men%20and%203.6%20million%20women.)

The UK Health Security Agency estimates that the annual healthcare costs in England relating to CVD are around £7.4 billion, with an annual cost to the wider economy of £15.8 billion. 

(https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2019/02/14/health-matters-preventing-cardiovascular-disease/).

Company Chemist Association reference article: https://www.chemistanddruggist.co.uk/CD136951/CCA-Hypertension-case-finding-service-to-halt-15k-cardiovascular-events-by-2026

About PocDoc:

Founded by Dr Kiran Roest, Dr Vladimir Gubala and Steve Roest, PocDoc’s mission is to make diagnostic testing as accessible and affordable as possible. The PocDoc platform allows anyone with a smartphone or tablet to test themselves for a range of major diseases and conditions, receive a full health assessment and be offered solutions to address any health-related issues that arise, including real-time prescription of medication and clinical support.

The PocDoc® platform has been designed to work with the company’s own set of proprietary, quantitative blood tests which have been developed in house and are focused on preventative disease areas, starting with cardiovascular disease.

PocDoc has a number of NHS contracts, has won multiple Innovate UK awards, an SBRI award and a MedTech Breakthrough Award.

Its technology has CA and CE marks and is patented in Europe and the US.  

www.mypocdoc.co.uk 

About Steve Roest:

Steve is the CEO and founder of PocDoc, where he has raised multiple rounds of private investment, is a multiple time Innovate UK grant award winner, as well as a member of the UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders review board.

Steve is a huge advocate for innovation and pushing boundaries of what is possible with technology. He is passionate about the people and companies who are changing the world, especially in HealthTech and Healthcare.

Steve presents the HealthTech Hour on UK Health Radio which was born from his desire to provide a showcase for companies, leaders, founders, CEOs and clinicians who are genuinely changing the world, leading the healthcare revolution in the UK and beyond. Notable guests include Matt Hancock, Ali Parsa and Jessica Ennis Hill among others.

The show, which has over 60,000 listeners live per week from over 30 countries, with more listening on demand via Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts and YouTube, focuses on the unique journeys of each guest, how they are changing the world and how they stay on their mission.

www.healthtechhour.co.uk

https://www.youtube.com/@healthtechhour

https://open.spotify.com/show/5pZb65BCLauYxbJrbzDQfP?si=4229d00f85ec4b84 

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ7p_oiTrIY
Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2064863/PocDoc_PR_Image.jpg

 

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China Hour Expands Reach of Chinese Audiovisual Content in South Africa Through Multi-Platform Partnership

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NANJING, China, Sept. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — “China Hour,” a year-round media initiative jointly operated by Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation (JSBC) and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), is significantly expanding the footprint and accessibility of Chinese audiovisual content across South Africa.

Marking the first time a Chinese broadcast media institution has established a year-round, dedicated daily broadcast mechanism with an African national public broadcaster, the project leverages SABC’s television network and digital streaming platform, SABC+, bringing over 100 hours of localized Chinese programming directly to South African households since its launch in June 2026.

The initiative first gained momentum in April 2026, when senior SABC leadership attended the 13th China Internet Audio & Video Convention and officially announced the joint project with JSBC. To solidify and expand upon these initial results, JSBC and SABC formally signed a new cooperation agreement on August at the 7th Forum on China-Africa Media Cooperation in Beijing. The signing was witnessed by senior leadership from China’s National Radio and Television Administration and South Africa’s Department of Communications and Digital Technologies.

So far, China Hour has already achieved rapid audience engagement. The popular fantasy drama series The Starry Love, which premiered on SABC2 on July in a dedicated 10:30–11:30 p.m. daily broadcast block, entered SABC+’s monthly Top 10 chart in its debut month, becoming the first Chinese television series to achieve a Top 10 ranking on the streaming platform.

Beyond hit drama series, the broader China Hour content catalog spans diverse genres designed to offer South African audiences holistic perspectives on contemporary and historical China. Featured titles include flagship documentary series such as The Grand Canal, Wetlands Our Land, Reading on the Island, and Architecture China, as well as popular short-form productions including A Dream Like True Love and Wildfire, among others.

To streamline content adaptation, JSBC deployed its proprietary Lychee Media AI Module for automated multilingual translation and dubbing adaptation. Integrated with rigorous human editorial review, this hybrid workflow enhances production efficiency while ensuring content complies strictly with local language nuances, cultural contexts, and broadcasting regulations.

The project builds on more than a decade of strategic exchanges between JSBC and African media organizations, including active participation in regional markets. Continuing its commitment to industry collaboration, JSBC will once again co-organize the China Pavilion at MIP Africa in Cape Town this October, showcasing new intellectual properties and exploring cross-border content licensing opportunities.

Looking ahead, JSBC and SABC plan to deepen cooperation across program curation, platform operations, and audience development, while welcoming broader collaboration with media stakeholders across the African continent.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/china-hour-expands-reach-of-chinese-audiovisual-content-in-south-africa-through-multi-platform-partnership-302870701.html

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viaim Rise Receives Two 2026 IFA Innovation Awards; Indiegogo Campaign Launches September 8

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BERLIN, Sept. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — viaim today announced that viaim Rise, its AI Agent Earbuds, won Best in Audio and was named a Best in Design Honoree at the 2026 IFA Innovation Awards. The recognition highlights Rise’s combination of acoustic engineering, AI-assisted work features and a distinctive smart charging case.

The recognition at IFA 2026, one of the world’s most significant technology trade shows, validates viaim’s unique vision for the future of work. Following this successful unveiling in Berlin, viaim has confirmed that the viaim Rise will be available for global consumers via a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, launching on September 8, 2026, at 9:00 AM ET.

Beyond Audio: Listen. Think. Act.

viaim Rise combines premium wireless earbuds with an AI Agent workflow designed for everyday work. Built around Listen. Think. Act., Rise helps users capture conversations they choose to record, understand them in context and prepare next steps that remain under the user’s control.

Engineered for the modern professional, Rise supports user-initiated recording, transcription and translation for phone calls, in-person meetings and multilingual conversations, covering 78 languages and 145 accents. The system’s breakthrough lies in its ability to connect these recordings directly to project context, surface actionable insights, and hand off tasks—by voice—to the AI platforms users already rely on after the user confirms, such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

Award-Winning Hardware Meets Intelligent Software

The dual IFA Innovation Awards reflect the product’s commitment to both sonic excellence and functional design. The ‘Best in Audio’ win acknowledges the product’s premium acoustic architecture. The viaim Rise features a powerful 11mm + 6mm dual-driver configuration, delivering Hi-Res Audio Wireless with LDAC and LHDC support. Coupled with an advanced ANC system featuring transparency and voice pass-through modes, the earbuds ensure high-fidelity sound, while a comprehensive multi-microphone array with bone-conduction VPU guarantees crystal-clear call quality, regardless of the environment.

At the same time, Vision Intelligence officially announced a partnership with Bose, a world-leading audio brand. viaim is working with engineers from Bose’s Audio Technology business to enhance the audio performance of viaim products. Working with Bose, viaim will leverage the company’s decades of technical expertise in active noise cancellation and acoustics to improve AI Agent hardware and enable robust perception and decision-making capabilities.

The ‘Best in Design’ honor recognizes the product’s innovative form factor: a unique dual-device ecosystem. When users press the two side latches, a mechanical structure raises the earbuds from the charging case—a physical expression of the Rise name. The smart charging case also serves as a recording entry point: with at least one earbud inside, users can start a recording without opening the case or reaching for a phone. When connected to a computer over USB-C, its three-microphone array can support desktop meeting capture through the viaim PC app.

Indiegogo Launch Details

The viaim Rise will officially go live on Indiegogo on September 8 at 9 AM ET.

Super Early Bird Offer: Early backers can secure viaim Rise with a $259 pledge, compared with a planned MSRP of $399.Added Value: Every backer will receive a 3-month of the viaim Pro subscription for free, unlocking the complete potential of the AI Agent ecosystem.

“We are honored by the recognition from IFA,” said the viaim team. “Rise is built to move work forward. By merging professional-grade acoustic hardware with a sophisticated AI agent workflow, we are transforming the way professionals capture their ideas and execute their daily tasks.”

For those interested in experiencing the future of AI-powered productivity, join the Indiegogo campaign at https://www.indiegogo.com/en/projects/viaim/viaim-rise, or visit viaim’s official website at https://store.viaim.ai/ to learn more

About viaim

viaim develops AI-native hardware and intelligent agent services designed to help people capture information, understand context and move work forward. As of May 2026, viaim has served more than 1.5 million registered users across over 200 countries and regions worldwide.

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Bringing Local AI Home: UGREEN Introduces Privacy-First HomeAgent for Smarter Living

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BERLIN, Sept. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — UGREEN, a leading global consumer technology brand, announced two new product lineups at a European launch event. The unveiling of the UGREENHomeAgent series of agentic local AI hubs and a new MagFlow lineup marks UGREEN’s next stage of growth. Building on its established presence in digital accessories and smart storage, the company is now dedicated to a broader spectrum of intelligent consumer electronics designed to enhance everyday life.

UGREEN HomeAgent: Agentic Local AI Hub for Homes

At the center of UGREEN’s broader intelligent consumer electronics vision is UGREEN HomeAgent, a groundbreaking Agentic AI Local Hub unifying local storage, computing, and control into one device. It connects a growing ecosystem of UGREEN AIoT devices, including security cameras, smart speakers, and smart photo frames, as well as third-party devices.

UGOS Pro is UGREEN’s in-house operating system built on a Linux architecture, offering professional storage management, robust data security, easy backup and sync, and extensive expandability.

UGREEN HomeAgent is powered by the all-new UGOS Pro, combining NAS-grade storage and data management with integrated home security features, smart home capabilities, and natural voice interaction to deliver a more complete all-in-one experience.

Traditional surveillance cameras usually only document bad news, and their footage is constantly overwritten, so the moments truly worth keeping quietly disappear. That’s why UGREEN set out to redefine the home camera system, not as a surveillance tool, but as a camera for life.

“HomeAgent proactively recognizes moments that are truly worth remembering and organizes them into a personalized daily briefing for every family. Moments that might otherwise be forgotten can return. We want to help families preserve the precious time they spend together.” – Samuel Zhang, CEO of UGREEN

As an agentic local AI hub integrating on-device intelligence, local storage, AI computing and smart-home control, HomeAgent serves as the AI brain of the connected home. Designed to keep data private and local, it enables intelligent file management, proactive home monitoring, voice-driven automation and unified device control. The ecosystem includes the HomeAgent HA100 and HA100 Pro, the NVIDIA® Jetson Thor™-powered MasterAgent MA100, SynCare smart cameras, the UGREEN Smart Speaker for Uliya, and UGREEN Gallery smart frames, while remaining compatible with third-party Matter-enabled devices. Together, they deliver a private, expandable AI platform that helps users preserve memories, monitor their homes and coordinate devices through natural, context-aware interactions.

MagFlow Pro: Active Heat Dissipation and Sustained Fast Charging

Announced alongside HomeAgent, MagFlow Powerbank is the world’s first liquid-cooled Qi2 25W magnetic power bank, featuring CryoPulse™ micro-pump liquid cooling, active heat dissipation and sustained fast charging.

The launch complements UGREEN’s strong range of charging options, outlining the brand’s commitment to true-rated performance and flagship-quality power.

Availability Timeline

Pre-orders for the UGREEN HomeAgent HA100, HA100 Pro and UGREEN MasterAgent MA100 opened on September 4, 2026, via the UGREEN AIoT Official Store, and remain available until the official Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign launches on October 27, 2026. Other AIoT accessories will be introduced as part of the Kickstarter campaign beginning on October 27. During the pre-order period, customers can place a deposit starting at $50 to reserve the UGREEN HomeAgent HA100, HA100 Pro or UGREEN MasterAgent MA100 and secure 50% off with the Super Early Bird discount.

About UGREEN

UGREEN is a leading global tech brand creating innovative products that make everyday life smarter, easier, and more connected. From smart charging and productivity to smart storage and AIoT, UGREEN designs technology around the needs of modern life.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/bringing-local-ai-home-ugreen-introduces-privacy-first-homeagent-for-smarter-living-302870674.html

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