Blueberry Life is shifting away from being a pure life insurance provider primarily for people with chronic health conditions, to also promoting longer and healthier lifestyles, and has launched a crowdfunding campaign.
The £800,000 funding target will help to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven health coach, further develop its AI-underwriting model, launch with price comparison websites and introduce its longevity subscription – a health management and improvement tool that will engage and reward customers for improving their health.
The longevity subscription will provide personalised advice for life insurance customers on diet, exercise, stress and then showing how that impacts their score and insurance needs.
The provider has also set its sights on expanding across the UK and eventually overseas into the US market.
Blueberry Life launched in June 2023 and offers life insurance to people with chronic health conditions including diabetes, hypertension, high BMI and high cholesterol.
It secured direct authorisation from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) approval in December 2024 while Health & Protection reported in September that its products will be underwritten by Shepherds Friendly.
The company said its mission now goes beyond insurance and by integrating precision healthcare with protection products, it aims to help individuals extend their lives and health span while securing their financial future.
Dr Karan Mehta, CEO of Blueberry Life (pictured) told Health & Protection that with the new feature: “You would have a lifestyle and health-style plan, and if that doesn’t work out, you have your life insurance to protect you.
“It will come with the life insurance policy though we may later offer it separately. Customers can buy it and life insurance from the app.
“Blueberry will track activity from most wearable sources such as a watch, glucose monitoring device and the phone.”
Mehta said: “I’ve spent the last few years building AI models that can predict lifespan and health-span using real world health data, with a focus on chronic conditions like diabetes.
“What makes our approach different is that it’s dynamic. Our algorithm continuously updates based on changing health markers like BMI and HbA1c – which means your life insurance premium can change with you. It’s this engine that will power our health coaching platform.”
“The cost for the service will the same price as the life policy as it’s a perk with the policy,” he added.
Health coach
The product will also include an AI health coach that is being designed by Blueberry.
Mehta said the health coach is still in a conceptual stage, “but essentially the AI health coach will provide personalised advice to the user on how to improve their health as it learns from the data we collect about the user’s health and understands how their risk and health changes based on specific behaviours.”
Mehta noted he started on this journey to make people healthier but wanted to have a bigger impact on the health of the wider community than being a medical doctor would allow.
“A lot of conditions can be better managed and improved,” he continued.
“Imagine life insurance but flipped on its head. Instead of being a product that simply pays out when you die, Blueberry is designed to help you live longer and healthier.
“Our AI-powered risk prediction algorithm helps identify ways to improve your health over time.
“This creates a win-win model, transforming life insurance into a longevity subscription – empowering customers to improve their health while we deliver greater value and increase profitability.”
Meanwhile, Blueberry is also looking to expand beyond the UK, with its sights set on the US market.
“The UK is just a starting point for us. We want to enter the USA market towards the end of 2027, start of 2028,” Mehta continued.
£440,000 already raised
It intends to raise about £800,000 for the longevity subscription with £500,000 through Crowdcube and the remainder from private investors.
More than £440,000 has already come from 16 investors on Crowdcube with hopes of at least another £50,000 from that route.
The minimum investment through Crowdcube will be the current share price of £17.25 – – and the offer will be open until July.
Investors will get rewards based on the size of their investments – £100 will get a sticker of the Blueberry logo, with £2,000 receiving a Blueberry Life gift box and early access to the free beta companion app when ready, while £5,000 or more will get dinner with the founder.
Crowdcube states that due to the potential for losses the FCA considers this investment to be high risk.
Mehta said the Blueberry Life share issue qualifies for Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) tax relief.
Blueberry has previously raised more than £2.67m to date from strategic investors, including Oxford Capital and AV8 Ventures.
In a video to investors Mehta said: “I have created an algorithm during my PhD that can predict not only life expectancy, but also your health span.
“This will help inform our Precision health coach to help you live a healthier life and reward you for doing so.
“These lifestyle improvements won’t change your health overnight. They need a lifetime of consistent effort, which is why we’re creating a lifetime product.”
Daniel Simpson, chief innovation officer at Shepherd’s Friendly, said: “We’re proud to partner with Blueberry Life, who share our commitment to expanding access and delivering meaningful life insurance.”
“Blueberry Life’s fresh approach represents a bold and much-needed step forward for the industry.
“By harnessing innovation, they’re able to deliver more personalised and forward-looking insurance solutions which help meet the needs of a historically underserved customer base.”