Neubond raises £1.5m seed to bring stroke rehabilitation wearable to clinical practice
June 24, 2026
Neubond, a wearable neuromuscular rehabilitation startup spun out of Imperial College London, has raised £1.5 million in a seed round led by Waseda University Ventures, with participation from SFC Capital and New Wave Ventures.
Stroke patients face a demanding recovery. NICE guidelines recommend a minimum of three hours of combined therapy per day, five days a week — a level of provision the NHS is rarely able to deliver. A less visible problem compounds the burden: after a stroke, patients attempting to move their limbs frequently cannot perceive whether their muscles are responding, which disrupts the feedback loop the brain needs to rebuild motor pathways. Without sensory confirmation of muscle activation, rehabilitation progress stalls.
Neubond's device addresses that gap directly. The company makes a compact bracelet worn on the forearm, packed with sensors that detect faint electromyographic signals from muscles — even when a patient cannot consciously register any movement. When the bracelet detects activation, a companion app shows the patient in real time that their muscle has fired, delivering the sensory feedback that helps the brain strengthen the link between intention and physical response. Clinicians use the same platform remotely to design rehabilitation programmes, track exercise frequency, assess contraction quality, and monitor patient progress over time, reducing the reliance on face-to-face appointments.
The technology is rooted in over a decade of research into neuromechanics and neuroplasticity led by co-founder Professor Dario Farina, head of Imperial's Neuromechanics and Rehabilitation Technology lab. Neubond previously raised over £720,000 in grant funding, including a European Research Council Proof-of-Concept award, and ran a 15-patient pilot study that recorded a 30% improvement in range of motion after one month of device use. The company is currently conducting a clinical feasibility study at Charing Cross Hospital; results will inform a future randomised controlled trial. Neubond has six full-time staff and has engaged a manufacturing partner in South Korea to take its prototype to production. Co-founders Dr Patrick Sagastegui Alva and Jumpei Kashiwakura — who serves as CTO — met in Imperial's Department of Bioengineering while working on a prosthetic hand project.
This round marks Waseda University Ventures' first investment in a UK company. The Tokyo-based fund, backed by Waseda University and typically focused on deep tech aligned with Japanese academic research, was drawn in part by the connection between Kashiwakura, a Waseda alumnus, and Professor Hiroyuki Ishii of Waseda, who will join Neubond as an advisor. Proceeds will fund completion of product development, a pivotal clinical study to support regulatory filings, and progress towards MHRA medical device certification.
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