Liverpool City Region entrepreneurs generate £5.2m social value through Citizen First innovation programme
Nine entrepreneurs from across the Liverpool City Region have generated more than £5.2 million in social value after turning their personal experiences of health and care challenges into innovative businesses through the pioneering Citizen First LCR programme.
Backed by the Liverpool City Region’s Life Sciences Innovation Zone, the initiative has helped participants transform lived experience into businesses that improve health outcomes while creating new economic opportunities.
Delivered by Public Life, with technical expertise provided by the University of Liverpool, the programme combines specialist business support with access to cutting-edge technology, helping entrepreneurs develop and launch solutions to real-world healthcare challenges.
An independent evaluation by Brunel University London and Northumbria University found the programme delivered more than a tenfold return on its £500,000 investment during its first year, generating over £5.2 million in social value while securing a further £376,000 through investment, grants and commercial partnerships.
Liverpool entrepreneurs developing life-changing health innovations
Among the programme’s success stories is Runcorn entrepreneur and former Manchester United football coach Sean Bailey, whose AI-powered sleep platform MySleepHealth is preparing to begin NHS trials.
After breaking his back while playing football, Sean developed the platform to help people living with autism, ADHD, insomnia and shift work disorder using AI technology combined with evidence-based sleep guidance. In just 12 months, the platform has secured investment, been accepted onto Alder Hey Children’s Hospital’s innovation programme and is preparing for NHS trials.
South Liverpool travel agent Faye Boswell has also transformed an idea inspired by her neurodivergent family members into Sensified Spaces, a travel and accessibility review platform designed to help neurodivergent people better understand sensory environments before visiting public places.
The platform has already secured partnerships with major destinations including Liverpool ONE, Liverpool John Lennon Airport and the M&S Bank Arena, alongside a paid partnership with a national healthcare provider.
Other businesses developed through the programme include accessible mobile hairdressing services, inclusive sports initiatives, nature-based wellbeing programmes, robotics for healthcare, menopause support services, young entrepreneur networks and innovative approaches to reducing knife-related harm.
Programme praised for transforming lives across Liverpool City Region
The programme recruited participants through a CV-less application process focused on lived experience rather than formal qualifications. More than 200 people applied, with 87% having experienced economic disadvantage, while over 50 organisations across the Liverpool City Region contributed mentoring, expertise and support.
Liverpool City Region Cabinet Member for Innovation Councillor Liam Robinson said:
“These results show the enormous value that can be unlocked when we invest in the talent that already exists within our communities.
“Citizen First is helping people with lived experience of health and care challenges develop solutions that can improve lives, create businesses and support economic growth.
“The remarkable return on our investment demonstrates that backing local people isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s a smart investment that delivers real returns for communities, public services and our economy.”
James Green, founder and CEO of Public Life, said:
“What these nine entrepreneurs have built in twelve months is remarkable but they’re not the exception.
“The people closest to our biggest social challenges often have the best business ideas but the least ability to act.
“What the Liverpool City Region has pioneered is a way to find those hidden entrepreneurs, give them the support they need, and systematically mobilise a whole place behind them.
“There are hidden entrepreneurs in every town and city in the country and Liverpool has just shown the country how to unlock them.”
Professor Iain Buchan, Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for Innovation at the University of Liverpool, said:
“This significant economic return is testament to the pioneering entrepreneurs who have used their lived experience and deep understanding of their communities to develop practical solutions to important health and care challenges.
“Through their passion and commitment, they have worked with scientists, engineers, health and care professionals, and established industry partners to develop ground-breaking solutions.
“This work and its clear success epitomises our University’s civic mission to push boundaries in science and technology while addressing the real needs of our communities.”
Citizen First attracts national attention
The evaluation described Citizen First as a “truly innovative, life-changing” programme and suggested the model should be expanded to other towns and city regions across the UK.
Co-funded by the Fusion21 Foundation, alongside support from Torus Foundation, Riverside and Livv Housing Group, the initiative is now attracting interest from other regions looking to replicate Liverpool City Region’s approach to supporting entrepreneurs with lived experience.
The programme also aligns with the University of Liverpool’s Liverpool 2031 Strategic Framework, connecting world-leading research and technology with local communities to deliver lasting health, social and economic benefits.
