Portuguese healthtech company UpHill Health plans to enter the UK market in 2026, following rapid growth in Portugal and Spain, CEO Eduardo Freire Rodrigues told ECO. The company is focusing its expansion on emergency departments and health helplines, where its AI-driven solutions are already delivering measurable impact.
UpHill’s technology is currently used by Portugal’s National Health Service (SNS), including the SNS24 helpline and several hospital emergency units. In emergency departments, the platform automates initial clinical assessments, helping reduce patient length of stay and in-person observations. According to the company, the solution has cut emergency waiting times by up to 50% and reduced hospital readmissions by 35%, while maintaining a human-in-the-loop approach.
In late 2024, UpHill launched Hilly AI, a conversational AI system now used in national-scale telephone clinical triage via the SNS24 helpline, operated by MEO. With this deployment, Portugal became the first European country to use AI for clinical telephone triage nationwide.
International expansion is already underway. In Spain, UpHill recently launched its platform in the Cantabria region and now operates in major hospitals in Madrid and Catalonia. The company is also part of i2X – Connecting EU Health Data, an €8 million European Commission-backed initiative involving 37 entities across 12 EU countries, aimed at improving healthcare data interoperability. Pilot projects in Portugal are scheduled for 2025.
UpHill has raised more than €15 million to date and expects news on a new funding round as early as this year. Revenue has doubled year-on-year since 2023, and the company now operates in over 50% of Portugal’s public healthcare sector, as well as with private provider Luz Saúde.
The company employs 73 people, with its core product development and R&D based in Lisbon. After consolidating its position in Spain, UpHill plans to expand into the UK in 2026, followed later by markets such as Italy and Germany.
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