Redefining risk: A crowdfunding example of health and hope
A Crowdfunding Example with Real Impact
There’s a unique energy that comes from seeing a company you’ve backed resonate with the public. When Blueberry Life launched their crowdfunding campaign, it wasn’t just a milestone—it was a powerful crowdfunding example of how mission-driven startups can mobilise community support around a deeply needed solution.
At Insurtech Gateway, we invest in founders tackling the world’s toughest, often overlooked challenges. The exclusion of people with chronic health conditions from fair, affordable financial products is the issue Blueberry Life is addressing head-on—reimagining life insurance to make it more inclusive, predictive and supportive for those with conditions like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high BMI.
And now, they’re inviting the public to be part of the story.
Crowdfunding often gets dismissed in venture circles. But I’ve seen it work well—particularly for D2C startups looking to connect more deeply with their users. Here’s why Blueberry’s campaign is worth celebrating—and why more venture-backed founders should consider it.
Turning Early Adopters into Advocates
Blueberry Life’s model is built around a fundamental shift: people with chronic illnesses—like Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, or high BMI—shouldn’t be penalised or excluded from life insurance. Instead, they should have access to personalised cover that reflects their actual health status.
The founding team—doctors, AI researchers, behavioural scientists—have built a digital-first journey that removes unnecessary friction. No endless forms. No awkward medical appointments. Just a streamlined, tech-enabled process that feels like it has been designed for real people.
But what’s most exciting is the bigger vision. This isn’t just a life insurance product—it’s a longevity subscription. A platform that empowers people not just to protect their financial future, but to extend their healthspan. Blueberry’s mission is to help people live longer, healthier lives—through intelligent risk profiling, behavioural nudges, and better tools for self-care.
And by inviting customers to invest, they’re giving them a real stake in that mission.
Gateway Backing, Then Market Validation
We met Blueberry’s founding team in 2021, and from the first conversation, it was clear they were thinking differently. Not just about product or pricing—but about what life insurance had the potential to be.
With our support, they became regulated in record time, secured capacity from Gen Re, and launched their first diabetes-specific policy in June 2023. A few months later, they partnered firstly with Covea and later Shepherds Friendly to scale their reach. And now, their crowdfunding campaign is opening the door to a wider community of ambassadors.
This is the ideal sequence: venture support gives you lift-off; public backing gives you momentum. Regulation, capital, insurance capacity—and now customers becoming shareholders. That’s how you can build something powerful.
If you’re a founder wondering whether a crowdfunding might complicate future rounds or dilute your brand—think again: done right, crowdfunding can amplify your mission. Blueberry is a brilliant example of that.
A Crowdfunding Example to Learn From
Blueberry Life isn’t alone in using crowdfunding as a strategic growth lever. Some of the most respected fintech names have done the same.
Curve, the fintech “super app,” launched a crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube in 2019 with a £1 million target. They raised £4 million in just 42 minutes, drawing 9,500 investors. In 2021, they followed up with a record-breaking £10 million raise from over 10,000 supporters. By involving their user base directly in their growth journey, Curve fostered a strong sense of community and brand loyalty, which is invaluable for any company aiming to scale and maintain a dedicated customer base.
Monzo, the digital banking pioneer, raised £1 million in just 96 seconds back in 2016. It was a strategic masterstroke: 1,861 early adopters became co-owners. This strategic move not only provided Monzo with essential capital but also fostered a strong sense of community ownership among its early adopters. By allowing customers to become shareholders, Monzo effectively turned its user base into brand advocates, a tactic that contributed significantly to its subsequent growth and popularity.
What unites these examples? It’s not just the capital—it’s alignment. These brands used crowdfunding as a leaver for growth.
A tool to deepen trust and widen reach.
Health, Society, and a Longevity Movement
A million more people are expected to be diagnosed with chronic illnesses in the UK this year. And for many of them, securing life insurance remains a challenge—because the system was built with blanket exclusions and premium hikes, rather than to understand the nuances of each individual.
That’s what makes Blueberry’s campaign so powerful. By opening the cap table to early customers and advocates, they’re inviting more people to be part of a movement. A movement toward more inclusive financial protection. Toward a future where your health condition doesn’t define your access to peace of mind. As health span and life span diverge we are only going to see this problem accelerate.
This is exactly the kind of structural problem venture capital should help fix. Not just chasing profit—but reshaping markets that are not set up to address growing protection gaps.
A Note to Founders and Insurers Alike
If you’re building something with deep emotional resonance don’t overlook crowdfunding. Done well, it’s a signal of confidence.
And to our friends in the insurance world: this is your future customer. Empowered, connected, and engaged. The brands that win their loyalty won’t just sell products—they’ll invite them to help shape the future.
In Summary
Blueberry Life’s crowdfunding round sits proudly alongside institutional capital. Because it’s not just about fundraising—it’s about building trust, ownership and momentum.
At Gateway, we’re backing companies that solve real problems. Problems that require deep expertise, patient capital and bold ambition. But we also back people who know how to take their communities with them.
That’s what Blueberry is doing now—and we couldn’t be more excited to be on the journey with them.
If you’re a founder with a game-changing idea, or a (re)insurer looking to collaborate, let’s talk.