Accelerating Digital Health: DNV Ventures invests in Patients Know Best`s global expansion of personal health records
DNV Ventures is excited to announce a strategic investment in, and partnership with Patients Know Best (PKB), the world’s largest Personal Health Record (PHR) platform.
The funding will enable PKB to accelerate the development and deployment of its Single Patient Record (SPR) functionality and expand into new international markets.
“We are thrilled to welcome DNV as a true partner. This is a strategic alignment with a Foundation that believes in our mission and with which we share great synergies. DNV’s global reach, well-connected network, and ethical alignment with our status as a social enterprise are exactly what we were looking for in a partner”, says Dr. Mohammad Al-Ubaydli, CEO and Founder of PKB.
By combining PKB’s proven platform with DNV’s global reach and healthcare expertise, the partnership aims to drive greater interoperability, improve data quality and sharing, and ultimately deliver more efficient, equitable, and person-centered care worldwide.
Proven in the UK, ready for global scale
Founded in 2008, PKB has built a robust and trusted platform in partnership with the NHS in the UK. Today, it is used by over 25% of NHS England providers, hosts records for 20 million UK patients, and has over 5.6 million registered users. In 2020, PKB became the first PHR to integrate with the NHS App, and since May 2025, 2 million patients have added their GP record into their PKB account.
Patient engagement is strong: 24% log in at least once a month, and 10% at least once a week, reflecting the platform’s value and usability. PKB’s international momentum is accelerating. In December 2024, it won the SPR contract for Lagos, Nigeria, covering 20 million people. New deployments are also underway in the Netherlands and Germany, with further expansion planned.
Empowering Patients, Transforming Health Systems
PKB’s platform places patients at the center of their care by giving them secure access to their health records and the ability to share data with providers, caregivers, and other stakeholders. This patient-centric model delivers wide-ranging benefits:
· Hospitals and Providers gain improved care coordination, reduced administrative burden, and enhanced patient engagement.
· Patients benefit from greater autonomy, better understanding of their health, and more seamless communication with care teams.
· Additional Actors such as caregivers, researchers, and public health authorities can access relevant data securely and with consent, enabling more holistic and collaborative care.
Solving Interoperability by Putting Patients First
Interoperability has long been a challenge in healthcare, with fragmented systems and siloed data impeding continuity of care. PKB addresses this by enabling patients to act as the bridge between systems—owning and sharing their data across providers, regions, and platforms. Healthcare systems are increasingly recognizing that Personal Health Records are the key to unlocking true interoperability, and PKB is leading the way.
A strategic partnership built on shared values
With businesses across diverse industries, including maritime, energy systems, and healthcare, DNV is a leading provider of digital solutions for managing risk and improving safety and asset performance. Its growing healthcare division helps organizations deliver high-quality, person-centered care through accreditation, certification, and digital solutions.
DNV Venture’s investment in PKB is more than financial - it’s a strategic partnership grounded in shared values and long-term ambitions.
Stephen McAdam, DNV’s Global Healthcare Segment Director for Digital Health and an expert in sustainable healthcare, will join the PKB board.
“DNV has long-term strategic ambitions in healthcare. Within digital health, we are committed to building a strong portfolio of investments that help tackle the critical challenges of data security, data quality, and data sharing. We have followed PKB’s progress for several years and are convinced that their approach of empowering patients will not only contribute to improving data quality and data sharing, but also to enhancing healthcare efficiency and achieving better outcomes for patients”, he says about the strategic investment and partnership with PKB.