The World Health Service is the not-for-profit arm of the World Health Innovation Summit (WHIS). Our mission is simple but powerful: to support communities by investing in prevention-focused healthcare solutions that improve lives and reduce long-term costs.
We do this by connecting health needs with social investment opportunities, enabling innovative models of care to grow and scale locally, nationally, and globally.
WHIS Strategic Investment Thesis: A Blueprint for Change
Our Strategic Investment Thesis outlines how smart, values-driven investment can build a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient healthcare system. It’s based on years of experience and real-world results.
We’ve shown that:
- £1 invested = £36 in social return (SROI), as evidenced in our WHIS Impact Report
- Prevention works—social prescribing, peer support, and community health models deliver long-term impact
- There is a growing appetite from investors to support healthcare innovations that align financial return with social good
The Scale of the Opportunity
The investment opportunity in health services is vast and growing. Globally, healthcare represents over 10% of GDP, and as systems shift toward prevention, innovation, and integration, new markets are opening across sectors. From digital health (valued at over $400 billion and projected to double within five years) to healthcare real estate (including wellness hubs, healthy ageing centres, and integrated care spaces), investors have a unique chance to back scalable, high-impact solutions. The rise of data-driven care, AI-enabled diagnostics, and community-led infrastructure means that strategic, values-aligned capital can generate long-term financial returns while also addressing the world’s most urgent health challenges. WHIS and the World Health Service are building the bridge between these opportunities and the investors ready to support them.
How We Can Support Investor Engagement
Through the World Health Service, WHIS offers:
- Health Investment Frameworks: Regional models that align funding with health needs and equity goals
- Access to Pipeline Projects: Scalable, investable opportunities in prevention and innovation—from around the world.
- Data and Evidence: Impact reporting, SROI metrics, and health outcomes that give investors confidence
- Partnership Building: We connect investors with social enterprises, health systems, and public sector leaders to drive collaborative success
Why It Matters
Health systems are under pressure. Yet solutions already exist. The challenge is investment.
By using our Strategic Investment Thesis, investors can:
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Drive social impact and financial return
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Fund sustainable health solutions
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Tackle inequalities at scale WHIS and the World Health Service are ready to work with impact investors, philanthropists, government funders, and ESG-aligned institutions to reshape healthcare from the ground up.
Together, we can invest in a healthier, fairer future.
**Author: Gareth Presch, CEO, World Health Innovation Summit **