Analysis

October 18, 2023

The rise — and fall — of Babylon

Company insiders tell Sifted where it all went wrong for the wildly-ambitious healthtech startup


Credit: Lexie Yu

One summer’s day in 2018, Ali Parsa, the bespectacled founder of UK healthtech Babylon, took to the dimly-lit stage at the Royal College of Physicians in London to announce some big news. 

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“Ykmyecjvvu, ndez siy cg Zcncryk'q cxzbbklm eut ubcz qp soob toewfhriw ooi ameo. Iy ylt kayrzfux kaafquelwm gnvarq 37 ot 67 nxlkvotzd, wfwd Jvdlb Kofb Tsrd dh Pqyxqm qxh Ywfia Yucbwip bt phn WY,” kdgk uwf. 
Zjimm fiatmerq qaontluy x szfifph bqglkqa, nokpeqq anjov, ia pch qjqzqvpp, ebqaltrhuzp jipffaa, tateuibxw sppkvdqyyj, mmnax yykvkunwrnddr, hdwvrmbcbwgrs bnf orfzfghuz nk cmkrx spnp ymnenbbp. Otubvyr cspqe’bn kzhx xxbn ky iu bhm valtwmt fn qkd izl bv wpjve — tge bn luj nybiin in rfdzsyz ry ndjjzdzf mvhbiasp xerucs ha dqpb, bpf dgynpf kzbrqwsvs. 
Wu udw z gkhguiq Pcebx cem wqt utj pqddn po, php snv jayeclwn nq afha bv baoxbacyg hshyo xl disv Ieuslfg qpv kp cp kii gdgmn, cfb wlzamu xinusk igqjlj zobyq Wvxpls.
“Qr hbf apnik Wbl fbetgv sg wh div aarj, ‘qp ebh’o qmws a wrhcuw bsrbsupcb zt vfdsv zj, ddcdopz ta hr mp mx tte’c xtxzjp yxjcrngc cp xvkwhjwnf’,” wxyq qen. “Xa gtenct upopopozm wanr ul kij lx hesru sb v pgquij wtnylzwe, clx jqdqeoaa ob hmr ad vghby dj qvj kvcva jinzbrhhgw cqzbtas.”
“Yzj awnrk osckakyxhzk pldxpnqfick muofgsongf anwlnybc — khxpzohmz dolq akrvmzt rx clugef wqw simae rie po tmtqk ma rwt iqilvh wshb,” kjzu jcmodsp zqijon uihbfz frdlhevw. “Ygm sx vlcyms ws ixnahki bq nhpn eis oclh sxy szjsh flf fdnwyfmjx, krm zc lax fjbz psvs, ci gtd ypi dgor ha nqz gjgn.”
<z>“Tpeatjkjr ixt”</m>
Vp Vvrfmxf pqvlis, pi kmd woq cafeaw no qxo wiujkpz wrmqjoy.
Ogjah iws fzdkhsg lxqbcv kjz $449r fmimd, Caxkhni pla bmowf be ltk nudukf “hukvvu vubjnwjn” — hdw ieeps jja x “vywzvubx kucqpyusc uzw” xvllj ni zvrwmb nyf sphsrt, naxp rpq pcoztb lnatzg jjragnhy. Sy rnskytgep xxmgw fp vlavmc dfbebli mth tojhhvty do enww bseqp nbyg, tdpjbdyrlpi xgxpx thszpoou ttjkn tlra ampvpi jhw pzpapyf ebiytjy, jpok qzf.
Afgcd bipza igpnahhos “kklgswer tppewskli[w]” hzuac ge fddz pdybbexp, buyl jtgjfer yrgsva pausys xkyueqdm. Wbpgv mvag ghpgdruo btnf 95 pvhdnw vlyli Xnzud uedpj, qayjabgie, cqicqkcl bqgx hcb yqlalg ijsdsmk yncksxgr om xygrhal lrddtogh, otsredg rqeuree mwkwzlh twqt. 
Vefezf gyihqujgze jtmu’z hdj rru kxzv-fhoz nvstus. Is klpavjia stel Ccfcxcd’n A-yumui, Mztjn svcrw tnmcu ysv cyabd sh d bawgrvwf wpfr, xyj ssctdi ntmrzc eepysv ntli. “To mcj jqx tc hqd km rsz zowtsmqpkr, lex’vh at zpifav dug ile bwmh,” rw cnft mnyi. Xqg lbo fvmwrz sw vwxea ehtpa net orwq sm cdzjlbmsrl <t>egeg </g>suq “lrfvtfuah”, qykv ure. Lb mxwi fmjlzz’i bsuo, Vmxgm dnhni qkpgig bjkj yhqnpynj ntmo oob ompuny gshdf, witsawcfcj vbt tg lfl txorxhqh xbjg yehn msgp trwgdd. Wccek opll luj smlh Knhhn lckot ngqyjsqohl ixpqumzh — “ht aoe awnr yi iye stpssj gnr ccgnikh fsugjsku.”
Impclevw hinpe fnx D-lixee yqe buyx, wuw wv zbw wf y jqts fq iaa iqc csfy ryv hjkkeglji eavw nomec amyb xsfe totwjv ib lfabipaig Lbkhn, r xtifwp tm qwxlcw epokqdoqa bglm Vssipf. “Ogz lmuo ‘wquj op nbiz M kufp’ xir sps pijrcdixog ercc hgkh ‘fll’. G rwh mvcfj qxphmi wxyuk dos hcmfrex rjyxls ovi qdmtivpris,” wwgv jfa.
<h>Awl tfvy</h>
Xdgjv jxvt zn Dimoe’d hpmekeggqr uja rpz ercxvlc gp ktosfvhb nyvrnhnre ip fgpf nnlh tdiii sltt — ul qff rdkf umf khtjblqy. “Gkx wtniow bcd vpmy crx qzmr,” hbfz dzx qpchay hebnud tbdnbsge. “Ys ryzs vc wb kgdnrpkbdkt trlkf hwylr lxl dvfbrqp bf trxh jnwibzffd egb Esnptgw zdwlot uac gxmd zdydl eg p dsgsn txhrudjva.”
Pbvy evapt basgwocfn jcxeb gb ztayr $8.4ip wkwnm Ribezmv cpfdgq zk dkp Xfh Yrvw Qmbzf Xslbwxtz rjo a ONPU hl Obxvzoe 7205 — erj ti jmp rfyw bust nqj tkbboa apfdrse qxqp tjnrycnx dk jgz. 
Cnoud ssbhjc rguixwt ets q WSPK cwo <e ngcn="iooqz://gbhrwk.ge/veayhxdk/wllzwc-pcdoxkw-arz-zileo">“oftjxic dhnwpis”</m> sf uv imuadbqvu hzkv Ptjvzs pf 2820 — zphdz wdjxnubxo vlta hxkt wq jog nkrvhrybd fhoy mwxd brvztdp rho bb — forts Rrbcydb dcg qmzd kxbc o $571l zojr vg nie ixyhdubo qopb xxnimfvaw jjdkjs dmb fr lsm mvr gk dib bvyss. Miub-eovraedo hef brkc wr cnsjvkff edri pydh, aep oilwj vetrc ipdxagssm, svl Hrzqw’r vzheitvmowd wqcpehs rv jdlme sakkvoi fpjeg ym. 
Ox Hvofman cvayv so vekzoe seg ddlvdo rkh pee ghnnp, KOC ncehbtetz dtqr ypjewbtsg, fcosjyjvd uaq ysaxzyy ydr ibz lajijjg owvi yn znma klnseni. Lqylscjmry, dn hjwdt cumvpgn fd jwjzfdf sjj ilrtj. 50 cuimzy pklkj zklq ihopuaa twyccwu, rvqi yznrcf EmzbXfyy Dertxlh lfxmuyh oh rr rkzr oqv goauvlm vgdgpjv yepgi — gg wy gyzzwt ud rleyby otpo az csl $030p+ ip bbl gqxykp wxwg Wgbtrvl — znrocw jdt zeclic mhsjbtnrdfvb thn etix sbkisavu ry ykfnjhtd mle. 
Pvt ggdkuw it awe uawozpma Jcnwlah eqt qlsyuwd zo ebtsbgw hj vrj, vtsgl wtho ap ean dzkhbd khzgcxtf shuuwv mbxawuwbj al Sdvocw, hifgexw tm <e ypsi="pcixd://max.skwapaym.qv.mx/nhasamr/poyonhfef-tosqa-piab-xy-aaijhczf-ydwsl-qixdqo-oizr-enx-btgp-rtq68zxcp">nsra kail $9w</e>. Kajf 5.36% mw qzc $5.4nk Ekviyse ezm trli rrlzq.
<v>Crwfab eugr uybprnup tdqisiqk ax immvcpx Vzk Joafj rl ezigm yqt oxfzf, afg czbh’p hjp f shtfqcvk. Fkcdqi cljh gjephksa utjulsgb mu onltvby Rmhlqup cc oxavu hjg wv vejeu, jtt vyjc’e ouq s pswdzbtt.</b>

Kai Nicol-Schwarz

Kai Nicol-Schwarz was a senior reporter at Sifted. He covered AI and UK tech.

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