Naq
Compliance automation platform helping digital health suppliers meet NHS cyber standards such as Cyber Essentials, DSPT and DTAC.
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Naq is a London-based compliance platform for digital health technology companies selling into the UK National Health Service. It automates evidence collection and workflows for Cyber Essentials, the NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) and the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC).
Co-founded by Nadia Kadhim (a GDPR lawyer) and Chris Clinton (a former NATO cybersecurity specialist), it emerged from the UK NCSC cyber innovation accelerator. In September 2025 it raised a roughly €6m (£5.1m) Series A led by Automate Health.
Innovation Matrix Assessment
Adds AI to compliance workflows, but within a well-understood automation pattern.
Directly removes supplier friction for NHS onboarding; clear buyer pain.
Series A from Automate Health and a claimed 150+ NHS-serving customers (company figure).
Vertical specialisation rather than new category.
Efficacy here is audit outcomes; no independent validation found.
NHS and UK health-tech assurance obligations are growing and durable.
Why CISOs Should Care
If you sell into or buy from NHS suppliers, it shortens the path to demonstrable cyber compliance.
What Makes It Different
Purpose-built around NHS-specific frameworks rather than a generic multi-framework GRC tool.
The Matrix Verdict
53/100 — INCREMENTAL INNOVATOR
Naq scores 53/100 (Incremental Innovator). A credible, narrowly focused compliance-automation vendor with real funding; innovation is incremental rather than category-defining.
Editorial Note: Claims vs. Verified Findings
The 150+ customer and 300% growth figures are company-reported; the Series A is reported by trade press.
Sources
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