Startup

The link between social isolation and health problems among seniors has been well-documented, and the Covid-19 pandemic has only worsened the issue. One startup that is attempting to tackle the problem with a round-the-clock virtual companion providing social support and access to care when needed is care.coach, which recently won the health IT track of

Eikon Therapeutics, a new biotech startup that uses advanced techniques for visualizing proteins and combines that capability with computational approaches to drug screening , has emerged from stealth with $148 million in funding and a veteran Merck executive at the helm. The Series A round of funding that Eikon announced Wednesday was led by The

As digital health companies work to differentiate themselves with mergers and new features, another startup for managing chronic conditions is garnering employers’ attention. Vida Health raised $110 million in a recent series D funding round. Insurers Centene and AXA Venture Partners also joined as investors. The San Francisco-based startup offers app-based programs for managing a

Wellness startup Sharecare is going public through a special purpose acquisition company. Photo credit: Sharecare After Sharecare announced Anthem would invest an undisclosed amount, regulatory filings showed that the insurer is pouring $50 million into the digital health startup. Anthem made the investment in a private placement on April 7, as Sharecare looks to go

Collective Health’s platform helps navigate people through their health benefits, including reminders for preventive screenings. The company recently struck a partnership with insurer Health Care Service Corporation. Photo credit: Collective Health In a big win for benefits navigation startup Collective Health, insurer Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) plans to offer its service to its self-funded

Epilepsy drugs currently available don’t work for all patients and while electric stimulation offers another option to reduce seizures, it’s an invasive one. Startup Neuroelectrics is developing a less invasive brain stimulation approach and it has raised $17.5 million as it heads toward a pivotal test of its medical device. The Neuroelectrics device consists of

Headway’s platform lets users search for in-network therapists. The company manages back-end paperwork and billing, and hires therapists as independent contractors. Photo credit: Headway On the heels of a $26 million round last summer, mental health startup Headway raised another $70 million. The New York-based startup plans to use the funds as it continues to

Oshi Health built a digital health platform to help people manage GI conditions at home. Photo credit: Oshi Health Among a surge of digital health tools, from digital programs for managing diabetes to apps that connect people with therapists, there’s one area that has garnered less attention — gastrointestinal conditions. Oshi Health CEO Sam Holliday

Affinia Therapeutics, which has technology that could deliver gene therapies to more tissue types in the body, raised the Series B financing as it looks ahead to clinical testing. The biotech is the latest company to close a substantial round of funding for gene therapy technology. Gene therapy’s promise of potential cures runs up against

Gene therapy developers rely on engineered viruses to carry genetic cargo to cells. Adeno-associated virus, the viral vector that has been the backbone of this burgeoning field, shows a particular preference for targeting liver cells. That’s great for liver disorders or diseases associated with proteins produced by the liver, but the inability to target other

CVS Health is creating a new corporate venture fund. Called CVS Health Ventures, it will launch with $100 million. To start, the fund will focus on investing in early-stage startups that could benefit from a strategic relationship with CVS, including its thousands of stores, and customers of Aetna and Caremark. CVS’ leadership also emphasized consumer-facing

The list of FDA approved antibody drug conjugates (ADC) is growing, and more drugs of this type are on the way in the pipelines of several companies. On Thursday, two more biotech startups joined the mix, unveiling a combined $112 million to advance their respective programs. Of the two companies, Copenhagen, Denmark-based Adcendo had the

After raising a recent $300 million funding round, online pharmacy startup Capsule is now valued at more than $1 billion, CEO Eric Kinariwala said. The New York-based startup offers same-day medication delivery, with couriers delivering prescriptions by bike or by car, and also provides reporting on medication adherence. With the recent fundraise, it plans to

Floating inside some cancer cells are bits of circle-shaped genetic material that are separate from chromosomes. Scientists observed them for decades, thinking they were just cellular debris without any function, according to Zach Hornby, CEO of Boundless Bio. More recent research revealed that these circular units of DNA indeed have a function, and they play

Cigna began offering Ginger’s mental health service as an in-network benefit. Ginger offers text-based coaching and video visits with therapists. Photo credit: Ginger Cigna is making mental health startup Ginger’s services available to its members across the U.S. The app-based service, which includes on-demand coaching, will be covered as an in-network benefit for 14 million

As competitors round out their own services, digital physical therapy startup Kaia Health is turning to partnerships with healthcare providers to help manage sore knees, achy backs and chronic pain. The startup taps into users’ cell phone camera to guide them through physical therapy exercises and gives them feedback on if they’re doing them correctly.

Women’s health startup Renovia raised $17 million to market its lead product, a digital therapeutic for pelvic floor disorders. Photo credit: Renovia Boston-based startup Renovia raised $17 million for its digital therapeutic, designed to help people with exercises for pelvic floor disorders. The company plans to use the funds to market its lead product, which

Investors recently poured $133 million into a digital health company that is taking an unusual approach — using a low-carb diet to manage type 2 diabetes. San Francisco-based startup Virta Health recently raised $133 million in funding, led by investment firm Tiger Global.  It would double Virta’s valuation to $2 billion after raising $373 million

Judges scored the finalists from each track based on the following criteria: Completeness of overall plan Business idea Market opportunity Revenue model Founder(s) Experience Here are the winners who had the highest points in each category: Health IT track: Care.coach’s  digital avatars coach complex, high risk patients (typically elderly) – 5% of the US population

Healthcare investments continued to grow at a record-breaking pace, according to a new report by CBInsights. In the first quarter of 2021, healthcare companies around the world raised a total of $31.6 billion, up from the previous quarter’s height of $25.5 billion. The number of deals also increased from 1,429 to 1,551. Healthcare companies continued