StartUp Health Insights: StartUp Health Companies Awarded SBIR NSF Grants | Week of Sep 12, 2023
Two companies in the StartUp Health community — Alerje and Lasa Health — were recently awarded Small Business Innovation Research grants from the National Science Foundation.
Funders, learn how you can back Health Transformers like the founders of Alerje and Lasa Health.
This week, two StartUp Health companies announced NSF SBIR grants:
Alerje, a Detroit, MI-based company in emergency medicine and food allergy management, received a Phase II grant award from the SBIR program of the National Science Foundation. The $1M grant will expand the capabilities of its patent-pending AI digital platform and will help accelerate the manufacturing of Alerje’s internationally patented epinephrine auto-injector (EAI) solution. <source>
Lasa Health, a Boulder, CO-based company aiming to redefine the management of endometriosis flare-ups and enhance patients’ quality of life, has been awarded a $275K NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant. This grant will help further the development of an AI-powered chatbot designed to provide flare-up support to patients with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain. <source>
Other health innovation funding reported this week included:
Nimbus Therapeutics, a Boston, MA-based clinical-stage drug discovery company combining computational technologies with machine learning-based predictive modeling approaches, raised $210M co-led by GV (Google Ventures), SR One, and Atlas Venture, with participation from Bain Capital Life Sciences, BVF Partners, Gates Frontier, Lightstone Ventures, Pfizer Ventures, RA Capital Management, and SV Health Investors. <source>
Inceptive, a Palo Alto, CA-based biotech startup using AI to design novel biological molecules for vaccines, therapeutics, and other treatments, raised $100M led by NVIDIA’s NVentures and Andreessen Horowitz. <source>
Ibex Medical Analytics, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based company advancing AI-powered cancer diagnostics, raised $55M led by 83North, with participation from Sienna Venture Capital, Octopus Ventures, aMoon, Planven Entrepreneur Ventures, and Dell Technologies Capital. <source>
BlueWhale Bio, a Philadelphia, PA-based new company spun out of the University of Pennsylvania to overcome key bottlenecks in cell and gene therapy manufacturing, raised $18M led by Danaher Ventures, with participation from other investors including Novalis LifeSciences and Marshall Wace. <source>
Bold, a Los Angeles, CA-based provider of virtual exercise programs for Medicare Advantage members, raised $17M led by Rethink Impact, with participation from Samsung Next, Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, GingerBread Capital, and Primetime Partners. <source>
Tribune Health, a Paris, France-based digital pathology company, raised €15M ($16.1M) led by Fonds Patient Autonome managed by Bpifrance, with participation from Owkin and Vivalto Family, and LBO France. <source>
Noetik, a San Francisco, CA-based AI drug discovery company leveraging machine learning and proprietary human data to develop precision therapeutics in immuno-oncology, raised $14M led by DCVC, with participation from Zetta Venture Partners, 11.2 Capital, Catalio Capital Management, Epic Ventures, Intermountain Ventures, North South Ventures, Chau Khuong and CJNV BioVentures, Hummingbird Nomads Fund, Viswa Colluru, Chris Gibson, and Michael Secora. <source>
Thirona, a Nijmegen, Netherlands-based company that specializes in advanced analysis of thoracic CT images with AI, raised €7.5M ($8M) from HERAN Partners, Borski Fund, and the European Innovation Council (EIC). <source>
DeLorean AI, a Palm Beach, FL-based developer of a medical AI system that provides medical providers and insurance companies with cost-saving and live-saving insights into their patients’ health, raised $7.55M led by Sopris Venture Capital, with participation from Pinta Capital Partners and others. <source>
Integral, a San Francisco, CA-based startup focused on protecting sensitive health data and providing automated expert certification software that enables health and life sciences companies access to compliant de-identified data, raised $6.9M led by Haystack, The General Partnership, and Virtue Ventures, with participation from Also Capital, Array Ventures, Caffeinated Capital, GreatPoint Ventures, LiveRamp Ventures, and Venrex. <source>
Scala Biodesign, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based AI-enabled computational protein engineering platform, raised $5.5M led by TLV Partners. <source>
Gem Health, a Minneapolis, MN-based digital sleep care clinic focused on obstructive sleep apnea, raised $5M led by HealthTrend Capital, with participation from Base10 Partners and Mairs & Power Venture Capital. <source>
Jude, a London, UK-based bladder health startup, raised $4.24M led by Eka VC and Joyance, with participation from Samos VC and Crista Galli Ventures. <source>
Blooming Health, a New York, NY-based tech platform connecting community-based aging care providers with older patients and their caregivers, raised $4.2M led by Afore Capital and Crossbeam Venture Partners, with participation from Metrodora and Evan Moore. <source>
Co:Helm, a London, UK-based health tech automation startup, raised $3.2M led by Sequoia Arc, with participation from Blue Lion Global, Nebular, Ventures Together, Four Acres, Anamcara, and individual investors. <source>
Microplate Dx, a Glasgow, UK-based diagnostics technology company, raised £2.5M ($3.1M) from Deepbridge Capital, the University of Strathclyde, Scottish Enterprise, SIS Ventures, and Thairm Bio. <source>
pumpspotting, a Kittery, ME-based tech-enabled baby-feeding support solution, raised $2.2M led by Sincere Corporation and Maine Venture Fund, with participation from Unum Business Ventures and Maine Technology Institute. <source>
inContAlert, a Bayreuth, Germany-based medtech startup focused on incontinence patients, raised €1.5M ($1.6M) led by High-Tech Gründerfonds and Carma Fund, with participation from Bayern Kapital and angel investors. <source>
Mavida Health, a Los Angeles, CA-based mental health platform for maternal mental health, raised $1.5M. <source>
Data is from StartUp Health Insights, the most comprehensive funding database for health innovation. Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.
Call for T1D Innovation
Are you a scientist or innovator focused on T1D innovation who would benefit from education about how to navigate and build a company that will be successful in attracting mission-aligned capital, customers, and collaborators to pursue scientific discoveries in the field of Type 1 diabetes? Learn more and apply for one of the first 25 T1D Fellowships.
Become a Health Moonshot Champion
Health moonshots are fueled by passionate families, foundations, and industry organizations committed to achieving health moonshots. Learn how you can join other champions of the T1D Moonshot or one of our other global health moonshots.
Investors: Learn how you can become a Health Moonshot Champion and invest in Health Transformers.
Digital health entrepreneur? Don’t make the journey alone. Learn how Health Transformer University fuels your health moonshot.
Follow us on social media for daily updates on Health Transformers: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.