The spirit of our age is that of Leonardo DaVinci when he said, “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” And that’s exactly what we’re seeing with startups across the health tech vertical in 2018. Companies of empathy, invention, and even life. It’s a little overwhelming if you’re looking for the next breakout investment. With everything we’ve had our eyes on this year, these are the companies to watch.
NeoLight
Having recently announced their partnership with HonorHealth, and receiving their FDA clearance late last year, NeoLight is a medical tech startup that engineers, designs and manufactures technologies that treat infants with life threatening medical conditions. Their first product is a cutting-edge portable device that treats neonatal jaundice, which affects many newborns worldwide.
Zeamo
Catering to a trifecta of gym owners, employers, and individuals, Zeamo is a startup on a mission to radically shift the way we do personal fitness. They’ve developed a simple-to-use personal health management platform that’s setup to let employees directly choose from hundreds of popular fitness clubs so that they can design an exercise and gym plan based around their own daily habits, exercise preferences, and income.
Joany
According to their recent feature in Forbes, last year, the health insurance focused startup Joany served nearly 200,000 consumers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and generated $26M in revenue. These female founders are venture backed and out to make buying and using health insurance simple and transparent. Using data, machine learning, and the human factor, they are personalizing healthcare for all consumers.
Bona Vita Benefits
Whether it’s reviewing employer sponsored benefits (like health insurance and retirement plan accounts), or helping an executive max out their personal financial goals, this firm stands ready to help good lives become great ones. Bona Vita Benefits is a boutique firm focused on providing a concierge level of service. They provide a consultative approach to analyze, implement and support a business’ varying degrees of financial and insurance needs.
Orthly
One-upping the competition, Orthly is a healthcare technology company modernizing orthodontic treatment in the United States by reducing costs by 70% and minimizing the number of in-person appointments needed for treatment. They use proprietary technology and modern telehealth practices to diagnose, treat and monitor cases. They’ve also been listed as one of Inc.’s five startups changing healthcare in 2018.
QuiO
Listed as one of Inc’s top 30 emerging companies of 2017 in America, QuiO is a digital healthcare company that’s out to make people’s lives easier by better facilitating the divide between they condition and treatment regimen. They do this by providing smart injection devices and connected software for monitoring adherence to injectable therapies in real-time. This means that chronic disease patients have more success on long-term therapies through self-management and continuous care.
Modern Fertility
Having raised $6 Million this year in a seed round led by early-stage venture firms Maveron and Union Square Ventures, Modern Fertility is a health care startup dedicated to making fertility information more accessible for women, earlier in their lives. As a Y-Combinator company backed by First Round Capital, and Box Group, they offer the first comprehensive test you can take at home to get specific on ovarian reserve, ovulation, and more.
zio health
Operating under two brands, ELAPTA and ELOSIA 易来测 (China), Zio Health is a seed-stage healthcare startup that develops multi-functional electronic devices for measuring, testing and detecting the molecular composition of chemical and biological substances for the presence, absence, or quantity of target molecules. Their tech can be used for multiple applications including: Home diagnostics, Point-of-care devices for healthcare institutions, remote medical testing, water quality testing, food quality testing, and even formula milk quality testing.
MC-Cubed
If you hate food poisoning, and recalls on your favorite food, this health tech startup has the solution. Producing and manufacturing food safety technology for consumers, MC-Cubed is out to ensure food safety through increased consumer awareness. Currently, they have two products, Starship and Freezer Friend for monitoring shipments and also protecting yourself and family from food-borne illness.
VitalTrax
Operating under the belief that everybody should have the opportunity to transform the medical industry with a meaningful experience, VitalTrax is a seed-stage startup aiming to make clinical trials more approachable and not a burden to participate. Their flagship product, PatientWing is a clinical trial network that provides innovative ways for people to easily seek optional treatments for themselves or people that they love and play an important role in helping develop new ways to fight diseases.
It’s a super exciting time to be watching new companies rise in health and biotech verticals. There’s not much in life more personal than our own health and these startups are not just empowering consumers, but also humanizing systems and structures we’ve all just been accepting as the status quo. We can’t wait to see what they do next.
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