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Sesame Ventures manager talks muppets, veterans and children’s health investment priorities

Sesame Ventures is working with Collaborative Fund to identify early stage investment opportunities in companies addressing children's interests, including in healthcare.

imageWill Fowler represented Sesame Ventures on the judging panel for the Impact Pediatric Health Pitch at SXSW this week. Fowler, who is also vice president of strategic planning for Sesame Workshop, expressed enthusiasm for the potential it sees for health tech to improve children’s lives.

Sesame Ventures is working with Collaborative Fund to identify early stage investment opportunities in companies addressing children’s interests, including in healthcare. My impression from a conversation with Fowler is that technology that can support behavioral health needs for children are of particular interest.

He noted that one of Sesame Workshop’s biggest initiative has been demystifying autism.

Referring to Cohero Health, the winner of the pitch competition, he said, “Cohero Health was really impressive. There seems to be a clear need, their solution appears simple and effective, and Melissa [Mance] gave a great pitch. Not surprised that they won first, and we’re interested to learn more about the company and their progress moving forward.”

As an officer in the Navy for seven years, he has some insight on the needs of military families. He’s seen firsthand the impact muppets from Sesame Street can have on children’s mental health. Sesame Workshop’s collaborations with the U.S. Department of Defense and prison systems have used muppets to help young children cope with the stress of a parent’s long military deployment, incarceration in prison, or returning from the conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan with missing limbs.

“The idea that you can leverage technology to make a health diagnosis and treatment is an area we’re very excited by and learning more about it,” he said.

 

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