Every year Health 2.0 offers a chance for early stage digital health companies to rocket into public view through its LAUNCH! event, which spotlights 10 companies in front of hundreds of investors, executives and healthcare stakeholders.
Here a few of the most promising companies from this year’s event which are focused on problems ranging from multiple sclerosis to home care workers.
BeCareLink is a New York-based company that is attempting to improve the care of elderly patients at risk of falling as well as the 400,000 people suffering from multiple sclerosis in the United States, using a platform where patients can track themselves doing cognitive tests and send that info back to providers. CEO Alan Gilbert demonstrated some of the various assessments which include tracking a finger along a path, transcription tasks and mental confusion tests. Clinicians are able to see test results as well as data analytics which can help predict patients moving from mild to moderate to severe disease states. A clinical trial testing the company’s technology is expected to be released in the next few months.
Tag.bio is a way for regular users to build and perform their own data queries using claims data. The San Francisco-based startup’s technology is trying to simplify complex data analysis with an easy-to-use analytics platform that enables physicians and administrators to quickly find insights about patients, procedures and costs. CEO Tom Covington demonstrated the technology’s ability to analyze cost drivers, find KPIs and bubble up what differentiates different providers. Tag.bio’s technology is currently been piloted at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.
New York-based Nebula Genomics, which won the audience choice for the top LAUNCH startup, is a blockchain company that is trying to accelerate the growth and use of genomic data in a secure way. CEO Kamal Obbad demonstrated the startup’s marketplace model where users are given a cryptographic wallet and are given a payout or token reward when they respond to researchers’ searches for genomic or other biomarker information. Obbad said the company is working with patient advocacy groups to set up patient-owned databases using the Nebula Genomics technology.
HealthyCapital, which is a joint venture between retirement data analytics company HealthView Services and provider Mercy Health, uses actuarial data to help chronic disease patients track the effect of their condition on their health and finances. The company provides individualized health coaching for users who can see how specific actions can improve their life expectancy and improve their financial state. HealthyCapital’s platform can also link to retirement investments and HSAs to more directly tie fiscal success to health.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Supportiv, is a Berkeley, California-based startup which is trying to help convene peer support groups for emotional and mental wellbeing with its application. Using the technology, users can submit their problem and connect with other anonymous peers to talk about their issues. The conversations are moderated by company-trained psychology students who can offer advice, send appropriate content and link the user to other outside resources.
Photo: akindo, Getty Images
