Healthcare voice chatbot maker Orbita has locked in $9 million as part of a Series A fund co-led by Philips Health Technology Ventures and HealthX Ventures. Cultivation Capital and Newark Venture Partners also took part.
Orbita's technology platform is employed by healthcare, life sciences and medical technology companies seeking conversational AI capabilities that can be deployed through online, phone, text or digital-assistant means.
The company did not specify how these new funds would be deployed. Instead, its funding announcement highlighted the "unprecedented number of requests related to COVID-19" the company has received from worldwide customers over the past few months, and the new tools it has released to address that demand.
"Thanks to our customers and partners, we've witnessed how virtual healthcare assistants based on our technology have improved both healthcare efficiency and quality," CEO Bill Rogers said in a statement. "We've experienced this perhaps most significantly in recent weeks supporting the COVID-19 pandemic response. We're very proud of the work we've done and are equally proud to receive the support of our new investors to expand our reach and impact."
Cariloop, a tech platform that focuses on coaching and cloud-based support tools for caregivers, has closed a $6 million Series A round. Patterson Thoma Family Office led the raise, which also saw support from Revolution's Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, ACAP Health, KCRise Fund, MPK Equity Partners, Patrick McGee and other existing backers who were not named.
The Dallas-based company said that these new fundings will help speed up its nationwide strategic distribution efforts. Further, it expects to double its 30-person team in the next year and a half, develop new tools and services, and quadruple the number of people with access to the platform.
“With this new round of financing completed, we can rapidly expand the coalition of employers and partners we work with and reach more caregivers and families in need of help," Michael Walsh, Cariloop cofounder and CEO, said in a statement.
Late last week, Stork Club launched its maternity-focused platform with a boost of $2.7 million in seed funding. Bowery Capital, Slow Ventures, and angel investors Arianna Simpson, Kevin Mahaffey, and unknown others participated in this round.
The concierge platform helps guide women through different phases of the maternity process, including diagnostics, egg and sperm freezing, IVF, surrogacy and adoption, childbirth, and breastfeeding support.
“Maternity care was designed 50 years ago for a young heterosexual family where the mother stayed home. That’s not today’s family,” said Jeni Mayorskaya, CEO and founder of Stork Club. “Stork Club modernizes care for families by integrating all maternity care into a simple, inclusive solution. By partnering with top providers directly and providing a continuity of care, we give people the freedom to have a family on their terms, guide them to better outcomes, and help businesses save millions of dollars per year.”
Last week, Siren, maker of a remote-monitoring socks, scored $11.8 million in new Series B funding. Anathem Ventures led the round with participation from DCM, Khosla Ventures, 500 Startups and Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund.
The company has developed temperature-monitoring socks that can communicate with a software application. The app allows a podiatrist to keep an eye on potential inflammation and risk factors for developing diabetic foot.
As of today, the company has $22 million in funding – closing its $6.5 million Series A round in 2018 and a $3.4 million seed-funding round.
As part of the deal, DCM’s Jason Krikorian was named to the board of directors, and Anathem’s Crystal McKellar will be stepping up as an advisor.
Ezra, a medical-imaging and AI startup targeting cancer, has raised $18 million. The Series A round was led by FirstMark Capital, with new individual backers Jeff Raider, Dave Gilboa, Vlad Tenev, Fred Destin and Andrei Dunca. Also joining the round were several existing investors, including Accomplice, Seedcamp, Credo Ventures, Founders Future, LDV Capital, Esther Dyson, Taavet Hinrikus, Daniel Dines, Dave McClure, and Jeremy Arditi.
The New York tech company said that it aims to expand its collection of medical-imaging AI tools with the new funds, and will be launching a low-dose CT scan that seeks out COVID-19 damage in the lungs, called Ezra COVID 360.
More than 1.5 million people in the U.S. have been infected with the coronavirus, and many of them may have long-lasting lung damage caused by the virus," Emi Gal, CEO and cofounder of Ezra, said in a statement. "The Ezra COVID 360 enables individuals to get a look inside their lungs, empowering them with the data necessary to make better decisions about their health."
