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#Insurtech #Exit of Biobeats (@joinBioBeats) to Huma (@HumaForHealth) - Portfolio of AXA Seed Factory, one of my 1st investments @Minh_Q_Tran

Medopad rebrands as Huma, acquires BioBeats to expand its biomarker platform

Ingrid Lunden@ingridlunden / 1:50 am CEST • April 16, 2020

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Some big changes are underway for London-based Medopad, a startup that builds software for medical practitioners to monitor patients remotely based on digital biomarkers — measurable indicators of the progression of illnesses, diseases or overall health that are picked up not with blood samples or in-doctor visits but using apps and wearables.

The company is rebranding to Huma and appointing its first chairman, the former U.K. Health Minister Alan Milburn. And alongside that, Huma is announcing the acquisition of two AI startups to expand the scope of its business: the mental health-focused BioBeats, and cardiovascular specialist Tarilian Laser Technologies (TLT).

The financial terms of the deals have not been disclosed, but we understand BioBeats was around a $10 million deal, and TLT includes software assets, a number of patents and a new hardware device that measures blood pressure continuously but in a non-invasive way that is currently awaiting FDA approval.

Both will help Huma expand its biomarker monitoring to new areas of coverage (specifically mental health-related biomarkers, and all of the indicators related to blood pressure), and extend into areas around preventative, proactive human health, alongside monitoring for chronic illnesses, diseases and other conditions.

Huma has built a strong network of partnerships to expand its reach and scope. They include working with Tencent on a trial to measure the progress of Parkinson’s just by monitoring you as you move your fingers (specifically repeat a pinching movement over time) in front of the camera on your smartphone. And with pharmaceutical giant Janssen, it’s working on a way to measure Alzheimer’s based on the sound of your voice. It’s also collaborating closely with leading research hospitals like Kings and Barts in London and Johns Hopkins in the U.S. to develop other biomarker tests.

But when it comes to building some of the early work, it would take years for Huma to build up knowledge and teams that would be on par with what BioBeats and TLT have built: hence the move to acquire.

That’s a pattern that the startup plans to follow.

Huma is currently working on closing a fundraise in the coming weeks and months that’s targeted to be one of the biggest ever in the U.K. health technology sector (the high watermark is Babylon Health, which last year raised $550 million).

The fundraise will be to make more acquisitions, not to run the business itself: Huma still has more money in the bank than it last raised (it announced a $25 million round led by Bayer last November), and has, according to CEO and founder Dan Vahdat, already hit its revenue target for the whole year (and it’s only April).

Part of that strong business funnel is due to the novel coronavirus. Huma announced a COVID-19 tracker at the end of March that aims to help keep hospitals from overflowing. People with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 that are not serious enough to land them in the hospital are instead monitored closely using measurements taken using smartphones, watches and other devices. If their biomarkers indicate that their illness may be taking a turn for the worse, they can subsequently be ordered to come into the hospital before the case becomes a dire one.

At a time when many health systems around the world are being stretched to the breaking point with the influx of coronavirus cases, this is one way to try to triage the traffic, and that’s struck a chord in many places. Huma is due to announce its first official deals for the service in multiple countries in the coming weeks, Vahdat said.

“I’m pleased to work with Huma to help transform the health sector by developing a new understanding of the human body through digital biomarkers,” said Milburn in a statement. “We’re at the very early stages of what could be breakthroughs in how we understand health, diagnose and treat illnesses and Huma could become a true leader in this promising new area for life sciences, innovation partners and healthcare.”

#Insurtech #SantéConnectée en #Entreprise : Apple monte au front après Google

En 2015, j'avais investi dans Biobeats et c'était déjà hot

@joinBioBeats

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Nul doute que cette tendance devrait envahir l'Hexagone dans les prochain trimestres. Apple a annoncé mercredi que le US Department of Veterans Affairs, le département des vétérans de guerre américains, offrira à ses plus de 9 millions de patients l'accès à leurs informations de santé via Health Record, une fonctionnalité de l'application de santé d'Apple.

Et le géant californien est loin d'être le seul acteur du numérique à s'intéresser au domaine de la santé connectée en entreprise. Il y a quelques jours Google a annonçait l'acquisition de la société de wearables spécialisé dans la santé des salariés Fitbit pour la somme folle de 2,1 milliards de dollars. Une opération qui s'est conclue au nez et à la barbe de Facebook, qui aurait également tenté de s'accaparer le fabricant de bracelets connectés.

Accoler son image à celle des vétérans de guerre des Etats-Unis est pour Apple une formidable campagne de communication. Mais pas seulement. Car le département des vétérans, qui fournit des soins de santé aux anciens combattants dans plus de 1 200 établissements aux États-Unis, chapeaute le plus grand système de santé parapublic du pays. Il rejoint désormais plus de 400 organisations américaines qui utilisent déjà Health Records, dont l'Université de Californie à San Diego, Quest Diagnostics, et Allscripts.

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Facilitation de la consultation des données

Cette offensive d'Apple dans le domaine de la santé laisse entrevoir un modèle économique où les acteurs de la tech vont pousser des services achetés par les entreprises pour permettre aux employés de bénéficier de solutions de santé connecté. Et Google veut faire de même avec Fitbit, connaissant très bien le lien entre collecte des données et objets connectés de santé.

Dans les cinq années qui viennent le GSMA dans un nouveau rapport prévoit que les wearables dédiés à la de santé deviendront "une partie de la solution à la surcharge des systèmes de santé public". Et la tendance est déjà là : plus de 50 % de la population des plus de 55 ans dans les pays à revenu élevé possèdent une dispositif de santé connecté prescrit par leur médecin.

Pour rappel, Health Records offre à ses utilisateurs un système de dossiers de santé électroniques (DSE) portatifs qui regroupe les données sur les patients des établissements participants. Ces données pourraient inclure les médicaments, les vaccinations, les résultats de laboratoire et d'autres renseignements médicaux.

L'application iOS évite à un patient de devoir se connecter sur le site Web de chaque fournisseur de soins de santé pour consulter son historique médical. Les données des dossiers de santé stockés sur l'application d'Apple sont chiffrées et protégées par le code d'accès iPhone, le Touch ID ou le Face ID de l'utilisateur.

La santé, un domaine clé pour Apple

"Aider les anciens combattants à mieux comprendre leur santé, c'est l'occasion de leur témoigner notre gratitude pour leurs services", s'est réjoui Jeff Williams, le directeur de l'exploitation chez Apple après la conclusion de ce partenariat. "En travaillant avec l'AV pour offrir les dossiers de santé sur iPhone, nous espérons aider ceux qui ont servi à avoir une plus grande tranquillité d'esprit que leurs soins de santé sont en de bonnes mains", a également estimé ce dernier.

Avant de généraliser l'accès de ses bénéficiaires à Health Records, le département des vétérans américains avait lancé une phase d'expérimentation au cours de l'été, permettant à un nombre limité de patients de bénéficier de l'application du géant californien, pour qui la santé fait aujourd'hui figure de priorité stratégique. Interrogé au début de l'année par la chaîne américaine CNBC, le PDG d'Apple, Tim Cook, avait ainsi déclaré : "si vous regardez en arrière et que vous vous posez la question 'quelle a été la plus grande contribution d'Apple pour l'humanité ?', la réponse désignera certainement des sujets de santé publique".

Apple se développe tranquillement dans cet espace depuis plusieurs années, à commencer par le lancement de sa plate-forme HealthKit et de son application HealthKit, qui a débuté en même temps que la première Apple Watch. Depuis lors, elle s'est tournée vers la collaboration avec des professionnels de la santé.

 

#Insurtech / #Instech = @AXAVentures invests Biobeats (@biobeatslive), a Health tech start-up that combines machine learning and biometric insights.

• AXA Strategic Ventures (ASV) adds today a new company in its Early Stage portfolio in Europe: BioBeats, a machine learning platform that delivers insights about the wellbeing of individuals in real-time.
• The funding round (£1.6m) led by White Cloud Capital with the participation of IQ Capital, will be used to implement full product delivery and commercialisation of its biometrics based, stress-relieving app, Hear and Now, for both the consumer and corporate wellness market, as well as the company’s expansion into the US market. 
• The application is currently running advanced pilot programmes in major UK healthcare companies and corporates, including AXA PPP.

 

AXA Strategic Ventures (ASV), a global €230 million ($260 million) venture capital fund, adds today a new investment to its portfolio in Europe. BioBeats was founded in 2013 with the premise that prevention is the best approach to wellness. Using existing wearable devices and smartphones, this cloud-based programme gathers biometric information about wellbeing, learning what makes an individual tick and building a unique profile on a personal dashboard regarding sleep, activity, and stress. The software uses these insights to design a personalised coaching programme around individual wellbeing goals – helping to develop healthy responses and build mindful awareness into daily lives.

For organisations the platform can integrate with HR systems and productivity suites, delivering insights on workforce wellbeing and productivity.

“A deep understanding of employee wellness is critical to building a great global business, and BioBeats allows companies to keep a finger on the pulse of their organisations and encourage individuals to own their wellness. We are excited to receive this investment and further our geographic and product reach, commented David Plans, CEO and Co-founder at BioBeats. “It will come as no surprise but our competitive advantage is our people, coupled with the fact we have been doing this longer than anyone else, and have cracked the algorithms and understanding of the patterns of stress with the onset of disease.”

"The solutions developed by BioBeats are both innovative and improve the customer experience, with a unique focus on technology and the user. We are convinced that prevention is the best cure and that BioBeats’ approach will allow our business customers to understand employee wellness and build greater, global businesses,” said @Minh_Q_Tran, General Partner, AXA Strategic Ventures.

 

BioBeats is an adaptive media company, which builds technologies that respond to physiologic data and learn from user interaction, helping people to live more engaging, healthier lives. The company develops programmes for entertainment, consumer health and wellness, and clinical medicine. The company’s adaptive health technologies are built on a cloud-based responsive platform designed to support the management of chronic conditions and general wellness. Its latest app, Hear and Now, is available to download from the Apple App Store.

The BioBeats team is based in San Francisco, London and Pisa, which allows the company to understand the nuances of healthcare in the both the US and Europe.