Digital health news, funding roundup in the prior week; October 25, 2021

Biden doubts Medicare benefits expansion; SonderMined acquires predictive analytics platform Qntfy

Highlights from our Q3’21 State Of Healthcare report from  CB Insights. The report includes: healthcare startups saw a record 1,904 deals in Q3’21 — that’s up 250 deals from last quarter’s high; US deal share hit an all-time low while Asia’s Q3 deal share set a new record; there are 91 healthcare unicorns, including 10 added in the third quarter; healthcare’s most active investors are split between the US and China. Also see State Of Healthcare Q3’21 Report

Biden doubts Medicare benefits expansion could make it into an infrastructure package. President Joe Biden expressed major doubts that adding new benefits to Medicare will make it in a more than trillion-dollar infrastructure package being negotiated in Congress. Read more on Fierce Healthcare

Microsoft’s cloud-based healthcare service now integrates with Cerner’s electronic health record system to help providers more easily conduct telehealth visits, the company announced this week. Read more Fierce Healthcare

23andMe plans to pair its direct-to-consumer genetic testing with Lemonaid’s online coaching and prescription delivery. It plans to buy the company for $400 million in stock and cash. Read more on MedCity News

Oak Street Health plans to integrate virtual specialty care into its primary care centers for Medicare patients. It struck a deal to acquire RubiconMD for $130 million in cash, with another $60 million in milestone payments. Read more on MedCity News

SonderMind is a company on a mission to bring those insights into the mental health space, not only using data to match therapists and patients, but to give the therapists information about how their clients are doing so they can improve care and patient mental health outcomes. On Oct 18, SonderMined announced the acquisition of predictive analytics platform Qntfy, a company that gathered mental health and biometric data from health applications and trackers, wearables, and other devices, and analyzed it in order to help identify treatment recommendations through machine learning. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Read more

Twitter's Dorsey, DoorDash's Xu back mindfulness app Open with new funding. Apps for mental health boomed during the pandemic and people are spending even more on them today. Read more

Apple's suppliers are currently developing components for next-generation sensors in the Apple Watch Series 8 that will allow users to measure their blood glucose level, according to a new report. Read more

Google is still ‘all in’ on health care: Chief health officer Karen DeSalvo. Google’s chief health officer spoke to CNBC about the company’s new health strategy. Despite criticism over personal data privacy the tech giant is still betting on AI for the health industry, including partners like the Mayo Clinic, and consumer health innovation through its acquisition of Fitbit. Read more

On Oct 18, Woebot Health, a provider of an AI powered chatbot for mental health care, released a survey showing just how willing Americans are to embraced these new technologies. While only 22% have actually used a chatbot for mental health, more than 50% said they would. Read more

Bardavon Health Innovations: Bardavon Health Innovations is a Overland Park, Ks.-based worker's comp and musculoskeletal health company. Bardavon Health Innovations raised $90 million in Series C funding. Matrix Capital Management led the round,  joined by WestCap. Read more

Bionexo: Bionexo is a Brazil-based cloud software and data analytics company that connects healthcare suppliers and providers. Bionexo raised $82.5 million in funding led by Bain Capital. The company has received funding from Prisma Capital, Apus and Temasek. Read more

ReCode Therapeutics: ReCode Therapeutics is a Menlo Park, Ca.-based genetic medicines developer. ReCode Therapeutics has raised $80 million in Series B funding co-led by Pfizer Ventures and EcoR1 Capital. Read more 

Egle Therapeutics: Egle Therapeutics is a Paris-based company that last year spun out of the Institut Curie and is developing what it says are first-in-class immunotherapies targeting immune suppressor regulatory T cells for both cancer and autoimmune diseases. Egle Therapeutics has raised $46.4 million in Series A funding. LSP and Bpifrance co-led the round, joined by Fund+, Bioqube Ventures and Takeda Ventures. Read more

Zerigo Health: Zerigo Health is a La Jolla, CA.-based company that is aiming to lower that burden by allowing people to treat their chronic skin conditions via a light therapy solution. Zerigo Health raised a $43 million Series B round of funding led by 7wireVentures, along with General Catalyst, Dragoneer, Cigna Ventures, Leverage Health Solutions, and Leaps by Bayer. Read more

Modern Age: Modern Age is a Seattle-based startup whose digital tools aim to help users understand their aging options, including telemedicine and in-person treatments. Modern Age has raised $27 million in Series A funding led by Oak HC/FT. Read more 

Intelligent Implants: Intelligent Implants is a Cork, Ireland-based startup that's using wireless bioelectronics to induce bone growth. Intelligent Implants has raised €7.5 million ($8.7 million) from the EU’s EIC Accelerator, SOSV, and a group of Swedish angel investors. Read more 

Insiteflow: Insiteflow is an Austin, Tex.-based cloud-based platform that aims to makes it easier for clinicians to use third-party analytics tools within their EHR. Insiteflow has raised $2.3 million in seed funding. Silverton Partners led the round, joined by Congress Ave Ventures, Alumni Ventures and Service Provider Capital. Read more 

Podcasts published last week:

Corporate innovator: Antonio Tataranni, Chief Medical Officer at PepsiCo. Tataranni has been with PepsiCo since 2018, and was named Chief Medical Officer in November 2020. Listen

If you are interested in being included in our funding roundup, submit your press release or blog post about your financing round to kristin@vator.tv. If you want a longer write-up, please do give us a couple of days heads up. If you'd like to be included in our Today's Entrepreneur column, please send me your Vator profile.

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