Cairns Health buys Together by Renee, ŌURA raises over $900M, Town Hall Ventures launches $400M fund

Healthtech and edtech are two of the fastest growing sectors, with the healthtech market size to reach $3.1 billion by 2033, while the global education technology market size is projected to reach $348.41 billion by 2030.

Each week will do a roundup of the top news, fundings, and IPOs from these two sectors.

Top News  

• Cairns Health, a provider of digital health solutions for seniors and individuals with chronic conditions, acquired Together by Renee, which uses novel AI and computer vision to make routine health tasks easier. The app will be integrated into Luna, Cairns Health’s voice-based companion for seniors
• The MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Domino’s Pizza partnered to train youth to be future farmers and food entrepreneurs in Detroit. Through this new partnership, the MSU-Detroit Partnership for Food, Learning and Innovation is piloting a Youth Farm Managers Program, a hands-on initiative designed to mentor and teach young urban farmers

AI News

• Northwell Health, the largest not-for-profit health system in the Northeast, partnered with Abridge, an AI platform that transforms medical conversations into clinically useful and billable documentation at the point of care, to deploy its ambient AI platform across its 28 hospitals
• RSNA Ventures, a subsidiary of the Radiological Society of North America, partnered with Rad AI, a provider of generative AI for healthcare, to advance innovation in radiology and imaging technologies
• Healthcare Triangle, a provider of digital transformation solutions for healthcare, acquired Teyame.AI, an AI-powered omnichannel customer experience solution
• Bethune-Cookman University Women’s Basketball partnered with Ballin AI, a recruiting intelligence platform that helps coaches identify their most compatible 15 roster players from millions of potential recruits
• The MIT Schwarzman College of Computing and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence launched the MIT–MBZUAI Collaborative Research Program, a new effort to strengthen the building blocks of artificial intelligence and accelerate its use in pressing scientific and societal challenges

Late Stage Fundings:

Healthtech:

• ŌURA raised over $900M in funding led by Fidelity Management & Research Company with participation from new investor ICONIQ and contributions from Whale Rock and Atreides
• Tubulis, which generates antibody-drug conjugates with unique properties for solid tumor indications, raised $361 million in a round led by Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners with participation from additional new investors Wellington Management and Ascenta Capital. Existing investors who supported the Series C include Nextech Invest, EQT Life Sciences, Frazier Life Sciences, Andera Partners, Deep Track Capital, Bayern Kapital, Fund+, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), OCCIDENT, and Seventure Partners
• Kailera Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing a differentiated, late-stage portfolio of next-generation therapies for the treatment of obesity, raised a $600 million Series B financing led by new investor Bain Capital Private Equity, along with new investors Adage Capital Management LP, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Invus, Janus Henderson Investors, Perseverance Capital, Qatar Investment Authority, Royalty Pharma, Surveyor Capital, accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., and an undisclosed large mutual fund. Kailera’s existing investors, Atlas Venture, Bain Capital Life Sciences, RTW Investments, and Sirona Capital, also participated in the round
• Orano Med, a developer of targeted therapies against cancers, raised $325 million from Sanofi 
• Veradermics, a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing potentially first-in-class therapeutics for common dermatologic conditions, raised a $150 million Series C financing led by SR One, with participation from new investors Viking Global Investors, Marshall Wace, Invus, funds managed by abrdn Inc., Columbia Threadneedle Investments, Infinitium, LifeSci Venture Partners, and current investors including Longitude Capital, Suvretta Capital Management, Surveyor Capital, and other undisclosed investors
• Step Pharma, a developer of CTPS1 inhibition for targeted cancer treatment, raised a €38 million Series C financing round led by new investor V-Bio Ventures, with participation from existing investors Pontifax, Bpifrance, Kurma Partners, Hadean Ventures, Sunstone Life Science Ventures and Inserm Transfert Initiative
• ABK Biomedical, a medical device company dedicated to the research, development, and commercialization of advanced imageable embolic medical devices, raised a $35 million Series D round led by new investor, J.P. Morgan Life Sciences Private Capital. Existing investors F-Prime, Santé Ventures, Eight Roads Ventures, and a significant undisclosed medical device company also participated in the round
• Omnix Medical, a biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation anti-infectives for the treatment of life-threatening infections, raised $25 million in a Series C funding round co-led by Harel Insurance & Finance and the EIC Fund. Existing shareholders Entree Capital, Tal Ventures, Xenia Ventures, and Oriella Limited participated alongside new external investors, including Prevail Partners and OurCrowd
• Mission Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech developing first-in-class therapeutics that promote cell and organ health by enhancing mitophagy, raised $13.3 million in a round led by current investors including Pfizer Venture Investments, Sofinnova Partners, Roche Venture Fund, SR One, IP Group and Rosetta Capital

Early Stage Fundings  

Healthtech:

• Peptilogics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing surgical therapeutics to treat and prevent serious medical device infections, raised a $78 million Series B2 financing round led by Presight Capital, Thiel Bio, and Founders Fund, with participation from new investors AMR Action Fund, Narya Capital, and Beyond Ventures
• Smartlens, a clinical-stage ophthalmic technology company advancing next-generation glaucoma management devices, raised a $5.2 million bridge round led by Ambit Health Ventures, with continued participation from existing investors Graphene Ventures and Boutique Venture Partners, along with new investment from Harvard Business School Alumni Angels GNY and a group of eye care providers
• Medmo, an orchestration platform for radiology appointments, raised a $15 million Series A funding round led by Covera Health, with participation from existing investors Origin Ventures, Lerer Hippeau, Digital Health Venture Partners, and Toppan Global Venture Partners
• Kardigan, a heart health company modernizing cardiovascular drug development, raised a $254 million Series B financing with participation from new investors including Fidelity Management & Research Company and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Investment Management, and renewed support from ARCH Venture Partners and Sequoia Heritage
• Adcytherix SAS, a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the design and development of novel and proprietary antibody drug conjugates, raised a $122 million Series A round was led by Bpifrance and co-led by Kurma Partners, Andera Partners and Angelini Ventures alongside an international syndicate of investors including Surveyor Capital and aMoon. All founders and current investors also participated in the financing round
• Pelage Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage regenerative medicine biotechnology company, raised a $120 million Series B financing co-led by ARCH Venture Partners and GV, with participation from existing investors including Main Street Advisors, Visionary Ventures, and YK Bioventures. The financing will support the continued advancement of Pelage’s lead program, PP40
• Counsel Health, an AI-enabled virtual care company, raised a $25 million Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz and GV
• MD Integrations, a unified telehealth platform built on a nationwide, doctor-only network, raised a $77 million round from Updata Partners and Denali Growth Partners
• Excellergy, a biotechnology company developing a new class of allergy therapeutics, raised a $70 million Series A financing led by Samsara BioCapital with co-investments from Red Tree Venture Capital and Decheng Capital
• Tr1X, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class allogeneic engineered type 1 regulatory and CAR-Tr1 Treg cell therapies, raised $50 million from The Column Group, NEVA SGR, and Alexandria Venture Investments
• OneImaging, a radiology platform that simplifies medical imaging for patients, providers, and employers, raised $38 million in a funding round led by Vy Capital, with participation from Aquiline, Sempervirens Venture Capital, XRC Ventures, Dylan Field, Balaji Srinivasan, and Jon Oringer
• ExaCare AI, a provider of automation for operations teams in post-acute care facilities, raised a $30 million Series A round led by Insight Partners, with participation from Foundation Capital, Bienville Capital, and select post-acute operators
• BridGene Biosciences, a provider of discovery and development of small molecule drugs for traditionally “hard-to-drug” targets, raised a $28 million Series B+ financing round led by Bayland Capital, with participation from GTJA Investment Group, Proxima Ventures, and existing investors Lapam Capital and Grains Valley Venture Capital
• Brook.ai, a provider of remote patient care with an offering that blends remote clinical teams with AI raised $28 million from UMass Memorial Health and Morningside
• Marble, a youth mental health company building the infrastructure layer for a new teen mental health system, raised $15.5 million in Series A funding led by Costanoa with participation from Town Hall Ventures and Khosla Ventures
• WellTheory, a whole-person care platform for autoimmune disease, raised $14 million in Series A funding led by General Catalyst with participation from new and existing investors, including 7wire Ventures, Ingeborg Investments, Accel, Box Group, Leaps by Bayer, and Up2 Opportunity Fund
• EVerZom, a biotechnology company developing exosome-based therapies for regenerative medicine applications, raised a €10 million fundraising round from Capital Grand Est, the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, Sorbonne Venture by Audacia and Aloe Private Equit, Paris Business Angels, the Capital Cell platform, and several family offices
• Pear Suite, a digital health company empowering community health workers, raised $7.6 million in a Series A funding round led by Rock Health Capital and Nexxus Holdings, with support from Mucker Capital, Enable Ventures, The SCAN Foundation, Acumen America, Impact Engine, and the California Health Care Foundation
• Alleviate Health, an AI recruiter to accelerate patient recruitment for clinical research sites, raised a $4.3 million seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz
• Clinware, designed to enhance patient care and streamline clinical operations in post-acute facilities, raised $4.25 million from undisclosed investors
• Triplemoon, a digital health platform that provides vital mental health services to pediatric patients and their families, raised a $3.5 million seed round led by Activate Venture Partners and LiveOak Ventures 
• Assistive Technology Development, a developer of AI-enabled, high-performance rehabilitation and personal mobility solutions, raised $3 million in seed funding led by Dobrzelecki Legacy Ventures, with participation from Uphonest Capital, The Life Science Angels, and other industry expert angels

Edtech:

• SpeakX, which deploys generative AI to offer spoken English tutoring, raised $16 million in a funding round led by WestBridge Capital, with participation from Elevation Capital and Goodwater Capital, along with angels Ronnie Screwvala of Upgrad and Shyamal Anadkat

Seed Fundings  

Healthtech:

• Oral Biolife, a regenerative technology company pioneering non-invasive therapies to restore bone and soft tissue, raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding from  biotech and healthcare investors
• OutcomesAI, a healthcare company building a new model of scalable nursing, raised $10 million in seed financing led by Santé Ventures
• Fourier Health, a clinician-in-the-loop AI platform that streamlines and consolidates patient clinical data into use-case specific summaries, raised $8.4 million in seed funding led by Yosemite, with participation from Innospark Ventures, NextGen Venture Partners and Tau Ventures, and pre-seed funding from Lasagna, NextGen Venture Partners, Myelin, and Despierta

Fund News

• Town Hall Ventures announced the raise of its fourth fund with $440 million in capital commitments. THV and its partners will invest in AI-first companies that are focused on serving less-resourced communities

Policy and government

• The Trump administration laid off dozens of employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the government shutdown persists in Washington. The firings at one of the nation’s top public health agencies follows a series of turmoil around leadership changes and a stark update to guidance on health and vaccine policies. Among those dismissed were employees at the Epidemic Intelligence Service — which investigates disease outbreaks — the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases and fellows in the Laboratory Leadership Service
• The Trump administration started laying off 466 Education Department staffers amid mass firings across the government meant to pressure Democratic lawmakers over the federal shutdown. The layoffs would cut the agency’s workforce by nearly a fifth and leave it reduced by more than half its size when President Donald Trump took office on January 20

Random news

• Almost half a million Americans in New York have been advised to chill, add ice and even a slice of lemon to water that reportedly has been tasting and smelling “moldy.” The Erie County Water Authority told the 550,000 Americans it provides water to that the strange taste and smell in their drinking water is nothing to worry about, although residents remain concerned, demanding greater clarity over why their water has changed on social media

(Image source: hbr.org)