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
- The National Basketball Players Association announced Teladoc Health as its Preferred Virtual Care Provider, providing active and retired NBA players and their families with preferred access to Teladoc Health’s industry-leading virtual care services, ensuring they receive consistent trusted care, even as they relocate from city to city throughout their careers
- Saudi edtech company Noon Academy acquired Almakhfi, a digital platform specialising in preparation for the Qudurat and Tahsili examinations, in a move aimed at strengthening its AI-powered learning ecosystem and expanding its services for students across the Kingdom
AI News
- Haleon, a consumer health company solely focused on better everyday health, partnered with Microsoft to scale digital, data and AI capabilities across the business and accelerate delivery of its global Win as One strategy
- The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, the regulator of the healthcare sector in the emirate, and the MIT – Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research partnered to advance AI-enabled oncology research, translational science and bioconvergence innovation
- Experity, an on-demand healthcare technology platform, acquired Exdion Healthcare, an AI-driven SaaS software and services company specializing in the patient chart-to-cash lifecycle, including coding, billing, compliance, and revenue cycle automation
- The University of Washington launched Purple, its enterprise AI platform developed to reduce the institutional liability posed by employees, to faculty and staff
- F3 Innovate, a center for climate-smart agrifood technologies and engineering, partnered with Fresno State and the San Diego Supercomputer Center at UC San Diego to launch the F3i Supercomputing Center, a regional innovation platform providing the computing power, technical support and talent pipeline needed to accelerate innovation across California’s food and agriculture supply chain
- Reed Smith, a global law firm, launched the Reed Smith AI Leadership Program at Cornell University, a customized curriculum developed in partnership with the school’s Executive Education organization to equip the firm’s partners with advanced knowledge of artificial intelligence strategy, ethics, and digital transformation
- Simplilearn, a provider of digital upskilling, partnered with Virginia Tech Continuing and Professional Education to launch the Professional Certificate Program in AI-Powered Cybersecurity to help professionals build practical cybersecurity expertise while understanding how AI is transforming modern security operations
- Durst Group and TUM Venture Labs, a joint initiative of the Technical University of Munich and UnternehmerTUM, partnered to launch a multi-year collaboration in the field of robotics, AI and automation for industrial production
Big financings:
Healthtech:
- FORE Biotherapeutics, a registration stage company dedicated to developing targeted therapies to treat patients with cancer, raised an upsized Series D-2 extension financing of $67.4 million co-led by SR One, Medicxi, and SymBiosis and supported by a syndicate of new investors, including TaiAx, LG Technology Ventures, Primer Ventures and Axil, and all existing investors, including OrbiMed Advisors, HBM Healthcare Investments, Wellington Management, Cormorant Capital, Novartis Venture Fund, Windham Life Science Partners, Samsung and 3B Capital
- Leo Cancer Care, a medical technology company working to reinvent how patients are imaged and treated by designing systems around the body’s natural upright position, raised a $65 million Series D round led by Silicon Valley’s Yu Galaxy and new investors including Eventide Asset Management, alongside continued support from the company’s existing investors
- MindRank AI, a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to building an AI-native engine for drug research and development, raised a $52 million Series B round led by a group of institutional and healthcare funds
- Pediatrica Health Group, a multi-site pediatric primary care organization dedicated to delivering Next Generation CareSM to families, raised a $28 million Series B funding round led by Valspring Capital, with participation from existing investor M33 Growth
- Handspring, a virtual mental health clinic providing evidence-based care to youth, young adults, and their families, raised $19 million in Series B financing led by RPS Ventures, with participation from new investor Angelini Ventures and continued backing from returning investors Cobalt Ventures, NextView Ventures, nvp capital, Hyde Park Angels, Cornucopian Capital, and others
- CurifyLabs, a health technology company transforming how personalized medicines are made, raised a $14 million Series A funding round co-led by Sandwater and HealthCap, with participation from Tesi and existing investors, including Lifeline Ventures
Edtech:
- Elevate Education, which partners with colleges and universities to deliver industry-linked undergraduate and postgraduate programs, raised $17.8 million in a Series D funding round led by WestBridge Capital
- EdVisorly, an AI enrollment platform that simplifies community college transfers by helping students apply to universities, raised a $13.3 million Series A financing round led by Breachway Capital, with participation from U.S. News & World Report, Lumina Foundation, Strada Education Foundation, Motley Fool Ventures, Juvo Ventures, Zeal Capital Partners, and others
Not so big financings:
Healthtech:
- Healome Therapeutics, a company developing a proprietary eye-drop matrix technology for ocular surface diseases, raised a GBP£2 million seed financing round led by Empirical Ventures, with participation from DEBRA Research, Cure EB, Oshen Bio and existing investor SFC Capital
- Respiro Diagnostics, a startup developing breath-based diagnostics for lung diseases, raised £1 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Zinc Venture Capital and SFC Capital, with participation from Amadeus Capital Partners, the Conception X Angel Syndicate, KQ Labs through the Francis Crick Institute, strategic angel investors and Innovate UK
- Revolver Therapeutics, a company developing cell-penetrating peptides designed to shut down transcription factors, master regulators of disease long considered “undruggable” by conventional small-molecule drugs, raised a £572,000 funding round led by QantXSearch company, with follow-on investment from the UK Innovation & Science Seed FundSearch company, managed by Future Planet Capital, and the University of Bath
Edtech:
- Lucida AI, a speech-to-speech AI platform for language coaching, raised £5.3 million in a seed round led by Velocity Capital, along with Next Tier Ventures, Look AI Ventures, Boğaziçi Ventures, Yapı Kredi FRWRD, and ÜNLÜ & Co
Policy and government
- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services launched the Make Hospital Food Healthier Pledge, a nationwide initiative inviting hospitals to serve healthier, more nutritious meals. The voluntary pledge encourages hospitals to reduce highly processed foods and prioritize nutrient-dense options that align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, reinforcing the critical role of nutrition in improving patient health, supporting recovery, and promoting long-term wellness
- The U.S. Department of Labor announced the award of nearly $162 million through five cooperative agreements to expand Registered Apprenticeship in the occupations critical for the administration’s reindustrialization agenda. The department’s Employment and Training Administration will administer the five Pay-for-Performance Incentive Payments Program cooperative agreements with organizations that will lead nationwide efforts to train thousands of Americans for jobs in the shipbuilding, defense industrial base, and emerging technology sectors
Random news
- OSU medical experts are urging social media users to avoid ‘maxxing’ health and wellness trend, which is defined as a trend promoting extreme ways to optimize your physical and mental health. That can include health-maxxing, an intense combination of diet, exercise and sleep that may include tracking apps and devices aimed at improving physical health, and wellness-maxxing, or Applying a variety of health and wellness strategies for better health and mental well-being. These doctors recommend people rely on science and research-based strategies to manage chronic disease or illnesses and improve their health, visiting real doctors to offer clarity, separate fact from fiction, and come up with palpable solutions or treatment plans avoiding what is being pushed on to you because it’s “trendy”
