We round up the big health tech investment news from the past week
Another exciting week in the world of health tech finance, leading with some big news from Monday’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit in Paris.
EU launches InvestAI initiative to mobilise €200 billion of investment in AI
On Monday, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen launched InvestAI, an initiative to mobilise €200 billion for investment in AI, including a new European fund of €20 billion for AI gigafactories.
This large AI infrastructure is needed to allow open, collaborative development of the most complex AI models and to make Europe an AI continent.
The EU’s InvestAI fund will finance four future AI gigafactories across the EU.
The new AI gigafactories will be specialised in training the most complex, very large, AI models.
Such next-generation models require extensive computing infrastructure for breakthroughs in specific domains such as medicine or science. The gigafactories will have around 100 000 last-generation AI chips, around four times more than the AI factories being set up right now.
von der Leyen said: “AI will improve our healthcare, spur our research and innovation and boost our competitiveness. We want AI to be a force for good and for growth.
“This unique public-private partnership, akin to a CERN for AI, will enable all our scientists and companies – not just the biggest – to develop the most advanced very large models needed to make Europe an AI continent.”
Harrison.ai raises $112m Series C to fuel global expansion
Harrison.ai, a global healthtech company and developer of AI-powered medical diagnostic support and workflow solutions, has announced the accelerated expansion of its operations into the United States, a move supported by US$112 million of Series C funding.
The funding will also fuel the company’s product roadmap and continued growth in the UK, EMEA and APAC.
Harrison’s technology in radiology and pathology assists clinicians with identifying signs of cancer and other critical illnesses earlier, improving treatment decisions and patient outcomes.
It uses AI to analyse CT scans, X-rays, and pathology slides, supporting clinicians in detecting and diagnosing medical conditions faster and more accurately.
Dr Aengus Tran, Harrison.ai Co-Founder and CEO, said: “The growing demand for equitable and effective healthcare calls for advanced systems like AI to enhance human diagnostics and address disparities in access to care.
“Harrison.ai meets this need by developing clinical-grade AI models designed to improve capacity.
“We look forward to bringing our life-saving technology to healthcare systems in the U.S. and continuing our expansion across the globe.”
Vitalchat secures $6m Series A funding
Vitalchat, a developer of AI-powered ambient solutions for in-patient virtual nursing and procedural telehealth, has announced the successful closing of its $6 million Series A funding round, led by Green Harvest Capital Industries (GHC Industries).
This investment aims to accelerate Vitalchat’s mission to transform inpatient telehealth and virtual nursing by expanding its solutions designed to reduce administrative burdens placed on nurses and doctors, enhance patient and clinician safety, and help address the ongoing shortage of skilled care teams.
The demand for virtual nursing and telehealth solutions has surged, driven by workforce shortages, rising patient acuity, and regulatory shifts supporting digital care adoption.
In the U.S., the total addressable market for inpatient virtual care and AI-powered telehealth is estimated at $2 billion, yet fewer than 5 per cent of hospital beds currently have video-enabled monitoring solutions.
Michael Raymer, CEO of Vitalchat, said: “Doctors and nurses enter the profession to heal, comfort, and care—not to be overwhelmed by paperwork or stretched thin due to staffing shortages.
“This funding enables us to scale our in-patient virtual care platform, allowing more health systems to give their care teams the time and focus to do what they love—connecting with patients and making a real difference in their lives.
“We’re grateful for the support of GHC Industries as we continue to innovate and expand our impact.”
Newronika closes €13.6m Series B financing to accelerate development of adaptive DBS platform
Newronika, a developer of deep brain stimulation (DBS) technology, has annouced the successful closing of its €13.6 million Series B funding round.
The funding will enable Newronika to expand the clinical validation and commercialisation of its proprietary adaptive DBS system, its platform designed to deliver precision therapy aimed to improve symptom relief and reduce side effects for Parkinson’s disease patients.
Dr Lorenzo Rossi, Co-Founder and CEO of Newronika, said:”We are thrilled with the strong support from both new and existing investors.
“This Series B round validates our commitment to transform the way deep brain stimulation is delivered.
“We aim to seamlessly integrate real-time neural data and machine learning into our DBS systems to create truly personalized therapies that surpass the capabilities of existing devices on the market.”
Junevity raises $10m to develop cell reset therapeutics for longevity
Junevity, a biotechnology company aiming to extend lifespan and healthspan by resetting cell damage from age-related diseases, has announced $10 million in seed funding led by Goldcrest Capital and Godfrey Capital.
The Junevity RESET platform is based on exclusively licensed research by co-founder Dr Janine Sengstack at the University of California at San Francisco. RESET uses large-scale human data and AI to identify genes – or transcription factors – that can regulate cell damage.
Then, it develops siRNA therapeutics against these targets to return cells to health.
Junevity will use this seed funding to enhance the RESET platform and develop its first therapeutic candidates in Type 2 diabetes, obesity and frailty.
Janine Sengstack, Ph.D., co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Junevity, said: “My research at UCSF showed the power of targeting transcription factors to restore aged human cells back to health.
“Based on these discoveries, we are bringing forward a new class of cell reset therapeutics for diseases, with the ultimate goal of greater human longevity.”
