Investment roundup: The latest global health tech funding wins

Healthcare technology companies worldwide secured major investment this month, from seed rounds to strategic partnerships.

Nigeria’s Platos Health raises US$1.4m for metabolic health platform

Lagos-based Platos Health closed a US$1.4m pre-seed round to expand its AI-powered metabolic health platform, Platos 3.0.

The raise highlights growing investor interest in Africa’s digital health sector, with support from Google for Startups, Invest International, and angel investors from Google, Tesla, and Unicredit.

Platos Health has also launched the Platos Body Monitor, a home device addressing lifestyle-related illnesses in Nigeria. It is now available in over 300 pharmacies including Medplus, Justrite, and Alpha Pharmacy, priced between ₦80,000 and ₦120,000 (US$50 to US$80).

“We saw a gap. Health isn’t just clinical; it’s personal,” said Platos Health founder and chief executive Oladimeji Joseph Fakayode. “Platos Monitor brings that power to Nigerians first.”

British HealthTech Zeus Sleep secures €176k for sleep apnoea device

Petersfield-based Zeus Sleep secured €176,000 from the British Design Fund to speed up development of its non-invasive device for snoring and sleep apnoea.

Founded in 2023, Zeus Sleep aims to improve sleep for “one million people over the next decade.” It has worked with Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital, King’s College London, and Morgan Innovation & Technology Ltd, with devices tested in three clinical trials.

“We are delighted to have the backing of the British Design Fund. Sleep health has a profound impact on physical and mental wellbeing, and our technology is designed to help individuals and families achieve better rest. With the support of our investors, we are one step closer to making refreshing, uninterrupted sleep a reality for everyone,” said Zeus Sleep chief executive Nigel Clarke.

Zeus Sleep will soon launch its first consumer product for snoring, with a medical-grade device for mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnoea to follow in 2026.

MetaVia announces US$10m private placement for obesity treatment

MetaVia announced a private placement expected to raise around US$10m for continued clinical development of DA-1726, a novel oxyntomodulin analogue targeting obesity.

The deal includes 9,479,345 shares at US$0.71 each and 4,605,162 pre-funded warrants at US$0.709 per warrant. Closing is expected on or around 12 May 2025.

DA-1726 acts as a dual agonist and may offer greater weight loss than selective agonists.

Lilly plans US$250m expansion of Purdue University collaboration

Eli Lilly and Company plans to invest up to US$250m over eight years to expand its collaboration with Purdue University, in what could become the largest university-industry research agreement in US history.

The Lilly-Purdue 360 Initiative aims to accelerate drug development with new projects through 2032.

“As potentially the largest single university-industry research agreement in American history, Lilly and Purdue are blazing a new trail to the endless frontier,” said Purdue University president Mung Chiang. “As for our state, when its largest company and the largest university expand collaboration at a scale never seen before… today marks a monumental watershed in the generation of jobs, workforce, and innovation along America’s Hard-Tech Corridor.”

The collaboration will focus on AI-driven drug discovery, robotics-assisted manufacturing, and workforce development.

Clarium raises US$27m to scale AI-powered healthcare supply chain platform

Clarium closed a US$27m Series A round led by Northzone, bringing total funding to US$43m.

Its AI-powered platform addresses healthcare supply chain waste and inefficiencies, which cost US hospital systems an estimated US$25 billion annually.

The technology aggregates and automates crowdsourced data to predict disruptions from weather, geopolitical, and other real-time events. Hospitals using Clarium have reportedly saved over US$10m on average through faster disruption resolution.

“The fragmentation and inefficiencies of the healthcare supply chain continue to plague our country’s hospital systems as they face more financial pressure than ever,” said Steve Liou, founder and chief executive of Clarium. “At Clarium, we’re leveraging the power of AI to modernize the hospital supply chain, working directly with health systems to develop valuable technology that enhances productivity, cuts wasteful spend, and improves patient health outcomes.”

HAYA secures US$65m for RNA-guided medicines development

Swiss biotech HAYA Therapeutics raised US$65m in Series A funding led by Sofinnova Partners and Earlybird Venture Capital.

The funding will advance clinical development of lead candidate HTX-001 for heart failure and expand its RNA-guided regulatory genome pipeline.

HAYA’s approach targets regulatory RNAs in the dark genome to reprogramme pathological cell states linked to diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular, and metabolic disorders.

“This is a defining moment for HAYA as we are advancing our lead programme into the clinic,” said co-founder and chief executive Samir Ounzain. “This funding validates our organisation, pioneering approach and vision for improving the way chronic and complex diseases are treated by creating a new generation of therapies that reprogramme disease-driving cell states into healthy ones.”

HAYA plans to begin clinical trials of HTX-001 for non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.