Playground Global is an early-stage venture capital firm backing technical and scientific founders with deep engineering expertise, a collaborative environment, and a first-hand understanding of the intricacies of deep tech. Established in 2015 and headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, Playground’s mission is to transform ambitious ideas into impactful businesses that benefit humanity and the planet.  We invest in areas that span across next gen compute automation, energy transition and engineered biology. Playground has been an early – and frequently first investor – in companies that include PsiQuantum, Relativity Space, Ultima Genomics, MosaicML (acq. by Databricks), d-Matrix, and Strand Therapeutics.

Playground Global

Y Combinator is a startup accelerator that invests in a large number of startups twice a year. It created a new model for funding startups. Twice a year, the company invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups. The startup accelerator works intensively with the companies for three months, to get them into the best possible shape and refine their pitch to investors. Each cycle culminates in Demo Day when the startups present their companies to a carefully selected, invite-only audience.

Y Combinator

Rock Health Capital is a full-service seed fund that invests in and supports startups working in digital health. The company invests in entrepreneurs working at the intersection of healthcare and technology. Rock Health Capital is a digital health-focused investment firm.

Rock Health Capital

SGH Capital is a group of funds focusing on disruptive business models and creative entrepreneurs in the US, Europe, and India. SGH is agnostic and constantly enters new Technology verticals. The firm was founded in 2014 by Alexandre Azoulay and is headquartered in Luxembourg.

SGH CAPITAL

Initialized Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on the seed. Initialized has 6 investing partners and over $3.2B under management over five core funds since its founding in 2012. The firm's startups have created in aggregate over $200B in market value so far.

Initialized Capital

Kapor Capital is an investment firm that invests in early-stage tech-enabled startups. They are an Oakland-based fund that understands that startup companies have the ability to transform entire industries and to address urgent social needs as they do so. It was founded in 1999 and headquartered in Oakland, California.

Kapor Capital

Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund GmbH (BIVF) invests in groundbreaking therapeutics-focused biotechnology companies to drive innovation in biomedical research. BIVF is searching for significant enhancements in patient care through pioneering science and its clinical translation by building long-term relationships with scientists and entrepreneurs. BIVF’s focus is to target unprecedented therapeutic concepts addressing high medical needs in immuno-oncology, regenerative medicine, infectious diseases and digital health. These may include novel platform technologies to address so far undruggable targets, new generation vaccines and/or new biological entities, such as oncolytic virotherapy.

Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund

HCVC is an early-stage Venture Capital firm backing hardtech companies worldwide. Beyond its fund, HCVC supports hardtech founders through Hardware Club, a selective global community of 500+ startups with dedicated resources, partnerships and events.

HCVC

Regah Ventures invests in visionary entrepreneurs who are developing transformational technologies, products, and solutions that are powering the future. It invests across a diverse range of industries like AI/ML, data analytics, and cloud edge computing enterprise software platforms, and in venture rounds alongside committed VCs, institutional, and other notable investors.

Regah Ventures

Bodyport

Bodyport is a digital therapeutics company that has developed the Bodyport Cardiac Scale, an FDA-cleared non-invasive biomarker platform designed to monitor heart function and fluid status in patients with fluid management conditions like heart failure and kidney disease. The company was founded by Corey Centen and Sarah Smith, biomedical engineers who previously founded and sold Atreo Medical to Medtronic.

Bodyport’s noninvasive biomarker platform secures FDA 510(k) clearance

Bodyport raises $11.2M, collaborates with Brigham and Women’s

Bodyport and Geisinger to Launch Innovative Heart Failure Monitoring Program

Bodyport secures FDA approval for Bodyport Cardiac Scale

Bodyport Collects Lifesaving Data

Bodyport Appoints John Lipman as Chief Executive Officer

Bodyport Receives FDA Clearance for the Bodyport Cardiac Scale

Bodyport Receives FDA Clearance for the Bodyport Cardiac Scale™

Pushing the envelope in MedTech with emerging technologies

Next-gen Medical Devices

Bodyport Announces New Data from its SCALE-HF 1 Study

Bodyport is a digital therapeutics company that has developed the Bodyport Cardiac Scale, an FDA-cleared non-invasive biomarker platform designed to monitor heart function and fluid status in patients with fluid management conditions like heart failure and kidney disease. The company was founded by Corey Centen and Sarah Smith, biomedical engineers who previously founded and sold Atreo Medical to Medtronic.
The Bodyport Cardiac Scale is an innovative solution that allows individuals to assess key hemodynamic biomarkers by simply stepping on the device, which looks like a standard bathroom scale. It leverages advanced sensors and proprietary algorithms to capture signals through the user's feet and transmit the data to clinical care teams over a cellular network in seconds. This enables remote monitoring of heart health, providing care teams with a window into the patient's condition to facilitate efficient and effective care.
The Cardiac Scale integrates seamlessly into patients' daily routines by utilizing the familiar form factor of a weight scale and the existing habit of daily self-weighing. It is designed to improve the standard of care for remote management of cardiorenal conditions by providing a longitudinal view of fluid status, enabling care teams to optimize lifestyle and medication adjustments for better patient management.
In August 2022, the Cardiac Scale received FDA 510(k) clearance, marking an important milestone for Bodyport in expanding access to its solution.

Proximie is a global health technology platform that combines telepresence, augmented reality, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to enable surgeons to virtually "scrub in" to any operating room from anywhere in the world. The company's core product is a web-based software that allows surgeons to collaborate remotely by sharing live video streams of surgeries from up to four camera perspectives, along with medical scans. It features augmented reality tools that enable surgeons to draw instructions or annotations on the shared screen, providing real-time guidance during procedures.
Founded in 2016 by Dr. Nadine Hachach-Haram, a plastic surgeon, Proximie aims to democratize access to surgical expertise by connecting surgeons across the globe. Its technology helps overcome barriers caused by limited staff, time, and resources, enabling healthcare organizations to improve patient outcomes, safety, and productivity. Proximie's platform also captures data from procedures, creating a secure library that can be used for training, debriefing, and advancing surgical techniques.
As of 2023, Proximie has been used in over 13,000 surgeries across more than 500 hospitals in over 100 countries. The company has partnerships with major healthcare providers, medical device companies, and educational institutions, leveraging its technology for remote mentoring, proctoring, and accelerating the adoption of new surgical products and techniques.

Proximie

Convergent Dental, Inc. is a privately owned dental equipment and technology company. Its flagship product, Solea, is the only CO2 laser cleared by the FDA for all-tissue indications, delivering an anesthesia-free, blood-free, and suture-free experience for dentists and patients. Solea represents a breakthrough in dental laser technology, offering a distinct experience compared to traditional instruments or earlier laser treatments.
Solea is a novel 9.3-micron CO2 laser that nears the peak absorption of hydroxyapatite (enamel), enabling it to vaporize enamel with speed and precision. This unique wavelength, coupled with computer-controlled motors (galvos) that manipulate the beam thousands of times per second, allows dentists to perform procedures ranging from hard tissue to soft tissue with total control and efficiency.
A key feature of Solea is its variable-speed foot pedal, which lets dentists seamlessly transition from hard to soft tissue by adjusting the pressure applied. This intuitive design streamlines the learning curve for dentists accustomed to using a drill. Solea's three ergonomic handpieces – Contra-Angle, Straight, and Ultraguide – further enhance its versatility across various procedures.
Solea not only improves patient experiences but also offers practice benefits such as increased productivity, new patient flow, and efficiency gains. In October 2022, Convergent Dental received FDA clearance for Solea to aid in reducing mineral loss in dental enamel, protecting teeth against acid attack and caries development. This breakthrough application was commercially launched in November 2023 under the name Solea Protect.

Convergent Dental

Ossio is an orthopedic fixation technology company that has developed OSSIOfiber Intelligent Bone Regeneration Technology, a breakthrough implant material designed to securely fixate and fully integrate into the body's native anatomy without leaving any permanent hardware behind. This technology addresses the limitations of conventional metal and resorbable implants, combining unparalleled mechanical strength with natural bone healing.
Made from a proprietary mineral fiber matrix held together by a naturally degradable polymer, OSSIOfiber implants provide surgeons with a more biologically friendly way to restore patient stability and mobility. These implants are engineered to provide the strength required for functional fixation while allowing full integration into the native bone without adverse biological response.
Ossio's product portfolio includes compression screws, trimmable fixation nails, hammertoe fixation systems, suture anchors, and compression staples, all made with OSSIOfiber technology. These implants have received multiple FDA clearances since 2019, and the company has initiated commercialization of its products in the US. As of March 2022, over 6,000 implantations of OSSIOfiber products had been performed, demonstrating adoption of this innovative technology.
OSSIOfiber Intelligent Bone Regeneration Technology can address various surgical applications through the manufacturing of implant designs like nails, screws, staples, anchors, and plates. Ossio plans to pursue multiple applications in distal extremities, trauma, sports, reconstruction, pediatrics, and spine segments.
In February 2023, Ossio launched the world's first and only non-permanent compression staple made with OSSIOfiber technology, designed for predictable bone in-growth, regeneration, and replacement.

Ossio

Casana is a healthcare technology company that has developed the Heart Seat, an innovative toilet seat that enables effortless, integrated, and consistent in-home health monitoring. The Heart Seat is a replacement for a standard toilet seat and is designed to measure key clinical parameters such as heart rate, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), and blood pressure.
In May 2023, Casana received FDA clearance for the Heart Seat to measure heart rate and SpO2 in adults aged 22 years and older, weighing between 90 to 350 pounds. The company plans to file for additional indications, including systolic and diastolic blood pressure, with the goal of launching the product in the market by the end of 2023.
The Heart Seat is equipped with sensors that passively capture health data whenever the seat is used, eliminating the need for user compliance or behavior changes. The data is automatically uploaded to the Casana Cloud, where it can be viewed by healthcare providers, enabling them to monitor patients' health trends and respond to changes in near real-time.
Casana's technology allows for the effortless collection of consistent and reliable data, assisting medical teams in monitoring chronic conditions beyond the hospital or physician's office. The company aims to unlock a new category in healthcare technologies that enables seamless, integrated, and continuous in-home health monitoring.
In January 2022, Casana was acquired by an undisclosed entity, further accelerating the commercialization of the Heart Seat.

Casana

Neurent Medical is a company pioneering innovative non-surgical interventions to treat chronic inflammatory sinonasal diseases, particularly chronic rhinitis. The company's flagship product is the NEUROMARK System, a device that received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance in October 2021.
The NEUROMARK System is designed to gently apply controlled low-power radio frequency (RF) energy to target regions of the nasal cavity, disrupting the parasympathetic nerve signals that can trigger an inflammatory response. This alleviates chronic rhinitis symptoms such as persistent congestion, rhinorrhea (runny nose), swelling of the mucosal membrane, sneezing, and nasal itching. The system's unique flexible leaflet design and proprietary smart algorithms enable precise neurolysis (disruption) of the posterior nasal nerves (PNN) and accessory pathways, accommodating a range of patient anatomies while maintaining mucosal and vascular integrity.
Neurent Medical announced the limited market release of the NEUROMARK System in the US in February 2023, following the establishment of a new Category I Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code by the American Medical Association (AMA) for PNN procedures, effective January 2024. The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) also endorsed the PNN procedure in 2023.

Neurent Medical

Companies that develop diagnostic devices used in a hospital setting to identify a disease, condition, or injury, such as imaging systems and endoscopes

Companies that develop implantable medical devices designed to be surgically placed inside the human body, either temporarily or permanently, including devices such as pacemakers, artificial joints, stents, and cochlear implants

Companies that develop non-surgical devices that are used in a procedure or intervention to cure or relieve a patient from an illness or disease such as laser treatments, dental equipment, and wound care management

Companies that develop monitoring devices that are used in a hospital setting to measure patient vital signs and ensure patient well-being post-treatment, such as cardiac and respiratory monitoring systems

Providers of software that enhances the functionality of medical device hardware (diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring)

Companies that develop surgical devices involving invasive interventions (cutting into a patient's body tissues) to treat, cure, or relieve a patient of an illness or disease

Companies that develop devices to administer pharmaceutical substances into a patient's body, ensuring controlled release or targeted delivery, specifically for use in clinical settings to treat or manage medical conditions effectively

Providers of software that helps manage risks, ensure quality, and streamline audit processes during medical device development

IoT connects devices to EHR systems for precise patient diagnosis and treatment support

Devices are linked to software platforms that use digital technologies such as AI/ML and VR

Startups leverage AI/ML and deep learning to support patient diagnosis and early detection

Bodyport

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