For US-based startups, identifying and accessing strategic partners in Asia can sometimes seem like a daunting challenge. With TransLink Capital’s support, guidance, and relationships with the most significant companies in Asia, our portfolio companies can develop the necessary long-term partnerships to transform their businesses and expand in Asia and beyond.

Translink Capital

redalpine is the Swiss venture capital firm that empowers GameChangers. Founded in 2006, redalpine brings together financial investment, operational expertise, and a vast international network to help ambitious entrepreneurs transform their vision into a reality. With over €1bn in assets under management, the firm has backed some of Europe’s most disruptive software and science companies, including N26, Taxfix, Inkitt, 9fin, Carvolution, vivenu, and Infinite Roots. redalpine has over 95 companies in its portfolio and invests Europe-wide from its offices in Zurich and Berlin.

redalpine

Sparks Street Capital

Verve Ventures is a European startup investment platform for qualified and institutional investors. Their fully digital platform enables private investors to build a diversified portfolio with investments starting at CHF/EUR 10'000. Since its launch in 2010, Verve Ventures has invested more than EUR 130 million in over 100 startups. Their community consists of 5’000 registered qualified private investors, family offices, and pension funds. Several institutional investors such as a large Swiss pension fund and numerous corporates also rely on their expertise to invest in promising startups. Verve Ventures is backed by Switzerland's third-largest bank, Zürcher Kantonalbank. They have a dedicated investment team based in Zurich, Lausanne, Berlin, Paris, and Cambridge, that screens thousands of startups each year and selects the top 1% after a rigorous due diligence process. They are reshaping the European venture capital landscape and granting investors superior access to this traditionally intransparent asset class. They source the best deals, and structure rounds, and enable their investors to participate in competitive startup deals.

Verve Ventures

HumanCo is a disruptive mission-driven holding company that focuses on investing in Healthier Living. Despite all the advances in science and modern medicine, this is the first generation in recorded human history that is predicted to live a shorter lifespan than the previous generation. At HumanCo, it hopes to reverse this trend and effect meaningful change through the companies in which we invest and incubate.

HumanCo

Molten Ventures is a venture capital company. They invest in software, telecoms, electronics, the internet, MedTech, and cleantech services. They support visionary entrepreneurs who will invent the future.

Molten Ventures

415 Capital is a specialist venture capital firm dedicated to investing in breakthrough and life-saving medical device technologies. The firm invest in large unmet patient needs in chronic diseases, with an emphasis on cardio & neurovascular disorders, the worldwide leading causes of death and the largest cost driver in the global healthcare systems.

415 Capital

Khosla Ventures invests in companies that are bold, early, and impactful. The firm was started in 2004 by Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, to provide venture assistance to entrepreneurs. Khosla Ventures invests in a range of areas including AI, climate, sustainability, enterprise, consumer, fintech, digital health, medtech and diagnostics, therapeutics, and frontier technology.

Khosla Ventures

Aktiia

Aktiia was founded on a simple yet powerful insight: That continuous, convenient and accurate blood pressure monitoring (BPM) is key to tackling hypertension – the largest chronic condition in the world. Built on 20+ years of research, Aktiia's technology provides unparalleled innovation and ease in blood pressure data collection and machine learning modeling, offering personalized, continuous, and medical-grade blood pressure and heart rate data. Aktiia empowers people, researchers, and clinicians with unique blood pressure data paving the way for novel understanding and personalized patient care of hypertension. Aktiia’s mission has never been more critical, with over 1.4 billion people worldwide affected by high blood pressure, resulting in more than 18 million related deaths annually. The company is dedicated to changing the paradigm of blood pressure management, making it more accessible, accurate, and actionable for people worldwide.

Switzerland-based Aktiia offers a passive remote patient-monitoring solution consisting of a wearable blood pressure bracelet and a mobile app. The device uses optical sensors and algorithms to monitor blood pressure more than 12 times a day, including at night. Aktiia's bracelet estimates relative blood pressure changes by shining a green light on the wrist and analyzing the resulting photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals. To obtain absolute blood pressure readings in mmHg, users need to take readings once a month with a traditional blood pressure cuff.&nbsp;

Membership-based, non-insurance healthcare companies helping maintain a steady state of well being.

Preventive Healthcare

Health Canada Approves Aktiia Bracelet: First Consumer Blood Pressure Wearable for Canadians To Take Accurate, Automated Readings Up To 50 Times A Day

Switzerland-based Aktiia is a passive remote patient-monitoring solution consisting of a wearable blood pressure bracelet and accompanying mobile app. The medical device leverages optical sensors and its algorithms to monitor blood pressure levels during the daytime and nighttime. Aktiia’s wearable device measures blood pressure more than 12 times a day, and the company claims it is the only solution that measures blood pressure at night.Aktiia’s bracelet uses optical sensors to indirectly estimate an individual’s relative blood pressure changes by shining a green light on the wrist. The company’s algorithm determines how the arteries below the skin pulsate, examines the change in artery diameter that occurs with each heartbeat, and analyzes photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals from the wrist. However, to obtain absolute blood pressure readings in units of mmHg, Aktiia requires users to obtain blood pressure readings once a month using a traditional blood pressure cuff. The wearable device connects to the Aktiia's app via Bluetooth to display the blood pressure readings including the 24-hour average blood pressure value, variations in blood pressure levels throughout the day, and resting heart rate. The app provides users with trends and insights into their cardiovascular health that may need attention and also allows users to share digital reports with their clinicians.The device was launched for commercial use, after receiving a CE mark as a Class ll a medical device in January 2021. As of February 2024, Aktiia's device has gained over 60,000 customers globally and medical approval in 44 countries. The cuff and bracelet are available to individuals in the UK for GBP 199.99; users will also be able to sign up for a monthly blood pressure monitoring service priced at GDP 8.99 after the first year.Funding and financialsIn <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/27028">February 2024</a>, the company raised CHF 27 million (USD 30 million) in a funding round led by Redalpine. The new funds were allocated towards advancing the company’s AI-driven blood pressure management technology to address hypertension management.

Switzerland-based Aktiia offers a passive remote patient-monitoring solution consisting of a wearable blood pressure bracelet and a mobile app. The device uses optical sensors and algorithms to monitor blood pressure more than 12 times a day, including at night. Aktiia's bracelet estimates relative blood pressure changes by shining a green light on the wrist and analyzing the resulting photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals. To obtain absolute blood pressure readings in mmHg, users need to take readings once a month with a traditional blood pressure cuff.&nbsp;The wearable device connects to Aktiia's app via Bluetooth, displaying blood pressure readings, including the 24-hour average, daily variations, and resting heart rate. The app also provides trends and insights into cardiovascular health and allows users to share digital reports with their clinicians.The device was launched for commercial use, after receiving a CE mark as a Class ll a medical device in January 2021. As of May 2024, Aktiia's device has gained over 70,000 customers globally and had recieved medical approval in 44 countries. However, the company was still pursuing FDA approval in May 2024 and had plans to launch in the US in 2025. The cuff and bracelet are available to individuals in the UK for GBP 199.99; users will also be able to sign up for a monthly blood pressure monitoring service priced at GDP 8.99 after the first year.Funding and financialsIn <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/27028">February 2024</a>, the company raised CHF 27 million (USD 30 million) in a funding round led by Redalpine. The funds were allocated toward advancing the company’s AI-driven blood pressure management technology to address hypertension management.

Cardiomo Care is developing noninvasive wearable devices to alert users and caretakers when there are abnormalities in the heartbeat. The company’s AI engine, trained on existing and growing data sets, can predict potential heart issues up to two hours before they occur, enabling early detection and intervention for arrhythmias and other cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).The company's product, CardiomoPatch, is a waterproof, wearable patch capable of long-term wear with a 10-day battery life. The patch monitors a patient's cardiac data, including ECG outputs, breathing, and skin temperature, and transmits the data via a mobile app for analysis by Cardiomo's AI engine.&nbsp;As of May 2024, the company is yet to commercialize its product and has over 1,600 pre-orders.

Cardiomo Care

Omada is a prevention-focused digital therapeutics startup that helps members achieve health goals through lifestyle changes. It offers four evidence-based, virtual prevention programs for managing hypertension, musculoskeletal (MSK) issues, prediabetes, and diabetes.Omada offers real-time data tracking through connected devices (such as wireless scales, blood pressure, and glucose monitors) and access to personalized coaching sessions via a mobile app as part of its prevention program. It also provides an online community of peers with similar health conditions to discuss challenges and provide support. In May 2021, Omada became the first fully-virtual healthcare provider to earn the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s Population Health Program Accreditation for its type 2 diabetes and type 2 diabetes + hypertension programs.Unlike its peers, Omada operates a performance-based business model where it charges clients an enrollment fee based on the number of users and a performance fee based on how much weight their employees lose. In May 2020, the company acquired virtual physical therapy startup Physera.Key customers and partnershipsAs of May 2024, Omada had more than 1 million members from more than 1,900 enterprise clients across all 50 US states. Its B2B employer and health plan client base include key clients such as American Eagle, Kaiser Permanente, Costco Wholesale, 3M, and Marvin. Additionally, the company has partnered with health systems and hospitals such as Intermountain Healthcare to provide its preventive programs as a covered benefit.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/15587">January 2023</a>, the company partnered with health service company Castell (a subsidiary of Intermountain Healthcare) to provide its diabetes programs to members from Intermountain Healthcare’s primary care providers in its Utah Medical Group. Further in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/25245">January 2024</a>, the company partnered with Amazon to expand access to its cardiometabolic program.

Omada Health

VillageMD provides primary care services for patients. It also provides tools, technology, and staffing support needed for physicians to deliver high-quality services. VillageMD’s service delivery methods include traditional freestanding clinics, Village Medical at Walgreens co-located clinics, as well as at-home and around-the-clock virtual visits. It also leverages a team-based approach to care where physicians lead nurse practitioners, pharmacists, mental health specialists, and dietitians to offer a holistic care program. The technology of VillageMD includes docOS, an operating system that enables better patient care by connecting various clinical source systems with ongoing patient-generated data coupled with an AI engine to continuously analyze messages to enable patient self-care.The company made several acquisitions to expand its footprint: 1) <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/14347">Summit Health</a> for USD 8.9 billion in November 2022, 2) Healthy Interactions, an interactive patient education platform, in February 2022, and 3) <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16968">Starling Physicians</a>, a primary care and specialty care provider, in March 2023.Key customers and partnershipsIn June 2020, VillageMD and Walgreens Boots Alliance announced a collaborative effort to open at least 600 Village Medical centers at Walgreens across more than 30 US markets by 2025. Walgreens invested USD 5.2 billion in VillageMD (from the previously announced USD 1.0 billion), raising its ownership stake to 63% (from 30%).However, as of May 2024, Walgreens had plans to close 160 VillageMD clinics as part of a cost-cutting plan.

VillageMD

Cityblock Health is a value-based healthcare provider focused on delivering comprehensive care to underserved communities, primarily Medicaid and lower-income Medicare beneficiaries. The company combines primary care, behavioral health, and social services to address the complex physical, mental, and social needs of its members.Cityblock's model involves partnering with local community-based organizations and deploying multidisciplinary care teams that include doctors, nurses, behavioral health specialists, and community health workers. These teams provide personalized care through 24/7 access to multi-modal care delivery, including in-home visits, telehealth, and community health hubs.The services of Cityblock are available to members at no additional cost if they are covered by an eligible health plan.Key Customers and PartnershipsAs of May 2024, the company’s services were available in seven states across the US and served over 100,000 members.In May 2024, it partnered with <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/29647">Sunshine Health</a> to expand to Florida, and, in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/13270">September 2022</a>, it partnered with MDwise to expand into Indiana. Prior to that, the company had partnered with insurance providers such as ConnectiCare (Connecticut), Tufts Health Plan (Massachusetts), Emblem Health (New York), Healthy Blue (North Carolina), Molina Healthcare (Ohio) and CareFirst (Washington DC).Funding and FinancialsCityblock is a spin-off of Sidewalk Labs, an Alphabet company that incubates and invests in tech companies and products to improve urban infrastructure. It completed a USD 400 million Series D funding round led by Softbank in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/5326">September 2021</a>, valuing the company at USD 5.7 billion. The funds were used to expand its services.

Cityblock Health

Everside Health (formerly Paladina Health) offers preventative care for chronic conditions and primary, mental and occupational healthcare treatments for acute conditions. Patients benefit from around-the-clock access to care, same-day or next-day appointments for in-person, and virtual care visits with zero copays.Everside aims to generate around 17% healthcare cost savings in three years and 31% in five years for its corporate members by leveraging a data-driven approach to care coordination.The company leverages data from past medical records, predictive analytics, and AI in the delivery of preventative care services.Founded in 2010 under the name Paladina Health, the company was rebranded in November 2020 as Everside Health following a merger between three primary care groups (Paladina, Activate Healthcare, and Healthstat). Furthermore, in February 2024, Everside Health merged with primary care provider Marathon Health to form a combined entity that would operate as Marathon Health, and, as of May 2024, the integration was ongoing.Key customers and partnershipPost-merger with Marathon Health, the combined entity would serve 2.5 million patients through over 680 clinics across 41 states.Funding and financialsThe company received its most recent investment in July 2022, amounting to USD 164 million in growth equity funding. The round was led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA). The funds were allocated toward growing its market presence and exploring opportunities for M&amp;A as well as to enhance and improve its product features. Additionally, the firm planned to expand its coverage of specialty care services aimed at individuals, employers, and union organizations.

Everside Health

Platforms offer a subscription-based or B2B-sponsored, evidence-based program for managing a specific long-term health condition.

DPCs offer value-based primary and preventive care services addressing whole-person (social, mental, physical) needs for a fixed monthly or annual fee paid by either the patient, insurance provider, or employer.

Companies offer B2B and D2C evidence-based treatments delivered via software programs to prevent and manage a variety of chronic conditions.

Tools that collect and analyze real-time patient data that supports healthcare providers with clinical decisions,  improves patient outcomes, and reduces medical errors.

Companies offer independent physician practices and hospitals with the tools (patient engagement, care coordination, administrative services) to help manage and improve clinical health outcomes of a defined group of individuals or large populations.

Platforms are used to track and gather patient health-related information via either a connected device or at-home test kits to detect the early onset of disease and identify any abnormalities in readings—but do not include a treatment plan.

To gather large amounts of real-time data for chronic care management, DTx, and patient monitoring

XR used by some startups for chronic pain management

Offers digital means of providing direct primary care, passive remote monitoring, chronic care management, etc.

AI/ML is used in predictive analytics, diagnostics tools, and population management

Offers tailored preventive interventions and treatments to the specific needs and characteristics of each individual

<div>
 Aktiia, a company specialized in developing blood pressure monitoring wearables, has successfully raised CHF 27 million (USD 30 million) in a new funding round. The round was led by Redalpine and included contributions from Khosla Ventures, Molten, Translink Capital, Verve, and 415 Capital. Furthermore, Daniel Graf has been appointed as the new president and board member of the company.
 The raised funds will be used to further develop the company’s blood pressure management technology that utilises AI for hypertension management. As of February 2024, Aktiia's device has been adopted by over 60,000 customers worldwide and has received medical approval in 44 countries.
 
</div>

Aktiia

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