Established in 2016 and based in Silicon Valley, FoundersX is a deep-domain winner with investment focus on deep tech, enterprise AI and digital infrastructure. We outcompete with our deep-dive research capacity. We are an early investor in multiple tech unicorns with several home runs, and have over 20 high growth companies valued at over $100M. We have highly competitive deal flows and high hit rate. Our firm is featured on the WSJ and Business Insider as a pioneering tech VC.

FoundersX Ventures

The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) is the only public charity solely dedicated to finding effective drugs for Alzheimer’s disease. Our pioneering biomedical venture philanthropy approach allows us to invest in the most promising drug discovery and development programs around the world in both academic institutions and biopharmaceutical companies. Since our founding in 1998, the ADDF has invested nearly $100 million to support over 500 programs across 18 countries.

Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation

Morningside Venture Investments is an investment group that provides industry investments and social responsibility. It was founded in 1986 and is based in Shanghai, China.

Morningside Venture Investments

IAG Capital Partners is an investment firm that sole source of financing and investment rounds with other debt and equity investors.

IAG Capital Partners

WS Investment Company

Starbloom Capital is a early-stage venture capital fund.

Starbloom Capital

Cognito Therapeutics

Cognito Therapeutics is a clinical-stage neurotechnology business focused on creating disease-modifying pharmaceutical methods for the treatment of neurodegenerative illnesses. Li-Huei Tsai and Ed Boyden, MIT Professors, and scientific founders, created its non-invasive neuromodulation platform. The Company's primary therapy is now being studied in a pivotal study for Alzheimer's Disease and has been designated as a Breakthrough Device by the FDA.

<div>Cognito Therapeutics is a digital therapeutics startup that specializes in discovering and developing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease (AD), using its proprietary neuromodulation platform.&nbsp;</div>

New technologies are opening up mental health services to previously overbooked and underserved populations.

Mental Health Tech

Cognito Therapeutics is a digital therapeutic company that is developing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), using its proprietary non-invasive neurostimulation device. It uses a device that simulates visual and auditory stimulation to slow or or stop the mental decline of users with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. The device uses a pair of glasses that is worn with headphones and uses specific frequencies of flashing lights and sound to stimulate brain activity. In January 2021, the company’s platform obtained Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designation as a Breakthrough Designation Device due to the positive results it received through its initial clinical studies.

A concentration of wealth and a willingness to adopt age-in-place technologies present new opportunities.

Age Tech

Cognito Therapeutics Appoints Christian Howell as Chief Executive Officer

Aetion

To develop a validated predictive model to identify patients with rapidly progressing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease.

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 Cognito Therapeutics is a digital therapeutics startup that specializes in discovering and developing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease (AD), using its proprietary neuromodulation platform.&nbsp;
 
 
 Founded in 2016, Massachusetts-based Cognito Therapeutics uses gamma frequency neuromodulation therapy&mdash;involving auditory and visual stimuli to evoke patient-specific brain activity&mdash;to treat AD. The company received a Breakthrough Device Designation from the US Food &amp; Drug Administration (FDA) in January 2021.&nbsp;
 
 
 In March 2021, the company announced that its novel disease-modifying treatment for AD has shown positive results from a Phase II clinical study. The company plans to go ahead with a large-scale pivotal clinical study required in the FDA approval process.&nbsp;The company announced that its novel disease-modifying treatment for AD has shown positive results from a Phase II clinical study. The company planned to go ahead with a large-scale pivotal clinical study in 2022.
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 The company partnered with Aetion, a Real-World Evidence (RWE) technology and analytics provider, to create a predictive model to identify individuals at risk of AD and mild cognitive impairment so that they could benefit from early treatment. This model would also help to speed up the clinical development of Cognito&rsquo;s late-stage clinical program. 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 In March 2023, the company raised USD 73 million in a Series B funding round led by FoundersX Ventures, along with participation from other venture capital firms and the Alzheimer&rsquo;s Drug Discovery Foundation. The funds were set aside to expedite the company&rsquo;s Phase III clinical study of its non-invasive neuromodulation device for the treatment of Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease. Post-funding, Dr. Rick Kuntz, the founder and managing partner at FoundersX, joined Cognito&rsquo;s board of directors. 
 
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 Boulder Care is a telepsychiatry platform that connects patients who are opioid-addicted users to addiction specialists, care coordinators, and peer coaches. Patients can get personalized plans via video and text messaging and the app is intended to be used in conjunction with prescription medicines and lab tests.
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 In June 2022, the company raised USD 36 million in a Series B funding round. The funds were earmarked to triple the size of the company’s medical care team, expand its geographical footprint, and increase its value-based care treatment options through partnerships with health plans.
 
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Boulder Care

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 7 Cups provides an emotional-support platform with a network of volunteer listeners. Users can anonymously access either one-on-one chats or group chats 24/7, free of charge for issues such as depression, anxiety, relationships and those related to the LGBTQ+ community. It also teaches users skills such as meditation to improve their lives. If users want additional support, the company also provides access to an online therapy platform with a network of 180 licensed therapists for a subscription plan of USD 150 per month. 7 Cups is available for users above 13 years of age (users between 13 and 17 years old engage with listeners who are specifically trained in teenage interactions).
 
 
 Volunteer peer listeners get free training and support as well as flexible scheduling. Once a user requests a chat, it will be directed to available listeners and if the user requests a specific listener, he will be connected as soon as the listener accepts the demand. The service is anonymous and the listener has no access to the details of the user unless the information is disclosed to the listener by the user in their conversations. As of January 2022, 7 Cups has facilitated more than 51 million conversations, served 25 million individuals, and had 300,000 trained listeners. The listeners serve in 180 countries in 140 languages.
 
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7 Cups

wayForward provides technology-supported behavioral health and emotional wellness services for employers planning to make services available to their employees. It uses a screening procedure designed by neuropsychologists to triage and help employee members get clinically relevant mental healthcare. The company provides a self-guided app, text-based coaching, video visits, telepsychiatry, and if required, in-person visits or an on-site counselor. wayForward leverages its evidence-based approach and artificial intelligence in delivering its services and claims that it has been able to reduce anxiety symptoms by 48% and depression symptoms by 59%.The company raised USD 2 million in a seed round in June 2020, which brought total funding to USD 4.5 million. DarioHealth, a chronic disease management platform based in Israel, signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of wayForward in May 2021 for a total consideration of USD 30 million. As of May 2021, the wayForward had approximately 20,000 members and was available in North America, Australia, and Europe.

wayForward

Coa is a mental health company that conducts online classes led by licensed therapists for mental health users. The classes focus on conditions such as stress, anxiety, confidence and relationships. The company raised USD 3 million in a seed round in October 2020 from investors led by Crosslink Capital.

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 Meru Health is an online platform that connects patients experiencing stress, depression, anxiety, burnout, and other mental health issues to licensed therapists. The company was founded by Kristian Ranta in 2016 after his older brother died from suicide after battling depression. The platform offers a 12-week program and personalized text-based coaching services and virtual workshops. Meru also provides access to progress reports and anonymous peer support groups as well as sleep, nutrition, and mindfulness advice on top of vital tracking information—such as heart rate data.
 
 
 The company reported a 10x YoY growth in its customer base in 2020 and plans to serve 10 million users by 2027. The company also achieved 8x YoY growth in revenue in 2020 amid an increase in demand in mental health services brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 In September 2022, Meru Health and clinical trial platform Curebase 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/13230">
 announced a partnership
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 to carry out a three-year clinical trial to measure the effectiveness of Meru Health’s 12-week digital depression treatment targeting primary care patients. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health’s Small Business Innovation Research program. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Fundings and financials
 
 
 In May 2022, the company secured a USD 2 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to measure the effectiveness of its 12-week program for treating primary care patients. The study will follow 300 patients across the US with symptoms of major depression for a period of three years.
 
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Meru Health

Online peer-to-peer platform and support system that connects mental health communities.

Mobile-based apps and FDA-approved software that incorporate evidenced-based cognitive behavioral therapy to prevent, treat, or manage mental and behavioral conditions in conjunction with or as a replacement for traditional medication.

Products for behavioral health and mental health tracking, measurement-based care, and real-time remote monitoring of patients.

Subscription or membership-based platforms and apps to connect therapists, psychiatrists or behavioral health coaches with patients.

Offers virtual offerings for mental health consultations

Mental healthcare services offer personalized care tailored to a user's needs and treatment progression

There are mental health providers offering services specifically to help LGBTQ+ or BIPOC individuals

Several mental health technology providers offer therapy services rendered by AI/ML technology

Cognito Therapeutics is a digital therapeutic company that is developing treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), using its proprietary non-invasive neurostimulation device. It uses a device that simulates visual and auditory stimulation to slow or or stop the mental decline of users with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. The device uses a pair of glasses that is worn with headphones and uses specific frequencies of flashing lights and sound to stimulate brain activity. In January 2021, the company’s platform obtained Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designation as a Breakthrough Designation Device due to the positive results it received through its initial clinical studies.In January 2024, the company announced its launch of 'The HOPE' study. The study would investigate a non-invasive wearable device with the potential to slow the progression of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. The device looks similar to headphones and eyeglasses and delivers sensory stimulation. As of the same date, the company noted that it had already enrolled over 250 patients in the study. Key customers and partnershipsThe company announced that its novel disease-modifying treatment for AD has shown positive results from a Phase II clinical study. The company planned to go ahead with a large-scale pivotal clinical study in 2022.The company partnered with Aetion, a Real-World Evidence (RWE) technology and analytics provider, to create a predictive model to identify individuals at risk of AD and mild cognitive impairment so that they could benefit from early treatment. This model would also help to speed up the clinical development of Cognito’s late-stage clinical program.

Honor provides a platform for elderly persons and their families to find home care providers, and is claimed to be one of the largest on-demand home care networks in the US. The company’s key offerings include Home Care, Family Caregiver Resources, and the Honor Family App and Honor Family Care Network for remote monitoring.In August 2021, Honor announced the acquisition of home care provider Home Instead at an undisclosed value. The merged entity was expected to combine for over USD 2.1 billion home care services revenue.&nbsp; Key customers and partnershipsAs of August 2021, Home Instead had around 90,000 caregivers serving at 1,200 locations across the US and global markets. Home Instead acquired UK-based online platform SuperCarers in June 2020. It connects professional caregivers to elderly people seeking at-home care. Prior to the acquisition, SuperCarers had raised a total of GBP 4.9 million (USD 6.6 million).It also partners with the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Applications (ORCHA) to provide quality assured apps for psychological wellbeing, physical activity, and mental stimulation.

Honor

Eargo specializes in developing hearing aid and related services. Eargo has four products in its lineup: Link by Eargo, Eargo SE, Eargo Neo HiFi, Eargo 6, and Eargo 7. The company’s products are unique due to its design meant to keep the device invisible when plugged in.The products are priced between USD 749 (Link by Eargo) and USD 2,490 (Eargo 7). The Eargo Neo HiFi comes alongside an app and offers connected smart features such as audio personalization and control. The app allows the user to control the audio to suit their surroundings, customize settings, and contact Eargo's licensed hearing professionals for consultation and support.In October 2020, Eargo was listed as a public company and then acquired by Patient Square Capital In October 2023. Via the acquisition, Patient Square Capital acquired all outstanding shares of Eargo—that were not owned by Patient Square—at USD 2.55 per share. Key customers and partnershipsThe company utilizes a business-to-consumer (B2C) online retail strategy compared to traditional business-to-business (B2B) model deployed by other manufacturers who sell their products through clinics. The strategy has proven beneficial through the Covid-19 pandemic as consumer footfall for brick-and-mortar clinics have declined.

Eargo

K4Connect provides technology solutions to residents and staff members in senior living communities through its K4Community platform. The company was co-founded by Scott Moody who sold his fingerprint sensor technology company AuthenTec to Apple for USD 356 million in 2012, which then became the basis for Touch ID.The platform's offerings include digital voice and video communication, and community updates for residents. It also provides smart home automation through the provisioning of plug and play Alexa devices for residents and supports smart thermostats, smart lights, motion sensors, and sleep tracking devices. In addition, community staff members have access to tools for resident surveys, resident and family management, and communications. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the platform also established an expanded video chat service to facilitate resident-to-resident communication, staff requests, yoga classes, and dining room bookings. Further, in March 2020, it partnered with software communications firm Bandwidth to introduce a hotline for staff and residents as a means of keeping all parties up to date with community information.The platform is built on the company’s patented operating system, FusionOS. The company claims that FusionOS is an advanced multi-modal edge-cloud architecture, the first of its kind in the senior living industry. Residents and staff can access the platform using a smartphone app or pre-provisioned tables in the living communities priced on a per-resident basis.As of July 2020, the platform served over 800 independent and assisted living senior living communities across the US. The platform serves over 29,000 users at more than 125 senior living communities across 27 customers as of February 2020, more than doubling its users from 2018, which it expects to repeat in 2020. The company has established channel partnerships with Allbridge (a data, video and voice solution provider for senior living) in July 2020, and Eskaton (a senior services provider) and White Horse Village (a continuing care retirement community) in May 2019. It collaborated with GlobalLogic (a digital product engineering company) in July 2020 to expedite the development schedule of its K4Community Plus app in response to Covid-19.

K4Connect

CarePredict was founded by Former IBM consultant and tech veteran, Satish Movva, and produces Tempo smart wearables for the elderly community. Using machine learning (ML), the company claims the app can reduce the chance of a fall, and predict urinary tract infections (UTIs) and depression ahead of a clinical diagnosis. The device aims to assist caregivers in taking preventive action by detecting activities and behaviors which are precursors to health declines. The data from the device can also be shared with family members.The company generates revenue from device sales and subscriptions. Independent research conducted in September 2020 indicated that facilities using CarePredict’s wearables reported 40% fewer hospitalizations 69%, lower fall rates, 67% increased length of stay, and a 37% improved staff response rate than facilities that did not use CarePredict.The company expanded its operations in 2018 through its acquisition of WiseWare, a company selling activity-tracking jewelry for older users. In April 2020, it launched the PinPoint contact-tracing tools to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.Key customers and partnershipsIn February 2021, the company announced its partnership with Middle Alabama Area Agency on Aging (M4A). M4A is the agency behind the “Providing Alzheimer's N' Dementia Assistance” (PANDA) project. The company will be the first tech platform to be part of the project and will provide caregivers assistance in remote monitoring and preventive care using its smart wearables.

CarePredict

Eversound develops wireless headphone systems to enhance the level of engagement and social interaction for the elderly living in assisted living or memory care centres. The platform provides a library of programmed content on a variety of topics. The headphone system can be used to communicate with caregivers, during group events, family visits, and for music therapy. The headphones are equipped with a wireless transmitter and volume controls. It connects to external audio sources such as community A/V systems, televisions, and audio devices.The product was unveiled in May 2016. In a subsequent six month study conducted by LCB Senior Living community, group events leveraging the Eversound system resulted in an 18% reduction of residents falling asleep and a 28% increase in engagement during group events. In December 2016, the company expanded to 18 states across the US.In March 2020, as a part of its Covid-19 response, the company launched a live streamed, interactive content service to help seniors combat isolation. Further, as in-person visits at assisted living communities were interrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of Eversound’s visitation package proved to be crucial for socially distanced in-person visits. Key customers and partnershipsAs of December 2020, the company’s product is being used in more than 700 senior living communities across the US. Its clients include senior living communities such as Brightview, Commonwealth, and Oakmont. In addition, Eversound has established partnerships with senior living communities (such as The Arbor Company, Bridges by EPOCH, Christian Horizons, and Kisco) to roll out its devices for family visitations, and programmable and live streamed content.

Eversound

Tech-enabled equipment or companionship services that help elderly people function independently.

Platforms that match seniors with home care providers as well as app-based products to facilitate communication between senior families and caregivers

Tech-enabled products used to diagnose, prevent, and treat conditions common among seniors.

Remote monitoring, medical diagnosis, communication, and coordination between caregivers and families of the elderly.

Platforms that help seniors interact socially and communicate with others.

Platforms that help seniors and their families plan and make arrangements to settle the senior’s estates and affairs in the event of death.

Many devices that help seniors operate independently and receive remote treatment use IoT

Offers digital platforms that support the wellness of the senior population

Some companies use VR to help treat seniors with conditions such as isolation and dementia

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Cognito Therapeutics recently garnered USD 35 million in extended Series B funding, pushing its total to over USD 216 million. The funding, sourced from various partners including the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation and IAG Capital, will help progress its HOPE study, initiate Phase II trials for Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis and bolster preparation for commercialization and patent protection. The focal treatment for Alzheimer's disease is a non-invasive wearable device, resembling headphones and eyeglasses, that could slow disease progression. Over 250 patients now partake in the HOPE study, underlining the strides made since the previous round of funding.
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Cognito Therapeutics

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