Retire Más
Most in the senior living space have by now heard of Taco Bell's pop-up early retirement community happening this weekend in San Diego. Promising "senior-inspired recreation" and "the laid-back lifestyle of retirees", The Cantinas quickly sold out.
Senior housing owners and operators should take note. While primarily a marketing stunt, the event demonstrates a glimmer of hope for those looking to rebrand what's often described as a "stale" industry.
Will existing senior living players be able to replicate the energy and excitement generated by The Cantinas? If not, it's looking more and more like they'll be sidelined as outside brands like Taco Bell, Disney, Canyon Ranch, and Margaritaville take over.
“There’s a common misconception that retirement unlocks the life you’ve been waiting for. And while that may be true for some, we don’t think you should have to wait until 55 to live the life you’re craving," said Taylor Montgomery, U.S. Chief Marketing Officer of Taco Bell.
July Highlights
HarmonyCares, a home-visit primary care practice focused on high-risk senior patients, raised $200 million to expand its market reach, particularly within Medicare Advantage payors. (MedCity News)
🎉 Generations Homecare System, a comprehensive software platform for homecare agencies, was acquired by HHAeXchange, a leading provider of homecare management solutions for payors, providers, and state Medicaid agencies, for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition aims to broaden HHAeXchange's reach and capabilities in the homecare market, offering a more comprehensive suite of solutions to meet the evolving needs of all stakeholders. (HomeCare Magazine)
🎉 Wellen, a wellness company focused on helping women over 50 protect their bones, was acquired by Bone Health Technologies, a company specializing in innovative solutions for osteoporosis, for an undisclosed amount. Bone Health Technologies plans to layer additional services on top of its OsteoBoost vibration belt, providing a more comprehensive bone health solution. (Femtech Insider)
CoachCare, a digital health company specializing in remote patient monitoring and virtual care, raised $48 million to enhance its platform and expand its market reach. (MobiHealthNews)
KarmaCheck, a background check platform that uses AI to provide quick, comprehensive, and unbiased reports, raised $45 million to enhance its technology, expand its team, and increase its marketing efforts. (Coverager)
Heartbeat Health, a virtual-first cardiac disease prevention and management platform, raised an undisclosed amount of capital from PE-firm Cressey & Company. The funds will be used to enhance its technology and expand access across the country. (PR Newswire)
Form Health, a telemedicine company specializing in personalized obesity care, raised $38 million to expand its services and reach more patients across the United States. (Pulse 2.0)
🎉 Linked Senior, a resident engagement platform for senior care, was acquired by LifeLoop, a comprehensive software solution provider for senior living communities, for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition aims to expand LifeLoop's services to an additional 50,000 residents while bringing Linked Senior's innovative engagement technology to their existing clients. (Senior Housing News)
Loyal, a digital patient engagement solution for health systems, announced a $33.5 million Series B financing. The company also announced that Chairman & Founder Chad Mallory is stepping down "with the full support of the Board." (BusinessWire)
Adonis, an AI-enabled billing and claims intelligence company serving both healthcare practices and digital health solutions, raised $31 million in Series B funding to enhance product development and expand sales and marketing efforts. (MobiHealthNews)
MD Ally, a company that extends the ability of 911 services to handle non-emergent conditions, quietly raised $23.7 million, more than doubling its previous funding. (SEC)
WorkJam, a workforce management platform, raised $20 million to accelerate its growth in Europe and Asia. (FinSMEs)
Vitable Health, which provides home-visit primary care services to blue-collar workers, raised $16 million in a Series A round to expand its services and reach more small to medium-sized employers. (MedCity News)
RetiSpec, a healthtech startup specializing in the early detection of Alzheimer's disease through retinal imaging, raised $13.8 million in Series A funding to further develop its technology, conduct clinical trials, and expand its team. (BetaKit)
🎉 Ouva, a healthtech startup specializing in patient experience and engagement solutions, was acquired by AvaSure, a healthcare safety and telemonitoring company, for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition aims to enhance AvaSure's patient monitoring capabilities by integrating Ouva's AI-powered smart room solutions, improving patient safety and experience. (Axios)
After.com, an online platform assisting families in navigating end-of-life services, raised $10 million in Series A funding to enter new markets and enhance its marketing efforts to support both its pre-need and at-need business areas. (Pulse 2.0)
Hummingbird Healthcare, which uses technology to personalize patient experiences, quietly raised $9.9m (SEC)
Kins, a digital-first 1-on-1 hybrid physical therapy provider, raised $7 million in Series A funding to accelerate platform development and expand into the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia markets. (PR Newswire)
Synthpop, a developer of healthcare AI agents that perform administrative tasks including referral sorting, validating medical orders, and prescriptions, raised $5.6 million to grow its engineering team and develop additional solutions. (Funderlyst)
Jogo Health, a digital therapeutics company focused on chronic pain and incontinence, raised $5.5 million to further develop and commercialize its biofeedback and neuromodulation platform. (Femtech Insider)
🤞 Thrive AI Health, a collaboration between Sam Altman's OpenAI and Arianna Huffington's Thrive Global, raised an undisclosed amount of capital from the two companies. The company plans to democratize access to expert-level health coaching for chronic disease management using AI. Altman and Huffington believe AI-driven personalized behavior change can "finally reverse the trend lines on chronic diseases." A bold claim, here's hoping. (Fierce Healthcare)
Micruity, a platform reducing administrative burdens on annuity managers by connecting recordkeepers, life insurers, and asset managers, raised $5 million to expand support for accumulation annuities and non-guaranteed income products. (Coverager)
HealthPilot, a digital platform helping consumers pick the best combination of Medicare Advantage, Medicare supplement, and prescription drug plans, received a minority investment from Humana. Similar to the Hella Health - CVS Health deal we reported in May, the company will continue recommending options from other payers following the investment, but no one should be surprised when Humana's plans start ranking higher. (Healthcare Dive)
ShiftRx, which connects pharmacists and pharmacy technicians with temporary job opportunities, raised $3.5 million in seed funding to improve technology, increase marketing efforts, and expand its team to address the staffing challenges in the pharmacy industry. (Axios)
RxDiet, a health tech startup providing personalized nutrition therapy for chronic disease management, raised $3 million in seed funding to enhance its technology, expand its team, and scale its operations. (FinSMEs)
Contactless patient monitoring device Ambient Intelligence received a $100,000 investment from gener8tor and an invitation to its MSP Equity Accelerator program. (gener8tor)
Healthworx, the innovation and investment arm of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, has reimagined and relaunched its accelerator (formerly known as 1501 Health) - which already includes a number of agetech startups in its portfolio including Tembo Health, MapHabit, Mighty, and Candoo. (PR Newswire)
Around the World
Huma, a UK-based app developer that partners with clinicians to deliver digital health solutions, raised $80 million in a Series D round following FDA certification of its new “Huma Cloud Platform.” The company claims that new products built within its ecosystem will automatically receive FDA clearance, potentially reducing development and launch times for digital health projects from years to just days. (Forbes)
🚧 OrCam, an Israel-based developer of devices that assist those with sensory impairments, has halted development of its flagship visual aid products. Founded by Mobileye founders Amnon Shashua and Ziv Aviram, OrCam had raised $181 million to develop products like "Read" and "MyEye," which assist with reading and object identification. The company will now solely focus on its hearing product, which aims to alleviate "dinner table syndrome." (Globes)
Octagos Health, a Swiss healthtech startup specializing in AI solutions for cardiac care, raised $43 million in a Series B round. The funds will accelerate the development and commercialization of its cardiac diagnostic and monitoring solutions. (HIT Consultant)
Sensi.AI, an Israeli startup using audio AI to enable 24/7 virtual monitoring for home care agencies, raised $31 million in a Series B round. The company has reported a threefold increase in revenue each of the past three years, and the funds will support its continued rapid growth. (TechCrunch)
CareHires, a UK-based workforce management solution and temporary staffing marketplace for home care agencies, raised $1.7 million to enhance and expand its AI-driven services. (FinSMEs)
Punto Health, a UK-based healthtech startup specializing in dementia care, raised €645,000 to develop a digital platform using AI to create personalized care plans for dementia patients. (EU-Startups)
Tendertech, a Welsh sensor-based monitoring platform helping older adults age in place independently, raised £480,000. The funds will support the company’s expansion into the broader social care market, with a focus on opportunities in Europe. (Business Live)
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