Biotech incubator CUREator has allocated $12 million in venture funding to 19 projects focused on a range of global health issues, ranging from treatments for lupus, motor neurone disease, brain and ovarian cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease, as part of its second cohort. Backed by the federal government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), which invested… Read more »
A New Zealand entrepreneur who developed virtual reality software to treat anxiety and phobias is heading to Australia as part of a bid to source additional funding to help further enhance his product. oVRcome founder Adam Hutchinson, from Christchurch, will pitch to investors at the Digital Health Festival in Melbourne starting June 6. Funding will… Read more »
A Melbourne medtech building hypnotherapy-based apps so people can self-manage a range of illnesses has raised a US$12 million (A$17.8m) in a Series A. The round for Mindset Health was led by King River Capital, supported by Andrew Forrest’s Tattarange VC health fund Tenmile, Perennial Partners, impact funds Giant Leap and Alberts, Yard Ventures, WordPress founder… Read more »
A new medical technology incubator program developed by the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) during the former Coalition government will offer up to $5 million in funding for early-stage medical research projects with commercial potential. The $50 million BioMedtech Incubator program is being backed by the MRFF and the Medical Research Commercialisation Initiative. Responsibility for… Read more »
A new study published in The Lancet by artificial intelligence ethicist Dr Stefan Harrer has argued for a strong and comprehensive ethical framework around the use, design, and governance of generative AI applications in healthcare and medicine, because it has the potential to go catastrophically wrong. The peer-reviewed study details how Large Language Models (LLMs) have… Read more »
A healthcare startup that simulates real life patient conversations to help doctors and nurses communicate better has raised $1.5 million in Seed funding. The round in SimConverse was led by Folklore Ventures, with support from Artesian. SimConverse was founded by Aiden Roberts and Will Pamment after they met at uni, studying medicine. They has set out… Read more »
A New Zealand medtech startup that’s developed a world’s first wireless brain monitor to remotely manage chronic illness has raised NZ$6 million (A$5.6m) to take the device to clinical trials. Kitea Health spun out of the University of Auckland Bioengineering Institute after developing the implantable long-term brain pressure sensor, which could save the healthcare system… Read more »
Former Victorian innovation, medical research and digital economy Jaala Pulford, has joined the board of medtech, biotech and pharma growth centre MTPConnect, replacing Sue MacLeman as chair. Pulford left politics after 16 years at the 2022 state election, and had a strong focus on medical innovation, having established mRNA Victoria and also playing a key role… Read more »
Perth veterinary tech startup Vedi has raised $3 million as it looks to become the pet version of the federal government medical database My Health Record. The funds came from two international investors, with MSD Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., once again backing Vedi, joined by pet-focused New York VC Companion Fund,… Read more »
Cutting-edge Australian tech scale-up Synchron, which hopes to give paralysed people the power to control computers with their minds, has raised $110 million in a Series C. Synchron is a clinical-stage endovascular (inside the blood vessel) brain-computer interface (BCI) company founded in 2016 by Dr Tom Oxley and Professor Nick Opie. It is based in Brooklyn, New… Read more »
A medical invention created in regional Victoria has been snapped up by the US healthcare network, Premier Inc. in a lucrative commercial deal for medtech startup Livac. The LiVac retractor is a single-use soft silicone device that uses suction to create a vacuum to join organs such as the liver and spleen to the diaphragm… Read more »
Sydney medtech startup Vexev has raised $8.5 million to ramp up the global expansion of its 3D medical imaging device. The round was led by San Francisco based deep-tech VC Neotribe Ventures with Blackbird chipping in, alongside, vascular surgeons and imaging firms, Propeller founder Rory San Miguel and Dovetail’s Benjamin Humphrey The new capital is… Read more »
Clinical trials access startup HealthMatch has raised $10 million in Series C. The round was led by the company’s original backer, Folklore Ventures. Paul Bassat’s Square Peg Capital led an $18 million Series B in the Sydney-based startup in December 2020, also invested in the Series C. Square Peg also led a $6 million series A… Read more »
Melbourne medtech startup Nutromics has raised US$14 million (A$20.5m) for its wearable diagnostic platform as it looks to ramp up its expansion in Australia and the US. The round was led by the venture arm of US medical device company Dexcom alongside VU Venture Partners, and Artesian Investments. Nutronics has now raised more than US$20… Read more »
HealthMatch, a five-year-old medtech that’s like Tinder for clinical trials, matching researchers with patients, has been forced to halve its team, shedding 18 jobs, as the local tech sector braces for a long startup winter. The cuts come 18 months after Paul Bassat’s Square Peg Capital led an $18 million round in the Sydney-based startup, which… Read more »
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