Participated · Series B · Jan 2021

Conversa Health provides an enterprise virtual care and communication platform that links providers’ EHRs and patient data to interactive digital care pathways and a clinical analytics engine to automate care management 24×7. Its platform and library of digital pathways are used by providers to manage patients across populations rather than one-off point solutions, improving pre- and post-visit care-plan adherence. During the COVID-19 pandemic the company’s customer count grew fourfold and its financial metrics increased sixfold as larger customers expanded use of the platform. Conversa is expanding its product to support vaccination programs for consumer education and post-vaccination monitoring. To capitalize on recent momentum the company plans to hire more engineers and scale the platform. Company leadership believes remote and automated care will remain in demand after the pandemic and anticipates significant growth in virtual care delivery. Conversa Health offers an automated, chat-based virtual care and communication platform that triages patients, gathers patient data, and integrates with connected devices. The company positions its platform as the digital front door for health systems, aiming to scale personalized engagement and care. Conversa has launched Employee HealthCheck to screen workers before they return to work and has additional programs to screen for mental health concerns. The platform is being used by providers to check patients and loved ones before facility visits and to manage COVID-related workflows. Northwell Health has used Conversa to scale communications and care for thousands of COVID-19 patients with programs focused on lab results, quarantine and antibody tests. The company characterizes itself as, in many ways, a data company. Conversa is a San Francisco-based healthcare conversation platform that aims to improve doctor–patient communication. Its Conversa Conversation Platform™ delivers smart, automated, patient-profile driven conversations across key health experiences including chronic condition management, post-discharge and pre- and post-surgery care, patient education, medication adherence, appointment scheduling and lifestyle coaching. The platform sources data from more than 400 biometric devices together with clinical, claims and patient-generated data to provide providers with real-time information for care adjustments and resource allocation. Conversa is being adopted by health systems such as Northwell, Ochsner Health System, Citrus Valley Health Partners and Centura Health’s Penrose St. Francis. Led by CEO and co-founder West Shell III, the company plans to use its newly raised capital to expand product capabilities, grow its clinical conversation library, enhance customer and distribution partner operations, and scale the team. Financially, Conversa secured $8M in Series A funding led by Northwell Ventures with participation from Epic Ventures, Healthgrades and existing investors. Conversa Health is a San Francisco, CA–based provider of patient relationship management services. Led by co-founder and CEO West Shell III and newly named CTO Daniel Dean, the company offers its Digital Checkup™ platform. The Digital Checkup™ automates delivery of personalized messaging based on a longitudinal patient profile dynamically derived from EHRs, biometric devices and self-reported data. Conversa aims to enhance the physician–patient relationship through continuous, collaborative, structured communications between visits. The company closed a $2.5M seed funding round and intends to use the proceeds to expand its Digital Checkup service with distribution partners in care management, population health and customer relationship management.

Led · Series A · Sep 2020

Babson Diagnostics develops BetterWay, a fingertip capillary blood-testing service that enables pea-sized samples to be collected at local pharmacies and analyzed in the company’s Austin clinical laboratory. BetterWay integrates BD’s MiniDraw capillary collection device with Babson’s proprietary sample-preparation and hand-warming technologies to enable high-quality microsamples without phlebotomists. The company launched BetterWay in May in Austin and positions the service as convenient, affordable, and eligible for insurance and HSA/FSA coverage. Babson emphasizes extensive clinical research and claims leadership in the use of capillary blood for routine testing. The company’s commercial launch is being supported by new financing and a strengthened strategic partnership with BD and existing investors. Babson Diagnostics has built a proprietary technological ecosystem that reimagines blood collection, handling, analysis, software, and AI to produce accurate diagnostic results from microsamples. Its technology uses small capillary samples—about one-tenth the volume of venipuncture—to deliver a full range of diagnostic tests without sacrificing quality, accuracy, or cost. The company was originally incubated at Siemens Healthineers and developed an innovative collection device in collaboration with BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company). Babson plans to deploy its solution at pharmacies and other convenient retail locations to increase access to routine diagnostic testing and reduce barriers such as inconvenience, cost, and aversion to venipuncture. Recent clinical and preference studies in a retail pharmacy setting demonstrated accuracy versus conventional testing and customer preference for Babson’s approach. The company is based in Austin, Texas and is preparing for regulatory approval, commercial launch, and nationwide rollout. Babson Diagnostics has developed a proprietary technological ecosystem designed to deliver accurate diagnostic results from capillary blood samples using only one-tenth the volume of venipuncture, all from a simple finger stick. Its first-generation SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody test received FDA emergency use authorization in June and is being used in clinical studies with research centers such as Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin. The technology was incubated at Siemens Healthineers and developed in partnership with Becton Dickinson; the company says it maintains quality, accuracy, and menu breadth despite the smaller sample volume. Babson plans to deploy its system at accessible retail locations—such as pharmacy counters—throughout the country to offer longer hours, lower out-of-pocket costs, and a more human experience. The company is offering its antibody test free of charge to essential front-line pharmacy and grocery workforces while validating its technology in retail-focused clinical studies. Based in Austin, Texas, Babson has entered a commercialization phase supported by new financing.