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The Venture Codex

Underdog Ventures

23 Route 105, Island Pond, VT, 05846, United States

Overview

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Total investments
2
Lead investments
0
Investments · 12mo
0
Active investors
1
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Investment portfolio

  • Healium

    Participated · Seed · Mar 2023

    Healium, based in Columbia, MO, develops patented virtual and augmented reality biofeedback technology that connects biometric data from hardware-agnostic consumer wearables to modify and recommend 3D objects in the metaverse. Led by CEO Sarah Hill, who developed the technology with Dr. Jeff Tarrant in 2016, the company offers products including Sleepium that let users see and interact with real-time EEG patterns, heart rate, skin conductance, blood pressure and other biomarkers. Their iOS and Android apps currently work with Apple Watch and consumer EEG headbands, with more fitness tracker compatibility planned. Healium's products are used worldwide in schools, with frontline healthcare workers, elite athletes, and the U.S. military to self-manage anxiety, burnout, and prepare for sleep or stressful events. The company has a know-how agreement with Mayo Clinic to provide subject matter experts for developing immersive mental health and fitness capabilities. Healium closed a $3.6M seed round and is using the funds to expand operations and accelerate development. Healium combines virtual reality, augmented reality and wearable biometric sensors (including Apple Watch and brain‑sensing headbands) to deliver immersive, biometrically driven stories and neuromeditation designed to calm users. Peer‑reviewed studies cited by the company found Healium can reduce moderate anxiety by about one‑third and increase feelings of positivity in as little as four minutes. The app feeds heart‑rate and brain‑pattern data (e.g., gamma asymmetry) into interactive AR/VR scenes so users can see immediate environmental responses to lowered heart rate or calmer brain activity. Healium began at StoryUp Studios under CEO Sarah Hill and launched as a startup in 2015; the company is based in Columbia, Missouri. The product lineup includes Healium AR ($5/month) and Healium VR ($29/month); the company reports more than $800,000 in revenue to date and has had organizational customers such as the U.S. Navy. Healium also holds issued and pending patents and positions itself as a drugless, self‑management tool for anxiety.

  • Rose Health

    Participated · Seed · Jan 2021

    Rose Health provides a HIPAA-compliant mental health patient monitoring app and provider dashboard powered by patent-pending AI and natural language processing that produces a proprietary "Rose score." The platform is informed by clinical trials and research at Johns Hopkins and is positioned to detect speech and emotion markers tied to depression and mood disorders. The company plans to use new funding to support customer acquisition, new feature development, creation of a child/adolescent version of the platform, and an employer program pilot with the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY) will serve as both investor and early client, planning to integrate the app with its services. Rose says the product supports remote patient monitoring for depression and anxiety and cites evidence-based studies showing positive outcomes. The company targets the estimated 43 million Americans experiencing mental illnesses.

Team

  • David Berge

    Founder, Chief executive Officer and Managing Partner

    LinkedIn