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#13 🍩 What the Health - Telstra Health’s Take Over, Elon’s $205m for Brains & Some Extra Fun News

Your healthtech TL;DR roundup

Emily Casey

Aug 11, 2021

Hello from lockdown number… Ok, I've got zero clue anymore

On another note…

We’ve been lucky to have heaps of amazing interest in What the Health, but until now, I’ve kept this completely independent.

Why? Because I love it, and genuinely give a damn about creating better healthtech, and healthcare in Aus.

Those of you that have been with us for a bit know What the Health exists to make healthtech more fun, accessible and connected. Fueling better collaboration, communication and commercialisation across the many fragmented parts of healthtech, and ultimately, improve healthcare for all.

But given the growth of our (now not so little) healthtech crew, we’re taking this game up a notch. Ft. more fuel, resources & ops to help all of us succeed and thrive.

Don’t worry, we’re still very independent, but stronger together etc…
and collaboration is key…

So, on that longwinded note...

I’m stoked to announce Folklore Ventures as our first official partner! 🎉

Why? Well, they are a first cheque to forever investment firm who share our mission of finding and empowering tomorrow’s great healthtech companies who are out to change the face of healthcare.

Not to mention they’ve backed some killer up-and-coming healthtechs including Arli, Swoop Aero & HealthMatch.

Anyway, enough rambling…

*PS - Raise Roundup coming soon… haven’t forgotten I promise*

Noteworthy 🗞️

Funding Fun

🏥 Telstra Health is on a roll and apparently looking to take over Aus, announcing…

💰$549k MRFF grant goes to UNSW for a Cardiac AI prediction & prevention project

🌱 Artesian added 3 newbies to its portfolio - HatiSens, Osteo-X & Altris

🍁 Medical cannabis booms with Cann Group raising $20m

🦴 Private bone density imaging tech company StraxCorp is raising $10m

🧪 Biotech is booming

Worth Knowing

💳 Health insurers finally join the digital world with Apple Wallet cards available for Medibank, Bupa, nib & GU Health

🌏 Google Maps is piloting a feature in Sydney to let users check how crowded PT is to help with social distancing

🛫 Swoop Aero turns its sites to seamless supply chains ft. drones in urban areas with new aircraft, Kite and is set for the US

🤝 Evidence-backed & TGA registered SilverCloud partners with Honeysuckle Health to help increase accessible digital mental health solutions in Aus

💉Google mandates all staff to get vaccinated globally but hits a snag in Aus

👃UQ’s new nasal spray tech to deliver psychedelic & non-psychedelic drugs to treat mental health disorders enters development for clinical use

🧬 NZ startup GeneCrypt is creating encryption software for DNA

📷 FUJIFILM becomes sole distributor of Presagen’s Life Whisperer software utilising AI to grade and select embryos

💊 Chemist2U wants to be “The Uber Eats of community pharmacy”

🍄 $40m Psychedelic Medicine Institute launches in Melbourne

The Psychae Institute plans to advance clinical studies and achieve TGA traction for psychedelics including psilocybin, MDMA, and DMT

US & Beyond the Borders

🧠 Elon’s Neuralink raised $205m to develop brain implants that communicate with phones and computers

Whoever creates the best education and engagement options for patients will win…

📺 YouTube gets in on the health education & info game with partnerships to increase evidence-based videos and become a medium for health communication
👨‍⚕️ WebMD make moves into the space acquiring Wellness Network to provide educational resources and engagement tools for patients

♥️ The first successful Total Artificial Heart transplant took place

🎉 Brain activity is translated into text in a paralysed individual in another world first

📱Germany's healthcare system is building its own universal network for encrypted instant messaging

🇺🇸 America's fastest-growing telehealth provider FaceMyDoc partnered with Sydney-based Cogsworth to provide scheduling to US healthcare providers

👵 Stanford Scientists claim to have found a way to predict an individual’s immunological decline

Startup Stuff 🚀

🦠 Startup or SME Addressing the Impact of COVID-19?

The NSW COVID-19 TechVoucher program provides access, expertise, and support for innovative R&D products and services that address disruptions caused by the pandemic - More here

🌱 Early Stage Startup Looking for Funding and an Accelerator?

Skalata’s Seed Investment Program is fully remote and taking EOI’s. This 5-month program can also provide $200k initial funding & potential follow - More info here

📣 Digital Health Startup With Sights Set on the Us?

ANDHealth’s international investment series will give 8 companies with Aus market and biz model validation the chance to pitch to a US investor team - More here

❓Have a Solution to Help Entrepreneurship in NSW?

The NSW gov is looking for R&D solutions to fund to help improve the economy and accelerate all aspects of entrepreneurship post covid 19 - More here

💹 Revenue-Positive Startup or Scaleup and Growing Fast?

Nominate for Deloitte Australia’s Tech Fast 50 Awards! The program aims to recognise and reward the best Aussie tech talent and all eligible apps are automatically nominated for the Asia Fast 500 - More here

🧘‍♀️ Mental Health Startup Looking for Global Acceleration?

The What If Fellowship by What if Ventures is an 8-week mental health startup accelerator program for everyone. Equity free and top global mentors - More here

👩 Female Considering a Career Change? Intrigued by Startups?‍

Liminal is an inspiring series of free virtual events by Startmate to help you explore, connect & fast-track your startup journey, Aug 16th - 20th - More here

📖 Want to Learn the Dirty Details of How to Protect Your Idea/Biz?

Cicada Innovations one-day seminar “Introduction to Intellectual Property: How to protect your idea” will arm you with everything you need to protect, patent and operate whilst protecting your IP - More here

🤠 Early-Stage Startups Headed for the States?

The Texas Medical Center institutions 5-month global accelerator provide support for companies to establish, validate, reiterate and scale in the US - More here

For more ops check out the last roundup here

Events💥

Thur 12th Aug: AMA: 2021 Explorer Program, by AirTree

Thur 12th Aug: Microsoft Healthcare Solution Series - Session 7 with Six Pivot

Thur 12th Aug: Let’s Help Startups Series: Kick-start Your Innovation with Design Thinking

Thur 12th Aug: Healthcare innovations from the land down under, by Virtualcare

Tues 17th Aug: Aging 2.0 Meetup: The Future of Care

Wed 18th Aug: Stigma, Progress & New Technologies, by Femtech Collective

Tues 31st Aug: Digital Therapeutics (DTx) - a Global Perspective, by ANDHealth

Thur 2nd Sep: Microsoft Healthcare Solution Series - Session 8 with Alcidion

Fri 3rd Sep: BioSymposium: Advancements in Precision Medicine – Opportunities, Challenges and Economics

Consumable Content 💎

🎙The Doctor is Out S2E02: From Physician-Scientist to CEO - Andrew Beck

📝 Check out this list of 101 Best Australian Medical Device Startups

🌈 Zucks reckons Facebook’s future is as a Metaverse, including interactive health and fitness… Find out the deets in the Verges dope piece

💰Though the future is bright for clinical decision tools - the reality is far from what we imagine it to be. Check out this great dive into the scary truth of inaccuracy behind most predictive algorithms

✨ Is your vision clearly defined? Loved Making Magic: Vision by Afterwork Ventures breaking down Commercial vs Cultural visions, and how to refine both

Juicy Jobs 🔥

Other Opps ✨

Keen to Address Chronic Disease Through Tech and Collaborative Design?

MedHack by MYMI (Monash Young MedTech Innovators) combines students & professionals for a health hackathon ft. fab prizes, mentors and experts - Rego here

Want to Design Solutions to Help Improve the Lives of Those With Disability?

Join Remarkable’s 4 week online Design-athon. With 3 problems to choose from, there’s great prizes & even seed funding up for grabs - More here

Aspiring Angel Investor? Apply for Airtree’s Explorer Program!

Learn the ropes and back the next generation of globally successful, category-leading startups in Aus as an Angel investor - Apply here or More info

Want to Learn the Ins and Outs of Quality Management Systems?

This free QMS primer online course by SeerPharma & MTPConnect’s REDI is a great entry point & overview for Medtech, Research and Pharma - More here

🍩 Keen to Get Involved, Collab or Support the What the Health Community?🍩

Shoot me a note and let me know

Whilst I love y’all, I’m taking a week off.

As always, would love to hear any thoughts, questions or queries and I’ll be back in a bit.

Try not to miss me too much…

👋 Emily

What the Health?!