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#31 π© What the Health - Brain Cells play pong & Digital Health to hit US$1.5 trillion by 2030?!
Your fortnightly healthtech TL;DR roundup
Hey friend, welcome to your dish of the latest delicious happenings in healthtech ft news, events, jobs and other fun stuff ππ© Ft. a sprinkle of sass of course
We grow through word of mouth and the amazing goodwill of our epic crew. So if you like it, or know someone else who might, weβd super appreciate a sneaky share πππ
Sydney, OMG π
Thanks to all +200 legends who came to our mindblowing collab event with the epic Harrison.ai on The future of AI in Healthcareβ¦ and why we need it π What a hoot.
For a gauge of vibesβ¦
The content was supposedly ok too. We didnβt even pay this guy to say thisβ¦



Ok, promise Iβm done.
But that was fun and canβt wait to see you all at the next one π
Onto the newsβ¦
Want to throw a fun event with us too? Or do something with our amazing WTH Community Crew? π emily@whatthehealth.io
Event Feature
Next week in Sydney is Blackbirds epic 2 day innovation and ideas festival, Sunrise π
November 10-11
Sunrise exists to inspire the next gen of wild hearts who will build the future. And has a killer program includingβ¦
Talks from legends like Dr Aengus Tran from harrison.ai, Lucy Wark from NORMAL, and Craig Cowdrey from Sonder
Debates, participatory programming and even Founder and Operator workshops to help you level up
Installations and activations across art, science, performance, and playΒ
Noteworthy ποΈ
Worth Knowing
π§ Cortical Labs have successfully taught a network of nerve cells to play Pong by growing cells on a computer chip, to create a βDishBrainβ
π°ANDHealth landed $1.4m from LaunchVic to establish its accelerator program for high-growth potential digital health startups
Also, their new report says founders turn to offshore investors to fill a βviability gapβ in funding and support
π± Dementia Australia is trying to nab the disease out early with a new free brain training app, BrainTrack - to help people privately monitor and understand suspected changes in their cognition over time
π©Ί Smileyscope, the VR software providing patients with a tool during doctor visits to minimize fear and anxiety is getting a lot of love in the US and got featured in Forbes
π€ Westpac might buy Healthcare terminal Payments biz Tyro Payments, in a push to get into healthcare, but could be up for a fight
π Telstra recognized 25 leading ladies at the 2022 Brilliant Women in Digital Health Awards
The 2022 AFR BOSS Most Innovative Companies list for Health Industries was announcedβ¦
π₯ EnGeneIC - A single EDV-nano cell COVID vaccine covering all mutants, took out the top spot
And congrats to:
πͺVitruvian - The adaptive strength trainer that allows anyone aged 15+ to weight train safely and efficiently from home also Won the best innovation in the manufacturing and consumer goods category
π¬ Co-Labs - the collaborative working spaces and laboratories for biotech startups and researchers is opening two new Melb locations
π Aurabox, the Cloud-based medical imaging storage and collab platform for doctors and patients snagged Start-Up of the Year at the AIIA National iAwards
πMedibank is the latest to join cyber security breaches, along with Optus, Woolworthsβ, EnergyAustralia, Vinomofo and Medlab - all since the end of Sept
Aussie (& NZ) Funding Fun
π Psylo, the biotech on the mission to create synthetic psilocybin-like therapeutics raised $5m from a great lineup of local and overseas investors
πΈQLD Gov announced its $24m Enterprise Acceleration Fund, to invest $500k to $2.5m in βinnovative, early-stageβ QLD companies
ππ»ββοΈ Steppn, the gen z fitness app startup snagged $1.65m
πͺ CommBank Health invested in Surgical Partners ft. a strategic partnership to help digital reconciliation and income automation
π«MTPConnect announced $6.7m of funding for 9 diabetes and cardiovascular disease research projects through the TTRA program
π¦Ύ MTPConnectβs CTCM program also announced the 5 recipients sharing $7.2m of funds to accelerate medical device innovations
Government Goss
π NSW gov will train 200k parents to be βfirst respondersβ to help identify people at risk of suicide and help get them the right help
π WA is launching a $5M Global challenge βReimagining regional and remote healthcareβ and is on the hunt for global applicants to solve major health challenges
π©βπ¬The Fed is investing ~$7m into stem cell research enabling live stem cells to be 3D printed to treat damaged body parts from disease, trauma or the likes of osteoarthritis
π§ββοΈ An audit of the budget and actual spending shows thereβs a hell of a lot of costs that went unaccounted for. Meaning a heap of health programs might be put at riskβ¦ eek
π€The AIDH and the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) have teamed up to promote a plan to deliver digital health capability across the health workforce
US & Beyond the Borders
πDigital Health Market is predicted to Hit US$1.5 Trillion in market size by 2030 according to a new in-depth report by Grand View Research
π½ The FDA made strides over the last month as reported by Rock Health, including updates to the list of authorized AI and Machine Learning -Enabled Medical Devices. Adding 178 new solutions across 2022 and prior years captured retrospectively

πΊ Youtube claims people often arenβt coming to YouTube with a health question at all. Instead, they come with a human question: how do I live with this? so launched personal patient stories on the platform to try help
πModerna reckons its next target is to create personalised cancer vaccines
ποΈ Cyber security in health is globally getting hit with Advanced, a major IT provider to the NHS also under fire
π€ Medtronicβs soft tissue robotic-assisted system Hugo has gained regulatory approvals and expanding into Japan, the EU & Canada
πΊ Virtual abortion provider, Hey Jane, raised a record US$6.1m from their βRoe Roundβ
Sick Scienceβ¦
π₯οΈ New computational studies might be onto some new non-opiod compounds to relieve pain without sedation
πThe Atmo Gas Capsule System from RMIT Melbourne is a world-first gas-sensing capsule that can travel through your entire GI tract to detect gases in real time. And help monitor the microbiome function, to hopefully be used to diagnose hard-to-nail conditions such as bacterial overgrowth, IBS & IBD
Startup Stuff πΒ
Do you have an idea for a Startup? Want some support?
UNSWβs Coach & Connect links founders or aspiring founders with an experienced startup coach to accelerate and amplify success (for free) - More here
Ambitious Startup looking to join an accelerator?
Startmateβs Accelerator has just extended the deadline for applications to Nov 6th for their 13 week Summer cohort starting in Jan - Apply here
Conducting innovative research in Vic and looking for some funds?
Round 6 of apps for the Victorian Medical Research Acceleration Fund ft $5m in funding is open! Targeting early-stage research and research translation of projects that can benefit Vic or Public Health and Health Inequalities. Thereβs also a $2m mRNA-specific stream - More info and apply here
Scaling into the US and want a helping hand?
Apply for the NYC (Hybrid) Immersion Program for businesses expanding in and/or scaling into the US. The fully curated program offers businesses the opportunity to connect with New York City entrepreneurs and corporate networks to facilitate a successful USA market entry - More here
Academic with an exciting research idea?
Research Making Impact at UNSW is a 4-week part-time professional development program helping Academics find pathways to social, economic, cultural and environmental impact - More here
Eventsπ₯
Thu 3rd Nov: Free Webinar: How to Achieve Health Equity (Online)
2nd - 4th Nov: Angel Investors Program (Sydney)
8th - 10th Nov: Business Fundamentals (Online)
Wed 9th Nov: Health Tech Connect - November 2022
Thu 17th Nov: Green Light Accelerator Program (New South Wales)
17th - 18th Nov: Medlab: Commercialisation 101
Tue 24th Nov: Recognising our most outstanding startups, founders and mentorsΒ
Thu 24th Nov: Spring Summit (Sydney)Β
7th β 8th Dec: Victorian Healthcare Week Expo (Melbourne)
Mon 9th Jan: Landing Pad Program Β
28th Feb - 5th Jun: Founder Institute (Silicon Valley)
Consumable Content π
πΊ a16zs new Digital Health Go-to-Market Playbook is helping founders tackle one of the most challenging factors in healthcare; Distribution
This piece on Two-Sided Networks in Healthcare delves into marketplaces and how you can use network effects to help your product or company achieve success
π I LOVED this interview with Babylonβs Ali Parsa - βMy biggest mistake was taking the company publicβ: Brunch with Babylonβs Ali Parsa
The Babylon founder opens up about the botched SPAC deal, dealing with the pressure of leadership and how heβs changed in two decades as an entrepreneur
ποΈMTPConnect Podcast: Inventiaβs Skin Printing Robot Set To Revolutionise Wound Repair
Inventia Skin is developing LigΕ, a skin printing robot that delivers rapid and precise regenerative cellular therapy products directly onto a wound and could help to treat difficult-to-heal skin burns
π΅οΈββοΈπ Cicada Innovations Sally-Ann Williams takes a look at what the Budget means for Deep Tech
π ANDHealth released its The Awakening Giant Report: Australia to Become a Global Destination for Digital Health β but only with the Right Investment
πΌ Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
Keen to be featured? Post your roles here!
Thoughts? Insights? Just want to say hi? Hit reply π
Over and out
π Emily
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