Actor Patrick Dempsey invests in CrowdMed

Patrick Dempsey

Actor Patrick Dempsey, who plays the “McDreamy” neurosurgeon in “Grey’s Anatomy,” is investing an unspecified sumĀ in CrowdMed, a San Francisco health tech startup.

CrowdMed is an online platform that relies on crowdsourcing to help patients with unidentified diseases. Patients write about their symptoms and “medical detectives” go about cracking the cases.

“After meeting with several Silicon Valley healthcare startups, I was immediately drawn to CrowdMed’s mission of helping those who have run out of alternatives,” the 48-years-old actor said in a statement. “I remember being overwhelmed when my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer almost a decade ago, and I know how challenging it can be trying to make the best medical decisions for oneself or a loved one. CrowdMed is an online platform that relies on crowdsourcing to help patients with unidentified diseases.The patients who are turning to CrowdMed can’t even begin to think about treatment options because they haven’t been able to find an accurate medical diagnosis yet – but hopefully we can change that.”

CrowdMed has raised more than $2.4 million in funding from New Enterprise Associates, Andreessen Horowitz, Greylock Partners, SV Angel, Khosla Ventures and Y Combinator.

[Via: SFgate]