Bayer announced that it will support five new startup companies as part of its G4A Digital Health Partnerships Program. The focus will be on fostering the development of a digital health ecosystem, while driving forward integrated healthcare solutions in the fields of cardiometabolic and renal diseases, oncology, and women’s health.
The participating digital healthcare companies were selected by Bayer from over 400 applications from over 65 countries based upon current and future strategic fit, development stage and assessment.
Bayer’s G4A partnership program offers two digital health collaboration segments. Under its Growth Track, selected early-stage startups receive 100,000 EUR funding to accelerate market uptake, coaching by Bayer executives, and tailored business acceleration clinics. Through the Advance Track framework, digital health companies are aligning for larger commercial deals.
Growth Track
Companies selected for this track include:
- Caria: Caria combines data and AI to connect women in menopause with evidence-based treatments, personalized health insights, and a supportive digital community.
- Elly Health: Elly Health is a digital health startup helping people impacted by chronic conditions to live healthier and happier through smart audio companionship. Users gain access to unique and personalized content around disease education, meditation practices, exercise videos, symptom management, psychosocial support and patient stories to improve their health-seeking behaviors.
Advance Track
Companies selected for this track include:
- Decipher Biosciences: Decipher Biosciences offers a portfolio of genomic tests, is building the GRID database of over 85,000 whole transcriptome profiles, and is partnering with pharmaceutical companies to identify biomarkers of response to novel therapeutics.
- Sweetch: Sweetch is a clinically validated disease management optimization platform that utilizes Artificial Intelligence to significantly affect people’s disease management behaviors and clinical outcomes. Sweetch’s Just-in-Time Adaptive Intervention (JITAI) proprietary technology converts millions of data points originating from an individual’s smartphone and other connected devices into contextual, hyper-personalized, just-in-time, just-in-place recommendations.
- MyONCARE: The Myoncare Digital Health Platform is a MDR certified medical device that enables the orchestration of all health process workflows with the patient at center in only one app. Since the platform is indication agnostic it provides for a holistic overview of the patients wellbeing and a telemedical communication system for his/her individually created care team.
On the record
“Building new digital business models is a key element of Bayer’s business strategy, with the ambition to actively shape the future of healthcare. We are proud to support startups who share our vision of integrated healthcare solutions that put the patient in focus, not the disease,” said Jeanne Kehren, PhD, Head of Digital & Commercial Innovation and Member of the Pharmaceuticals Executive Committee of Bayer AG.
About the program
Formerly known as Grants4Apps, Bayer’s G4A maintains a vision on “health for all through digital health”. Its mission, to scale digital health to create impact, empower people, and change the experience of health, is delivered in its ecosystem engagements for digital health partnerships and investments, thought leadership, and community. In addition to identifying new digital health technologies, business models and market trends, G4A builds bridges inside and outside of Bayer for digital health companies.
Since 2013, Bayer has supported over 150 digital health companies, resulting in more than 30 direct collaborations.