Fertility startup ExSeed Health closes £2.5M seed round

Male fertility startup ExSeed Health has announced the closure of  a £2.5 million seed extension round, led by Ascension with participation from Trifork, Hambro Perks, and R42 Group.

The investment will drive further European expansion for the firm, which has teams in London and Copenhagen.

ExSeed’s smartphone-based sperm testing kit does not require users to attend a medical facility and comes with a lifestyle intervention programme to improve sperm quality.

Morten G Ulsted, cofounder and CEO, ExSeed, said: “This funding round is critically important for us and our mission to improve the treatment paradigm for male infertility and tackle the social stigma often attached.”

‘Amazon’ of cannabis firm Cansativa scores $15M funding 

German cannabis distribution platform Cansativa has landed $15 million (€13.2M) in a Series B round led by rapper Snoop Dogg’s VC firm Casa Verde. Argonautic Ventures and Munich-based family office Alluti also participated in the round.

The Frankfurt-based startup, which calls itself the ‘Amazon of cannabis’ supplies German pharmacies with the drug for medical use.

Cansativa says around 15 tonnes of medical cannabis are consumed in Germany but estimates the market will grow to 200 tonnes within two years if Government legalisation plans go ahead.

Casa Verde partner, Yoni Meyer, said: “Cansativa is strategically positioned to become the leading medical cannabis platform in Europe’s largest economy.”

Digital menopause startup Bia Care expands NHS partnership

Menopause startup Bia Care is expanding its partnership with the NHS to deliver digitally-enabled women’s health clinic.

The firm, which connects women to menopause specialist doctors through group consultations, has received an undisclosed amount of funding from NHS commissioning and third-party organisations with an interest in furthering women's services. 

Sucheta Iyengar, NHS consultant and menopause clinical lead, said: “Bia Care is able to reach more women by offering group consultations, so that women can harness the power of peer support, and at the same time allow them to have tailored and individualised treatment plans.”

TytoCare receives CE mark approval for lung sounds analyser

Israeli health tech startup TytoCare has received CE Mark approval for its artificial intelligence (AI)-backed Tyto lung sounds analyser, paving the way for European rollout.

The web-based software module is designed to aid clinical assessment of lung auscultation sound data by analysing recorded lung sounds to check for wheezing.

Dedi Gilad, CEO and cofounder, TytoCare, said: "Receiving the CE Mark on the lung sounds analyser is an important milestone for TytoCare, as it brings to market a powerful, highly integrated, and easy-to-use software system that will benefit both healthcare providers and patients.”

Tech platform for optometrists aims to tackle eyecare backlogs

Optometrists in Cambridgeshire, UK are using a digital platform which aims to reduce pressure on the region’s healthcare services. 

Through the Cinapsis SmartReferrals platform optometrists can access advice or refer to specialists at Addenbrooke’s, Hinchingbrooke and Peterborough City Hospitals.

The technology, which is accessible via PC or smartphone, allows safe transfer of high-resolution images, documents, complete optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans and videos between devices. 

Alison Lask, optometrist, commissioning lead at Cambridgeshire Local Optical Committee (LOC) and clinical governance performance lead at Primary Eye Care (Cambs) Ltd, said: “This is the future of collaborative eyecare delivery in Cambridgeshire.”   

NHS Devon launches health and wellbeing app library

NHS Devon has launched an online health and wellbeing app library in partnership with the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps (ORCHA).

Under a three-year agreement, app libraries are being launched within six integrated care systems (ICSs), covering the entire South-West of England.

Liz Ashall-Payne, founding CEO, ORCHA, said: “Working in this way across several ICSs makes sense economically but also ensures populations receive top quality digital health with consistent presentation and messaging.  Our app libraries will reach millions of citizens both directly and with healthcare professionals recommending products safely through the platform to patients.”