BrainCheck raises $8 million to digitize cognitive/ neuropsychological assessments and better serve the aging population
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This startup just raised $8 million to help busy doctors assess the cognitive health of 50 million seniors (TechCrunch):
“…startups increasingly recognize opportunities to cater to this aging population. Some are developing products to sell to individuals and their family members directly; others are coming up with ways to empower those who work directly with older Americans.
BrainCheck, a 20-person, Houston-based startup whose cognitive healthcare product aims to help physicians assess and track the mental health of their patients, is among the latter. Investors like what it has put together, too. Today, the startup is announcing $8 million in Series A funding co-led by S3 Ventures and Tensility Venture Partners.
We talked earlier today with BrainCheck co-founder and CEO Yael Katz…
TC: You’re a neuroscientist. You started BrianCheck with David Eagleman, another neuroscientist and the CEO of NeoSensory, a company that develops devices for sensory substitution. Why? What’s the opportunity here?
YK: We looked across the landscape, and we realized that most cognitive assessment is [handled by] a subspecialty of clinical psychology called neuropsychology, where patients are given a series a tests and each is designed to probe a different type of brain function — memory, visual attention, reasoning, executive function. They measure speed and accuracy, and based on that, determine whether there’s a deficit in that domain. But the tests were classically done on paper and it was a lengthy process. We digitized them and gamified them and made them accessible to everyone who is upstream of neuropsychology, including neurologists and primary care doctors.
We created a tech solution that provides clinical decision support to physicians so they can manage patients’ cognitive health. There are 250,000 primary care physicians in the U.S. and 12,000 neurologists and [they’re confronting] what’s been called a silver tsunami. With so many becoming elderly, it’s not possible for them to address the need of the aging population without tech to help them.” » Keep reading HERE
News in Context:
- The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK considers adding a 5?minute cognitive test to its annual health check-up
- Brainnovations Winner Jan Samzelius on why monitoring Typing Cadence may help detect early Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Disease
- Solving the Brain Fitness Puzzle Is the Key to Self-Empowered Aging
- Report: 35% of worldwide dementia cases could be prevented by modifying these 9 modifiable risk factors
- Trend: Mobile, data-rich apps to monitor and promote neurocognitive health