LAUNCH
Newport Beach-based CurieMD Medical Consultants has rolled out its telemedicine platform statewide; the firm provides women with guidance for menopause and midlife health.
Puberty, pregnancy and childbirth are common elements of women’s health education but 42% of women never discuss menopausal symptoms with their primary care physicians, according to co-founder and Chief Medical Officer Leslie Meserve, an internal medicine doctor at Hoag Hospital Newport Beach.
Three in four women seeking treatment for menopausal symptoms do not receive it because there is a shortage of trained physicians in the field, she said.
“We fill the gap in perimenopausal and menopausal health,” she said, noting members still need to see their primary care physicians and OB-GYNs regularly.
The platform includes a patient portal where women can store their medical history and find certified physicians. Appointments are $39 for a 20-minute session; an initial consultation is currently free.
Members can also sign up for mail-order prescriptions. CurieMD plans to add medications for hypothyroidism and broader health conditions such as infections and skincare needs.
Expansion to Florida, Pennsylvania and Virginia is planned next, following regulatory approvals.
CurieMD has raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding from angel investors and venture firms including Able Partners, Loyal VC and Canaan Ventures’ Scout Fund. The company, formed in August 2019, plans to raise another round in mid-2020.
San Clemente-based medical device maker Epica International Inc. received federal approval for its advanced imaging platform, which can be both a diagnostic device and an intra-operative tool delivering hi-resolution images from a less-than-standard dose of radiation.
The portable platform offers CT, fluoroscopy and digital radiography, which means it can directly capture full body and moving imaging and transmit data.
The company expects early users to include physicians in outpatient and emergency rooms settings, in addition to orthopedic and neurologic specialties.
In addition to its See Factor CT3 device, Epica is working on medical robot protypes that integrate with its platform and enable surgeons to better visualize targets, plan surgical routes and, ultimately, perform procedures with robotic precision.
Executives said the company plans to submit its robot for regulatory review in the second half of the year.
Epica is led by President Damiano Fortuna and Chief Executive Frank D. D’Amelio.
It’s raised more than $8 million since its launch in 2014, including a recent $3 million round, according to regulatory filings.
PARTNERSHIPS
Laguna Niguel-based Neighboring, a marketplace that connects college students with families and seniors who need people to do chores and housework, is working with United Laguna Woods Mutual.
United Mutual owns about 45% of Laguna Woods Village, the third-largest senior housing community in the U.S., with about 18,000 residents over the age of 55.
After a pilot program last month, Neighboring is an “approved” service for the community. Seniors can hire students to change light bulbs and move furniture, among other tasks, for about $24 an hour. Students keep three-fourths of that. The marketplace also offers task-based pricing.
Bottom line? “You don’t always need to hire a professional,” said Chief Executive Josh Mundell.
Mundell came up with the idea based on his own experience. As a college athlete at Irvine’s Concordia University, he didn’t have time to commit to a job, so he did chores to earn extra money.
Neighboring has about 150 students enrolled on its platform and plans to hit 500 by the summer to meet demand. The company is also eyeing communities in Long Beach, San Diego, Riverside and Arizona for future expansion.
Neighboring is a member of the UCI Beall Applied Innovation Wayfinder incubator and recently opened a $1 million seed round.
Sweden-based device maker Coala Life is piloting its post-procedure protocol at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital with Dr. Reginald Abraham, chief of cardiothoracic surgery and chief of staff elect.
It’s Coala Life’s introduction to the U.S. market.
Up to 50% of cardiac surgery patients develop arrhythmias, which can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other complications, company execs said. Coala Life’s heart monitoring system aims to cut complications and readmission rates and improve surgical prodedures with its real-time patient monitoring technology.
The company’s wireless device uses sensors and an integrated stethoscope to provide ECG analysis and heart sound recordings, which is sent to patients and their healthcare providers via the cloud.
The device has regulatory approval in Europe and the U.S. Studies have included a 1,000 patient trial that produced 280,000 ECG recordings and showed an increase in patients’ quality of life, the company said.
Coala Life has raised $22 million in funding, including a $10 million round last year to spur U.S. commercialization.
It plans to present at the Emerging Medtech Summit at Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel in Dana Point on Feb. 18-20.
ACQUISITION
Tustin-based payment processing company Cornerstone Payment Systems bought crowdfunding platform Move Your Mountain last month on undisclosed terms.
Move Your Mountain lets individuals launch free crowdfunding campaigns with no deadlines. It charges 4.9% per donation to maintain the platform and pay its credit card processor. It claims one of the lowest rate structures in the industry, compared to other platforms such as Kickstarter.
Nonprofits and charities get lower rates; more than $2 million has been raised on the site, it said.
The buy “allows us to expand the processing vehicles we can offer individuals looking to partner with companies that share their values,” said Nick Logan, chief executive of Cornerstone Payment Systems.
Cornerstone Payment Systems says it is one of the largest Christian-owned sales organizations and payment processing providers in the country. It has about 20 employees with headquarters near Warner and Red Hill avenues.
OFFICE SPACE
Irvine-based Syntr Health Technologies recently moved into the University Lab Partners wet lab incubator at UCI Research Park. It marks the company’s graduation from the UCI Beall Applied Innovation Wayfinder incubator.
The company plans to run experiments to validate and refine its technology platform there, said Chief Executive Ahmed Zobi.
He said Ken Beall and the Beall Family Foundation, which led the creation of ULP, are “the catalyst we needed … to get to market as soon as possible.”
The company’s “Syntrfuge” device allows for the micro fragmentation of fat tissue that can be moved to different areas of the body. For it’s first application, the team is using the device to treat patients with diabetic foot ulcers.
Ulcers often develop when patients lose their natural fat layer from poor circulation or other health issues, according to Zobi. Without the fat, there is nothing stopping a skin to bone or muscle interaction.
The company aims to solve the problem by using the “structural and supportive properties of fat,” taken from a patient’s abdomen, cleaned and relocated to their foot for support.
The technology platform has many potential applications, including bed sores, chronic wounds and venous ulcers.
Syntr is led by Zobi, Justin Stovner, vice president of engineering, and Hugo Salas, vice president of business development.
The company previously won a $300,000 Small Business Research Innovation Phase I grant from National Institutes of Health. It has also raised about $700,000 in private funds, according to regulatory filings.
Syntr is continuing to raise funds for milestone-based goals including early feasibility studies.
