TLDR:
- Create Health Ventures launched a $21 million fund focused on technology for payers and pharmaceutical companies.
- The firm is backing startups that are led by healthcare veterans and aim to improve care access and patient outcomes.
A new venture firm, Create Health Ventures, announced the close of its inaugural $21 million fund, with a focus on digital health startups that make technology for payers and pharmaceutical companies. The firm, based in Austin and Chicago, was founded by managing partners Amit Aysola and Emma Cartmell, who have extensive experience in the healthcare industry. They believe that payers are crucial in driving change in the industry, and are looking to invest in founders who come from the healthcare world to address the sector’s challenges.
So far, Create has made five investments in companies that align with their fund’s thesis of improving patient care access and outcomes. These investments include a caregiver engagement company, a patient care collaboration platform, a patient screening startup, a Medicaid care coordination firm, and a clinical trial reimbursement software company. The firm is primarily focused on startups that sell into payers, as they see payers as key players in enabling data integration and aligning incentives between payers and providers for patient benefit.
While most of their portfolio companies are currently in the payer space, Create plans to make more investments in the pharma industry in the coming years. Aysola highlighted the need for platforms that can streamline the clinical trials process, as the pharmaceutical industry is ramping up late-stage trials and manufacturing. He believes that technologies are emerging that can address the challenges in this area and provide end-to-end solutions for clinical trials.
