PharmStars

The momentum continues for our #PharmStarsAlumni! 🚀 June brought exciting deals, partnerships, product milestones, achievements, and publications across our digital health startups. At the PharmStars accelerator, we're proud to celebrate and share their latest successes.     Deals & Partnerships  🌟 Elemeno Health announced a strategic partnership with Swisslog Healthcare   🌟 Infermedica announced a collaboration with Healthdirect Australia, OpenAI, Skin Analytics, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to bring Healthdirect services directly into ChatGPT   🌟 Longenesis partnered with Datamed to expand its women's health awareness and oncology screening toolkit across Latvia  🌟 Neuroventis announced the merger of Cascador Health and moveUP, forming Cascador / moveUP 🌟 Nivi, Inc. announced a collaboration with MSD to advance global HPV prevention through its GenAI-powered messaging platform, askNivi  🌟 OmniScience joined the TransCelerate BioPharma Solution Collaboration Forum  🌟 Promptly Health partnered with Hapvida NotreDame Intermédica to expand The Evidence Network across Europe and Brazil  🌟 Sano Genetics partnered with BioMendics, LLC to help people living with EB Simplex connect with current and future research opportunities  🌟 Studypages partnered with the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) and icometrix to expand access to advanced MRI analysis  Product Milestones  🌟 Elemeno Health is now listed on Rural Care Journey, a research platform by AME Mobile Inc.  🌟 Local Infusion opened its first Florida clinic in Jacksonville's Deerwood community and planned a second location in Orange Park  🌟 Manta Cares introduced Decision Point Engagement (DPE©), a framework for measuring engagement during critical cancer treatment decisions  🌟 NalaGenetics launched a beta AI Assistant within its Clinical Decision Support platform to help physicians interpret genetic reports through AI-generated summaries Awards and Honors  🌟 Health In Her HUE was selected as a winner of the Yes/Boston Innovation Challenge 🌟 LivAi received The People’s Choice Award 2026 at the CancerX 2026 Accelerator Graduation   🌟 Local Infusion was named one of Nurse.com and Energage's Top Workplaces for Nursing  🌟 WHYZE Health was named a finalist in the 2026 eir business Chambers Ireland Awards Publications  🌟 Head Diagnostics published a new study in PLOS Digital Health, “Digital measurement of ocular microtremor in Parkinson’s Disease: Analytical and clinical validation”  🌟 nference announced publications from its Metabolism Agentic Intelligence Atlas (MAIA), presenting 15 studies leveraging AI and real-world data from more than 30 million patients

Why is it so difficult to get promising technologies broadly adopted in pharma and biotech? Its because we test new ideas through pilots. Pilots are essential because they allow organizations to start small, validate a solution, and determine whether it’s a good fit. But too many great innovations never move beyond this stage, preventing organizations from realizing the full value of these innovations.   Why? Because of the what I have termed the “Operationalization gap” ("O-gap") which is the critical step between a successful pilot and scaling innovation across the organization.   Innovation Process:   ✅ Initiate ✅ Ideate ✅ Pilot   🛑 Operationalization Gap (O-gap) ❇️ Operationalize ❇️ Optimize ❇️ Obsolete or Repeat     What helps close the O-gap and drive successful operationalization?   I have my thoughts on this, but I’d love to hear yours. Share them in the comments 👇 This was one of the topics we covered in a recent PharmStars’ “Pharma Innovation Leader” roundtable in our pharma membership. If you are leading digital innovation in pharma and want to be part of a community of like-minded leaders from high-performing biopharma, join PharmStars: https://lnkd.in/g8VzPwm9 

#WorldBrainDay is a moment to recognize the critical importance of brain health. At PharmStars, we’re proud to support digital health startups developing innovative solutions pharma can use to support patients with neurological conditions.     Today, we’d like to highlight the #PharmStarsAlumni digital health startups from around the world, including Belgium, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Korea, Singapore, Spain, UK, and US, who focus on digital innovations in neurological disease that are bringing transformative technologies to biopharma:     🔹 acceXible: Speech Biomarkers for Screening and Monitoring MCI and Early Dementia    🔹 BeCareLink: Gamified, Mobile App for AI-enabled Neurological Assessment    🔹 Deliberate AI: Multimodal Diagnostics Platform for Psychiatric and Neurological Conditions    🔹 EXOSYSTEMS Inc.: AI Digital Biomarker Platform for Quantitative, Objective Motor Function Assessment    🔹 Head Diagnostics: Novel Digital Biomarker for Parkinson’s Disease    🔹 HealthQb Technologies, Inc.: BioPsychoSocial Behavior Modification System for Pain and Chronic Disease    🔹 JOGO Health: Non-invasive, EMG Wearable Platform for Neuropathic Pain Measurement and Treatment    🔹 Modus Health: Validated Real-World Mobility Assessment Tool    🔹 My Moves Matter: Patient-centric, Neuro-friendly Patient Engagement Platform for Women with Parkinson’s Disease    🔹 NalaGenetics: Genetic Risk Prediction Tool for Pre-screening of Cancer, Cardiometabolic and Neurodegenerative Diseases    🔹 Neuroventis (acquired by Cascador Health): Neurological Patient Engagement Platform    🔹 Orbit Health: AI-enabled, Wearable-agnostic Platform to Track and Evaluate Parkinson’s Disease    🔹 REACT Neuro: VR Platform for Novel, Comprehensive Remote Neurocognitive Assessments    🔹 Sama Therapeutics: Agentic-AI Platform for Automated, Standardized, Multimodal, Neurological and Functional Assessments    🔹 Samphire Neuroscience: Neurotechnology-based Therapeutic Headband for Mental and Physical Symptoms of Menstruation    🔹 Vistim Labs: Cognitive Assessment by Stimulated Brain Activity    🔹 WKD.SMRT: Home-based, Functional RWD Collected Through Video AI Platform    We’re grateful to play a role in helping bridge the gap between digital health startups and pharma teams working to improve the world’s brain health.         #DigitalHealth #BrainHealth #NeuroInnovation #WBD2026 

Biopharma digital innovation teams are navigating a busy, external ecosystem with finite time and resources. Many digital innovation leaders are focused on partnerships with big AI and other big tech firms. At PharmStars’ recent “Pharma Innovation Leader” roundtable, CSL’s Jonathan Walsh, Head of Digital Innovation Fund and Programs, led a discussion exploring whether these high-profile “big tech” collaborations deliver on their promise. The roundtable also focused on how the investment of effort around big tech partnerships compares to those with startups and smaller partners. A huge thank you to Jonathan for moderating the conversation and for perfectly setting the stage for this lively discussion! If you are leading digital innovation in pharma and want to be part of a community of like-minded leaders from high-performing biopharma, join PharmStars: https://lnkd.in/g8VzPwm9

🔆 PharmStars Alumni Spotlight 🔆 Infermedica provides a pre-diagnostic patient guidance platform and real-world data  Despite access to structured clinical EHR data, pharmaceutical companies have limited visibility into early patient behaviors, risk interpretations, and care-seeking patterns. This knowledge gap can create market “blind spots” and lead to suboptimal patient segmentation and education.  The Infermedica AI-based patient symptom tracker, used monthly by 400,000 patients in over 30 countries, is often the first digital touchpoint when individuals feel unwell. Infermedica collects aggregated de-identified data on symptoms, risk factors, and care-seeking behaviors on the platform, creating a holistic pre-diagnosis individual patient profile with ~40 data points per user. Pharmaceutical companies can use this quantified insight to better understand the patient journey and better design data-informed patient engagement and education strategies. Covering 900 diseases and available in 24 languages, the platform has a clinically validated knowledge base curated by many doctors over years of work. Certified as an MDR Class IIb medical device and fully compliant with global privacy standards, the technology is used by patients in 100+ healthcare organizations worldwide.  Global pharmaceutical companies are leveraging Infermedica data for patient segmentation, behavioral follow-up studies, and identification of patients with rare diseases and cancer. They are expanding into new geographies and languages and increasing the breadth of patient information collected to enable real-time research studies with online patients. 📸 #PharmStarsAlumni Infermedica CEO Piotr Orzechowski responding to questions at the Fall 2025 PharmStars Summit. He participated in the program with colleagues Patryk Sudnik and Miłosz Wiciński. PharmStars Ventures is proud to have Infermedica as a portfolio company.  See all of PharmStars alumni companies on our website https://lnkd.in/gRPRGtP2 

In PharmStars’ recent Graduate School, we brought together seasoned investors for a panel discussion on “Investing in Digital Health: What Startups Should Know Now.”     ❇️ Andrew Bouldin: Managing Partner, FCA Venture Partners  ❇️ Miraj Sanghvi: Partner, DigiTx Partners  ❇️ Lu Zhang: Founder & Managing Partner, Fusion Fund    They shared insights on the investment landscape, fundraising environment, emerging opportunities, practical advice on what investors look for, how startups can position themselves for success, and the impact AI is having on the sector. Highlights from the discussion included:    ✴️ Differentiate beyond AI. AI is increasingly expected among investors — the real advantage comes from proprietary data, unique workflows, or capabilities that larger AI platforms can’t easily replicate.  ✴️ Focus on high-value opportunities in pharma. Investors are interested in solutions that improve commercialization, clinical trial efficiency, and the data infrastructure needed for AI adoption in regulated environments.  ✴️ Be strategic about fundraising. Run a disciplined process with clear timelines, choose investors who can be long-term partners, and communicate a compelling story around customer ROI, market opportunity, and growth.  ✴️ Build investor relationships before you need capital. Consistent updates, thoughtful engagement, and warm introductions can make future fundraising conversations significantly more productive. Thank you to our expert panelists for such a valuable conversation! Want to join the PharmStars accelerator and this always-learning startup community?  In the PharmStars #accelerator, startups learn about pharma, receive mentoring, and have the opportunity to meet with and pitch to our pharma members. Graduates also receive a cash investment from PharmStars Ventures.  Apply NOW! The deadline is extended to WEDNESDAY, July 15, MIDNIGHT ET, so hurry!  Applications and details 👉 https://lnkd.in/g5gsThtQ

There are many reasons that #pharma won’t listen to or engage with #digitalhealth startups. PharmStars advisor, Yan Chow, MD, MBA, writes about the top 7 reasons.   But don’t despair 😪 ! PharmStars can help #startups learn the techniques, tools, and language needed to successfully engage #pharma. Our proprietary #PharmaU program teaches startups the ins and outs of pharma, including how #biopharma firms are organized, how drugs are made, and how pharma makes money. Our curriculum is also full of practical advice for approaching, negotiating, and working with pharma.   PharmStars' startups get personalized #mentoring from experienced former pharma leaders on how to develop the ideal pharma pitch. And they attend private Fireside Chats with our pharma members’ digital health and #innovation champions before pitching to and meeting privately with them at the Startup Showcase. Graduates also receive an investment from PharmStars Ventures.   Apply now to join our Fall 2026 cohort. Our pharma-selected theme for this cohort is "Digital Innovations in Immunology.”   Hurry! Deadline for applications is Sunday, July 12 at 11:59 pm ET ⏰   👉 👉 👉 Info and applications at https://lnkd.in/g5gsThtQ   https://lnkd.in/g_vZ4cVh

Are you a #DigitalHealth #startup eager to engage #pharma and wondering if the PharmStars 10-week, virtual pharma-focused #AcceleratorProgram can help you bridge the #PharmStartupGap? Listen to PharmStars’ Founder and CEO, Naomi Fried, Ph.D., explain what PharmStars’ #PharmaU is all about: “The first component is our unique comprehensive curriculum, where we teach startups what they need to know about pharma. The second component of PharmStars’ PharmaU program is the personalized mentoring. Each startup in our program works with our Mentor Advisors to refine their business model and to develop their unique pharma value proposition.” ⏰ THE LAST DAY to apply for the PharmStars Fall cohort is TODAY (Sunday, July 12)! ⏰ The Fall cohort is focused on “Digital Innovations in Immunology.” #DigitalHealth startups with #innovations in these or related areas should hurry to apply: 🔹Immunological Disease Identification, Monitoring, and Personalization 🔹Digital Tools for the Development and Use of New Immunological Therapies 🔹Enhancing Clinical Trials, Patient Data, and Safety 🔹Improving Patient Care and Outcomes   📆 Apply by July 12 at 11:59 pm ET to participate in the Fall cohort: https://lnkd.in/g5gsThtQ

⏰ TIME IS ALMOST UP! ⏰ Applications for PharmStars' Fall 2026 #accelerator program are due TODAY, JULY 12, at 11:59 pm ET! 🕛    📣 Attention, digital health #startups: 💥 Do you want to engage #pharma as clients? 💰 💥 Want to pitch and meet with pharma #digitalhealth innovation leaders? 🤝 💥 Would you like to better understand the pharma industry and learn to “speak pharma”? 🎤 💥 Interested in an investment from PharmStars Ventures? 💸 💥 Do you have an #innovation related to immunology? 💊   If you answered 👍 to all these questions, APPLY NOW at:   👉👉👉 https://lnkd.in/g5gsThtQ ⏳Deadline 11:59 pm ET TODAY, JULY 12!

📢 Hear from PharmStars' graduate, Nikolai Makaranka, Founder & CEO of Daikon, on his favorite experiences in this #pharma-focused #acceleratorprogram for #digitalhealth #startups 🚀✨  What stood out to Nikolai was the access to and positive interactions with PharmStars #pharma members in their private meetings at the Startup Showcase. He said:  💬 “The one-on-one meetings with the members were the most valuable aspect of PharmStars because getting these meetings on our own is incredibly hard. Having the opportunity to pitch to a pharma is a rare opportunity, and we’ve received great feedback from them.” 🌟Interested in having this kind of unprecedented access to potential pharma clients and meaningful private one-on-one meetings with them? 👉 Apply for PharmStars’ Fall 2026 cohort focused on “Digital Innovations in Immunology.” 🚀  You’ll also receive a pharma education, personalized mentoring, and an investment from PharmStars Ventures💰!  ✍🏼 Fill out your application at https://lnkd.in/g5gsThtQ before July 12!