RYSE Special Opportunities Fund makes second investment in '24

FCC Press release

3rd September 2024

RYSE Special Opportunities Fund invests in digital therapeutics supporting women’s mental health

The RYSE Special Opportunities Fund (the Fund), launched earlier in 2024 to invest in health and care technologies, has recently made a second investment, supporting women’s mental health. The Fund is supporting Curio Digital Therapeutics, a US-based innovation company treating postpartum depression (PPD) and other underserved women’s mental health conditions.

Curio’s lead product, MamaLift Plus, is a prescription-only digital therapeutic treating postpartum depression, a complex mental health disorder affecting as many as one in seven women with a recent live birth experience. The FDA approved MamaLift Plus is for patients aged 22 years and older in conjunction with clinician‐managed outpatient care. It is intended to be administered over eight weeks for the treatment of mild to moderate PPD. MamaLift Plus is underpinned by a Connected Care platform which assesses women’s risk of depression and integrates her treatment with existing healthcare providers. This is particularly significant for providers who are required to report on levels of depression amongst their female populations.

Curio is the second innovation to be supported by the Fund, anchored by the charity Future Care Capital (FCC) and run by investment fund manager RYSE Asset Management. The Fund is a unique collaboration to raise venture capital for innovations that transform and enhance care, focusing on the most promising early-stage investments globally between Seed and Series A. Dedicated to transforming lives through cutting-edge digital solutions, the Fund has an investment focus on digital diagnostics, digital therapeutics and medical devices that will help solve the challenges facing the NHS and other health and care delivery systems globally.

FCC’s investment in the Fund is itself an innovation – a so-called social or mixed-motive investment for charitable impact and financial return, optimal for sustainability compared with pure grant making without financial return or investing for pure financial return. Through this approach, FCC enhances its charitable impact in both the short and long term.

Related content...

"As an independent charity, FCC is constantly exploring new ways to create social impact. We were delighted to announce the launch of the Fund earlier in the year with the first investment in Braingaze to develop digital tools which support the detection and treatment of ADHD, autism as well as other conditions. Now with this second investment the Fund is supporting underserved women’s mental health conditions. By investing in innovation and technology, the Fund will deliver tangible benefits for our beneficiaries and allows us to ‘put our money where our mouth is’ to support investments aligned with our charitable mission.” John Grumitt, Chief Executive, at FCC

“This financing is a significant milestone for RYSE Asset Management. As a clinically validated, fully scalable, revenue generating solution, Curio is taking a holistic approach for tackling women’s health by designing intervention that address behavioural management and physiological conditions across Women's Life Cycle. We see a significant opportunity for Mama Lift Plus, and for the other products in the Company’s pipeline." Vivien de Tusch-Lec, General Partner at RYSE

“Our goal has always been to provide innovative solutions for women’s health, specifically around the challenges they face with behavioural health. MamaLift Plus is the first and only digital solution that can help address the serious unmet need uniquely faced by women who have recently delivered, and help make a conscious shift in women’s health. We are grateful to have the backing of RYSE, and our committed new investors as we bring these products to new markets. Shailja Dixit MD MPH MS, CEO & Founder of Curio Digital Therapeutics

*ENDS*

About Future Care Capital

Future Care Capital (FCC) is a UK charity aiming to accelerate the development and impact of innovation to improve prevention, treatment, and care: putting people first by breaking down boundaries. FCC’s voice is that of its beneficiaries – people in need of care – with the aim that support is available and experienced positively by all. From its independent stance, it convenes a unique set of perspectives and people (from practitioners to providers, commissioners to regulators, and people to policy-makers) across boundaries in the health and care system to inform better solutions to stubborn problems, and demonstrate that resolutions are possible and workable. Today, too often, it feels that people are not well supported, and health and care professionals are effective despite the system not because of it. FCC’s origins go back to 1945, starting life as the National Nursery Examination Board (NNEB) which later became the Council for Awards in Care, Health and Education (CACHE).

Find out more about FCC at: https://futurecarecapital.org.uk/about/special-opportunities-fund/

About RYSE Asset Management

RYSE Asset Management is a venture firm backing innovators in healthcare. RYSE was born out of a unique relationship with the NHS to identify, support and invest in leading early-stage digital healthcare companies to help them scale globally. Based in London, the firm brings together a team of professionals from all over the world with strong scientific, medical and business expertise. RYSE has evolved to collaborate with health systems and partners globally – with private and public providers, pharmaceutical, insurance, medical device companies – to drive revenue and exit. The RYSE team combines 90 years’ experience in healthcare systems, healthcare research, technology scale-ups and healthcare investment banking. Through the team’s strategic partnerships with all sides of the healthcare ecosystem the Special Opportunities Fund provides early-stage entrepreneurs with the resources and support needed to scale their ventures and make a meaningful impact in healthcare

For more information, please visit https://www.ryseam.com/en/

About Curio Digital Therapeutics Inc.

Curio Digital is a pioneer in developing digital therapeutics solutions and interventions across the behavioural health continuum for women throughout the cycle of life. Curio aims to create a world where every woman can access a behavioural health solution at her fingertips. Curio is reshaping maternal mental health care by leveraging proprietary algorithms, clinically validated screening tools, and personalized digital behavioural interventions to facilitate timely identification and care. Curio aspires to make women’s health products and solutions across their life cycle. MamaLift Plus is a prescription-only digital therapeutic intended to provide neurobehavioral interventions to patients 22 years of age and older, as an adjunct to clinician-managed outpatient care. Curio’s AI-driven predictive algorithm, Curio-I, identifies and risk stratifies women who would go on to develop common behavioural health conditions.

For more information, visit Curio at www.curiodigitaltx.com