Portfolio News

Delivery drones may be key to fighting future pandemics

As social distancing becomes the norm amid the COVID-19 pandemic, delivery of goods like groceries, medicines, and other cargo has become more important than ever before. As a result, drone delivery has the potential to come into its own. Drone delivery was on the rise even before the coronavirus outbreak, but now, those developing the technology are seeing a greater interest in what else drones can do and how they could be used to fight future pandemics. Matternet, for example, has been operating pilot programs for drone...

KC nurse adjusts to new reality amidst COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic is being felt around the world, and it’s been weeks since many health care workers have been able to see their families when they’re done with work. Lauren Gremillion, a registered nurse at IVX Health in Kansas City, Missouri, hasn’t been able to spend time with most of her family in person. Gremillion provides IV therapy to some of the most at-risk patients at IVX Health, a company that runs infusion centers in several U.S. states. She says she’s working 10-hour shifts and definitely...

How Will COVID-19 Impact 2020 Digital Health Venture Funding?

Digital health venture funding got off to a record-breaking start in 2020, with $3.1 billion invested across Q1, according to a new report from Rock Health. That $3.1 billion was across 107 deals—more than 1.5 times the total Q1 funding in any previous year. The firm’s researchers noted that although coronavirus has created “twin crises of a global pandemic and massive economic shifts that will rapidly impact all market sectors, including digital health,” but digital health solutions can “immediately combat the pandemic.” Rock Health surveyed 12 health...

Providence St. Joseph using Twistle remote monitoring technology for 700 COVID patients

Washington-based Providence St. Joseph Health is currently treating some of the largest numbers of patients diagnosed with or at risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus. This is largely due to its presence in Seattle, which is one of the epicenters of the coronavirus outbreak. To manage the 700-plus COVID-19-positive or presumptive positive patients, Providence St. Joseph enlisted the aid of remote patient monitoring service Twistle and digital prescribing platform Xealth. Xealth provides the underlying platform for automation and integration into electronic health records and medical record...

UPS to Get New Fleet of Package Delivery Drones from Wingcopter

UPS has been making its way into the drone industry for years. A key example of this is a partnership between Matternet and UPS Flight Forward, the shipping company’s commercial drone airline, to make drone deliveries to hospitals. Matternet began in 2019 by making deliveries to Wake Medical Center in North Carolina, and recently the companies partnered to do medical drone deliveries to facilities in a San Diego health system. UPS recently announced a new partnership. It has selected Wingcopter as the creator of its “next...