Belföldi hírek

As digital therapeutics gain momentum on a worldwide scale, Germany has pioneered the digital therapeutics regulation. Mika has emerged as the leading oncological DTx platform in Germany in recent years proving its value to cancer patients and the healthcare system in clinical trials. The personalised platform delivers evidence-based digital interventions with a view to supporting cancer patients in coping with the challenges of the disease and treatment process. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 19.3 million people are diagnosed with cancer worldwide. "Cancer knows no boundaries. Helping people affected by cancer shouldn't either", says Mika Founder and Managing Director Dr Jan Simon Raue. "We have developed Mika to bring back some of the control when guidance and support is most needed: from diagnosis all the way through the therapy process. Our mission is to empower everyone affected by cancer. Knowing that every cancer patient is a human being with individual needs, Mika provides personalised and comprehensive cancer therapy support, combining the latest insights in cancer research with 24/7 hands-on help wrapped up in an easy-to-handle and engaging digital tool." The capital raised in this series A round will support Mika's expansion into international terrain. While Fosanis reveals its plan to enter the UK healthcare ecosystem still in 2022, it also wants to partner with renowned international cancer research centres to conduct even more studies on the medical impact of AI-driven personalisation in digital interventions. Mika Co-Founder and Managing Director Dr Gandolf Finke: "The importance of digital health and digital therapeutics in particular is growing globally. This financing round marks an important milestone in our company history, allowing us to scale our oncology DTx platform and position our offerings internationally. We welcome our new investors on board and look forward to working closely with them to take Mika to new heights." Debiopharm is an experienced investor in the digital health domain with a special focus on cancer. Tanja Dowe, CEO of Debiopharm Innovation Fund: "We are convinced that digital solutions can fill many critical gaps in healthcare and, especially with regards to cancer therapy support, provide tremendous relieve for patients and attending physicians alike. Mika promotes patient empowerment and enables those affected to cope with their disease and therapy, independent of time and location. For this very reason, we do not only think of ourselves as mere investors, but we also support the company in strategy and execution and are proud to accompany Mika's further growth." Ship2B, based in Barcelona, invests primarily in start-ups that have the potential to make a worthwhile and lasting contribution to the world. Impact, i.e., the aspiration to make a real change, is at the forefront of their thinking, as Maite Fibla, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Ship2B, points out: "We are proud to contribute to the internationalization of Mika, which means being able to improve the quality of life of many more cancer patients. Not only does its mission meet our parameters of what an impact start-up should be, but we have felt fully committed to it. It seems especially significant to us to think that, thanks to what was achieved in the round, there may be the possibility of giving Spain, among other countries, this innovative proposal in oncological therapies." Andrea Buhofer, Partner at EquityPitcher Ventures, moreover highlights the growing importance of patient-centric solutions in integrative digital oncology: "Personalized, digital and accessible support in cancer therapy is becoming increasingly important. Mika has developed an extremely user-friendly application with in-demand content, and we are very pleased to have been able to support Mika in continuing to grow and make therapy support available to more people." Alongside the new investors, current shareholders contributed to the funding round, led by impact VC Ananda Impact Ventures and several business angels who had already joined Mika's mission in a previous seed investment round. Dr Bernd Klosterkemper, Partner at Ananda Impact Ventures, explains: "We are a home for entrepreneurs who tackle the pressing challenges of our time in a scalable way. From the very beginning, Mika has been aspiring to create a positive impact on the well-being and quality of life of cancer patients. As its meaningful vision deeply resonates with our ambition to back game-changing and purpose-driven solutions, we are very much looking forward to cementing ties and helping Mika achieve global impact." (continues)