Pelago scores $58M to scale virtual clinic for substance use management

Digital substance use administration platform Pelago, previously Give up Genius, introduced it secured $58 million in Sequence C funding, bringing its whole elevate to $151 million. 

Current investor Atomico led the spherical with participation from different persevering with traders, together with Octopus Ventures, Y Combinator and Kinnevik AB. New traders GreyMatter Capital and Eight Roads additionally participated. 

Laura Connell, associate at Atomico, will be a part of the corporate’s board of administrators. 

WHAT IT DOES 

Pelago, based in 2015, works with well being plans, employers and particular person members to supply adults and adolescents customized digital substance use care, together with therapy for alcohol, tobacco and opioid use. 

Members hook up with a physician-led care group and may obtain complicated situation administration, cognitive behavioral remedy, and academic content material. The corporate additionally offers a hub for medication-assisted therapy and distant monitoring instruments, resembling breathalyzers and urinary check kits, for at-home use. 

Pelago will use the funds to speed up its product roadmap, conduct scientific analysis and develop its continuum of care.  

“This funding demonstrates sturdy investor confidence in our progress trajectory and displays our dominance of the substance use administration area. That trajectory features a tenfold progress in income and eligible lives coated since our Sequence B spherical two years in the past,” Dr. Yusuf Sherwani, Pelago’s CEO and cofounder, informed MobiHealthNews in an e mail. 

“This fundraise helps advance our mission to interrupt down limitations to substance use care that works. I’m extremely grateful for the employers and payers that we’ve empowered to handle substance use head-on by delivering specialised therapy and evidence-based care to their members, supported by highly effective outcomes information and validated ROI.” 

MARKET SNAPSHOT

Nearly all of direct prices related to substance use issues within the U.S. are incurred primarily among the many working-age inhabitants, in line with analysis printed in JAMA Community. Employers and medical insurance payers could offset these excessive prices by contemplating prevention and therapy methods.  

The digital dependancy therapy firm rebranded from Give up Genius final 12 months, two years after it closed a $64 million Sequence B funding spherical. The corporate garnered $11 million in Sequence A funding in 2020.  

There have been a number of different startups with digital instruments for dependancy. Maybe most notable is Pear Therapeutics, which provided a line of digital therapeutics for substance abuse however filed for chapter in April of final 12 months. Its property have been bought at public sale for $6.05 million a month later.

Bicycle Well being is one other firm within the area, providing digital opioid use dysfunction therapy. 

Bicycle introduced final 12 months it fashioned a partnership with compassionate care supplier Wellpath to offer previously incarcerated people entry to buprenorphine month-to-month injections for opioid use dysfunction through the Federal Bureau of Prisons and residential reentry facilities.

Different corporations embody digital alcohol use dysfunction therapy firm Ria Well being, digital dependancy therapy platform Workit Well being and digital smoking-cessation firm Carrot.