Ryse Health, a startup providing care offerings to diabetes patients, announced today that it raised $3.4 million in seed funding.
The company, which has offices in Baltimore and Arlington, Virginia, provides tech-enabled, office-based and virtual care to type 2 diabetes patients.
Ryse Health’s platform includes a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and a custom app to synthesize data, support self-management and facilitate communication between the user and their care team, comprised of health coaches, endocrinologists, registered dieticians, certified diabetes care and education specialists and licensed clinical social workers.
Dr. Erin Kane co-founded Ryse Health and also serves as CMO. Kane is a Harvard- and Johns Hopkins-trained physician who led the Hopkins Capacity Command Center and a GW COVID-19 remote monitoring program. Fellow co-founder Richard Gurley, who previously led Evolent Health and WelbeHealth and has served as an advisor to a number of healthcare growth companies, holds the position of CEO.
“Traditionally, patients get healthcare once a year or a few times a year, while they are making decisions about and struggling with chronic conditions every single day,” Kane said in a news release. “Part of what I love about our model is that we integrate into our patients’ lives so we can provide more frequent touchpoints and help along the journey, truly helping patients to keep up momentum and keep pushing things in the right direction.”
In early clinical results, Ryse said it has observed a two-point drop in patients’ A1C numbers for those starting at an A1C of greater than 8%, as well as a 36% decrease in elevated blood sugars for all patients after the first 60 days of the program.
“We are so gratified by the initial results we’re seeing,” Kane said. “We’re hearing from patients that they have more energy and feel better than they have in a long time. People with diabetes deserve care that is compassionate, seamless, and actually effective, and that’s what we’re delivering. My team and I look forward to growing and helping thousands of people improve their health and live happier, longer lives.”
W Health Ventures was the lead investor in the seed round, while LifeBridge Health and Healthworx also contributed. Dr. Shantanu Agrawal (chief health officer at Anthem BCBS), John Wray (interim CEO of Opala) and Kelly Close (diabetes patient advocate) are also participating investors in Ryse.
