OurCrowd Launches Israel’s First Exclusive Digital Health Fund: “OurCrowd Qure”

Collaboration with Johns Hopkins University aims to fast track clinical validation

Managed by Allen Kamer (ex-Optum) and Dr. Yossi Bahagon (ex-Clalit)

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Jerusalem – November 1, 2016 – OurCrowd, a global leader in equity crowdfunding announced today that it has launched Israel’s first exclusively focused digital health fund: OurCrowd Qure. The fund will focus on Seed and Series A rounds investing in innovative digital health startups. This is OurCrowd’s first sector fund dedicated to the rapidly developing digital health market valued globally at $70 billion US in 2015 and projected to be over $230 billion US by 2020.

“Digital health is one of the fastest growing sectors in terms of funding and M&A activity,” said OurCrowd CEO Jon Medved. “Exclusively focusing in digital health is important given the complexity of healthcare delivery and markets.”

 OurCrowd Qure has established a collaboration with Johns Hopkins University to provide validation of value, fast track market access, on-going feedback and exposure of unmet needs. “We are excited about the opportunity to collaborate with OurCrowd to bring new companies and novel ideas to market,” said Christy Wyskiel, Senior Advisor to the President and head of Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures. “We feel these companies will enrich the innovation ecosystem in and around Johns Hopkins.”

The fund will be led by managing partners Allen Kamer and Dr. Yossi Bahagon.  Kamer was co-founder of Humedica, a transformative population health and analytics company, which was acquired by UnitedHealth (NYSE UNH – the largest U.S. health insurer) in 2013.  Most recently, Kamer served as the Chief Commercial Officer of Optum Analytics (a division in Optum, UnitedHealth Group’s health services company), a position he assumed following the acquisition.  Previously, he was a director at the healthcare investment bank, Leerink Swann (now Leerink Partners), and held management positions at Biogen.

Bahagon, an active family physician, was Founder and CEO of Luminox Health, an Israeli healthcare startup specializing in digital medicine which was acquired by OurCrowd in June 2016.  While at Luminox, Dr. Bahagon served as a strategic advisor to the world’s leading healthcare organizations, helping them seed and mature their digital health vision. Over the last four years, Dr. Bahagon has handpicked and seeded some of Israel’s most innovative and successful digital health companies that were backed by leading VCs and corporate funds, including Philips, Qualcomm Ventures, Orbimed, Walgreens, Fuson Pharma and Pitango.  Previously, he founded and managed one of largest digital health platforms in the world at Clalit – the second largest Health Maintenance Organization in the world.

“We are delighted that Allen and Yossi will be joining the team and bringing their extensive healthcare management and entrepreneurial experience to the Fund,” said Medved.  “Sophisticated investors are seeking an array of avenues to deploy their capital. We believe offering a sector fund dedicated exclusively to investing in digital health companies that is connected to the OurCrowd platform offers a unique capability that is highly attractive.” 

“I am excited to join the OurCrowd team and to collaborate with Dr. Bahagon to launch this Fund,” said Kamer.  “Digital health solutions are more necessary than ever as the global population ages and healthcare demands accelerate quickly while supplies and services fail to keep pace.  Digital health solutions offer the promise of delivering more for less and aim to positively impact the health of current and future generations.”

“Digital health is starting to transform our lives. It is fundamentally about making medicine more personalized and comprehensive, empowering both patients and their medical teams,” said Bahagon. “The fund will focus on solutions that have a massive social and personal impact, while also offering highly attractive return potential over an appealing timeline.”

About OurCrowd

OurCrowd is the leading global equity crowdfunding platform for accredited investors. Managed by a team of seasoned investment professionals and led by serial entrepreneur Jon Medved, OurCrowd vets and selects opportunities, invests its own capital, and brings companies to its accredited membership of global investors. OurCrowd provides post-investment support to its portfolio companies, assigns industry experts as mentors, and takes board seats. The OurCrowd community of almost 15,000 investors from over 110 countries has invested over $300M into 100 portfolio companies and funds. OurCrowd has already had nine exits to date: two IPO’s and seven acquisitions. To join OurCrowd as an accredited investor, visit http://www.ourcrowd.com and click Join.

For Press Materials: https://blog.ourcrowd.com/ocqure/

Press contact:  Leah Stern, Director of Communications, OurCrowd

C:  +44.7470.196826 / USA Phone: +1.877.848.0964 ext. 2 / E: leah@ourcrowd.com

Israel: Estee Yaari, OurCrowd, +972 (0)50 200 7072 / E: estee.yaari@ourcrowd.com