Healthcare In Hand: 49 Mobile Health Startups In A Market Map

Emergency rooms are overcrowded, physicians are overworked, and the cost of healthcare continues to rise. To combat these trends, startups are developing digital tools intended to keep care in-home and prevent unnecessary hospital visits. Further, these tools are becoming increasingly user-centric in order to promote engagement and ensure adherence to medical regimens.

Startups are developing telemedicine platforms that allow 24/7 patient-doctor communication, advanced systems for tracking medication intake or temperature, and a host of mobile platforms that enable the delivery of anything from marijuana to prescription medicine. Below, we used the CB Insights platform to identify 49 of the leading mobile health startups and the 12 categories within which they operate.

This market map is not meant to be exhaustive of startups in the space. While we categorized startups according to a main product, many startups operate across multiple categories. Please click to enlarge.

Companies in the market map fall into 12 main categories:

Telemedicine: Companies in this category develop telemedicine platforms that allow for remote communication with a physician. One example, Sense.ly, is a telemedicine platform in which patients communicate with a virtual nurse named Molly.

Diabetes Management: Companies in this category are focused on improving the at-home management of diabetes. Notable examples include the Andreessen Horowitz-backed Omada Health which has developed a digital health program comprised of health coaches, an interactive mobile curriculum, and games to help manage chronic conditions including type 2 diabetes.

Medication Management: This category includes companies such as Pear Therapeutics, which combines medications for a specific condition such as PTSD or opioid dependence with a digital therapy platform used to track progress.

Appointment Scheduling: Companies in this category allow consumers to schedule appointments with their physicians from their mobile phone. Practo Technologies, based in India, is a mobile platform focused on appointment booking, medication orders, and medical record storage, among other capabilities.

Respiratory Care: Companies in this category build mobile complements to respiratory care management. Propeller Health, for example, has developed a solution for COPD and asthma. The product is a small sensor that gets attached to an inhaler and linked to a mobile app to enable tracking and scheduling of dosages.

Pharmacy Delivery: Companies in this category have developed mobile platforms that allow consumers to order prescription medicines directly from their smartphone. For example, users can switch their refill from the pharmacy to Capsule. Capsule then coordinates refills, fills the prescription, and delivers it to the door.

Cardiac Care: Companies in this category are building mobile tools to complement cardiac care. One notable company is Eko, which has developed a digital stethoscope that can amplify and record heart or lung sounds as well as wirelessly transmit them to a mobile app for storage.

Continuation of Care: Companies in this category are focused on the at-home care market. Heal, for example, has built a mobile platform for finding and booking primary care physicians that come to the home. These doctors do home checkups for sore throats, stomach pains, injuries, and other minor conditions that may otherwise warrant a trip to the ER.

Mental Health: This category includes companies such as Lyra Health, which enables direct access to behavioral health care providers. The platform manages in-person care, video therapy, and web chat.

Female Health: This category includes companies such as Lowercase Capital-backed Nurx. Nurx is a mobile health platform designed as a subscription service that allows customers to request a birth control subscription, have it reviewed and approved by a physician, and then delivered to the home.

Pediatric Care: Companies in this category are focused on pediatric care. Owlet, for example, has developed a smart sock that uses pulse oximetry to measure an infant’s heart rate and oxygen levels while they sleep. The information is then transmitted to the parent’s mobile phone and sets off alerts if a problem is detected.

Medical Marijuana Delivery: Companies in this category are focused on the legal medical marijuana sector. A notable example is the Y Combinator-backed Meadow Care which has developed a mobile app for the purchasing and delivery of medical marijuana from local dispensaries.

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