Ksana Health closes $2M seed round to launch advanced mental health monitoring platform and improve patient outcomes

In 2019, 20.6 percent of U.S. adults experienced mental illness (51.5 million people), according to a study by the National Alliance on Mental Health. This represents 1 in 5 adults. The same study also found that 5.2 percent of U.S. adults experienced serious mental illness in 2019 (13.1 million people), which represents 1 in 20 adults.

For many years, standard behavioral healthcare has traditionally relied on subjective self-reporting and periodic observations as part of mental health treatment. Now, a digital health startup is revolutionizing behavioral healthcare and research through objective measurement and monitoring. Creating digital mental health tools that help people live better lives. We are committed to reducing the friction, stigma and expense around mental health care

Ksana Health is a Eugene, Oregon-based startup that grew out of Professor Nicholas Allen’s research on mental health and suicide prevention. Ksana Health focuses on collecting data related to mental health and transfer that data from users to healthcare practitioners through an app.

Founded in 2019 by Allen and Will Shortt, a software business leader, and startup CEO, Ksana Health is creating digital mental health tools that help people live better lives. Ksana’s mission is to bring the therapy plan out of the office and into the patient’s daily life via a personalized mental health platform. The company is also  committed to reducing the friction, stigma, and expense around mental health care

Today, Ksana announced it has raised $2M in seed funding led by Christian Angermayer’s re.Mind Capital. In addition to being the lead investor, re.Mind will also have a seat on the board, to be held by Jan Hardorp. The seed round also includes participation from WPSS Investments, Panoramic Ventures, the Telosity Fund, Palo Santo Venture Fund, and Able Partners.

In conjunction with the funding announcement, Ksana Health said that it has accepted an invitation from Anthem to join the Anthem Digital Incubator to pilot Ksana Health’s new digital health solution, Vira.

Unlike the standard behavioral healthcare that traditionally relied on subjective self-reporting and periodic observations, Vira by Ksana Health digitally transforms the practice of behavioral healthcare by converting the quantifiable behavioral patterns that are continuously and passively collected by smartphones into actionable and objective insights for practitioners and their patients. Practitioners can now develop personalized therapy plans that support positive behavior change through just-in-time “nudges” and communication.

“In mental health, the elephant in the room is measurement. Our tools for measuring mental health are stuck in the Stone Age, with patients filling out subjective mood surveys while already sitting in the therapist’s office. We need something like a Fitbit for our mental health: passive, continuous, and totally objective. And that’s exactly what Ksana is building,” said Jan Hardorp, Founding Partner at re.Mind Capital Ltd.

“One of the biggest problems with mental health services is that they’re stuck in the office or limited to weekly Zoom calls,” says Ksana Health CEO and co-founder, Dr. Nick Allen. “The Vira Platform allows practitioners to work more efficiently and effectively by utilizing real-time data to develop personalized interventions that meet patients where they are.”

Ksana Health aims to digitally transform mental health care to make it more accessible, scalable and effective through continuous remote patient monitoring, objective data, digital therapeutics, and seamless navigation across different levels of care, supporting people how and when they need it. Innovation in mental health care is needed now more than ever, with already increasing levels of anxiety and depression being exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the American Psychiatric Association, more than one-third of Americans (36%) say the pandemic is having a serious impact on their mental health. As the healthcare industry witnesses an accelerated shift to remote patient monitoring and virtual care, both patients and practitioners are demanding new approaches that are more personalized and accessible.

Ksana Health’s acceptance into the Anthem Digital Incubator (ADI) is another milestone for the company. During their residency, Ksana Health will pilot Vira within Beacon Health Options, a leading behavioral health services company with approximately 37 million members. ADI is part of Anthem Inc.’s Innovation group and is an invitation-only initiative providing resident companies with support, unique growth, and educational opportunities, as well as customized coaching for their innovative solution.

“Ksana Health is continuing to transform an industry that has already seen monumental change in this past year,” shared Anish Srivastava, CEO of Telosity by Vinaj Ventures. “We’re thrilled about The Vira Platform and the opportunity to leverage objective assessment to make the personalization of mental healthcare a reality.”