Sword Health Ventures Into Mental Health Market With $4B Valuation

Sword Health, a digital healthcare startup, has achieved a value of $4 billion following a $40 million investment round headed by General Catalyst, a venture capital firm.

The funding round, which included participation from Lince Capital, Khosla Ventures and Comcast Ventures, will facilitate the company’s expansion and enhancement of its artificial intelligence capabilities.

Sword, established in Portugal, reduces healthcare costs for its customers by providing motion sensor wearable devices with artificial intelligence solutions for digital physical therapy and managing pain.

The 10-year-old startup is launching Mind, a platform for treating moderate anxiety and depression that combines technology, AI, and services from human mental health specialists. Instead of scheduling random, hour-long sessions, Sword says Mind will allow customers to receive treatment whenever they need it.

Sword Health CEO Virgílio Bento conveyed in an interview that the advancement represents a significant step forward in tackling mental health challenges, made achievable specifically through the capabilities of artificial intelligence.

Even while the private investment space has been rather quiet recently, late-stage enterprises that use AI have attracted the attention of venture capital firms.

The funding arrives as the digital health market displays prospects of resurgence after a challenging post-Covid period, characterized by escalating prices, increased interest rates, and a shift back to in-person engagements that resulted in a significant decline in the sector.

Another company that has made no secret of its intention to invest in AI-powered healthcare companies is General Catalyst. This technology may revolutionize healthcare throughout the world, according to CEO Hemant Taneja, who made the comment during an interview on Monday.

Earlier in June, Omada Health, which provides virtual treatment programs for patients with chronic diseases including diabetes and hypertension, had its Nasdaq debut; however, the company is currently priced below its IPO price. Several weeks prior, the digital physical therapy company Hinge Health debuted on the NYSE. The shares are being traded some dollars over their offered price.

Sword, now headquartered in New York, provides instruments for online rehab, pelvic health, and mobility health to assist patients in managing pain at home and circumventing other therapies such as painkillers and surgery. Patients may enroll in Sword if it is endorsed by their company or health plan.

Mind users will be provided with a wrist-worn device known as the “M-band,” capable of measuring environmental and physiological parameters, including heart rate, sleep patterns, and ambient lighting conditions. Mind also provides accessibility to an AI Care assistant and human mental health specialists, who may provide services like conventional talk therapy.

Bento stated that a human being is always engaged in a patient’s treatment, asserting that AI does not make clinical judgments.

For instance, if an individual has an anxiety episode, Sword’s AI would identify this and may request a clinician’s authorization for subsequent physical activity to facilitate recovery. The doctor would either endorse the physical activity recommended by the AI or replace it with an alternative suggestion.