Patient Partner Raises $7.5M to Expand its Platform Reach

LA JOLLA – Patient Partner, a digital health platform bringing together physicians and patients experiencing similar health issues, has closed $7.5 million in additional capital.

The financing round was led by LionBird, alongside other investors including FCA Venture Partners, Alethea Capital Management, Plug & Play Ventures, and several other private investors. This is the second institutional funding round for the 7-year-old startup.

The privately held startup plans to use the funding to further expand its reach to new patient populations and healthcare verticals, enhance the personalization, as well as scale its technology infrastructure.

“We are committed to building strong partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry,” said George Kramb, co-founder and CEO at Patient Partner. “Ensuring that patients receive the guidance and support they need to find new treatment solutions and maintain a higher level of adherence to their treatments and recovery journeys.”

Helping Thousands of Patients

Patient Partner, founded in 2017, is a digital health technology company whose mission is to help improve the patient experience.

It helps educate and guide patients through medical decisions. The platform pairs patients to doctors, mentors, and physicians who can help guide them through their procedure.

This approach allows patients to identify the best treatment options for a wide range of medical conditions, according to firm.

To date, Patient Partner has facilitated “thousands of patients to mentor engagements,” has more than 30,000 users using its platform, and has over 500 mentors, in different fields of healthcare.

“Our platform connects patients with a doctor near them that’s covered by their insurance,” said Patrick Frank, chief operating officer and co-founder at Patient Partner. “We have a network of top-tier physicians with Patient Partner mentors who are ready to guide them through their procedure.”

Healthcare Investors’ Big Bet

Healthcare-focused venture capital firms are betting long-term, that Patient Partner’s ability to create meaningful connections will be a “game changer” for the healthcare industry.

Edward Michael, Managing Partner at LionBird Ventures, said he was impressed with the startup’s unique “mentor-matching” approach.

“Their innovative approach to patient mentoring aligns with our vision of backing startups that have the potential to significantly improve healthcare outcomes,” said Michael.

“LionBird is excited to support Patient Partner as they revolutionize patient engagement and adherence in the pharmaceutical industry.”

Nashville-based FCA Venture Partners, founded in 1996, has seen more than nine successful exits, driving roughly $100 million in exit value. Last year, it closed a $90 million fund, to invest in innovative healthcare companies across the Series A and Series B stage.

“We are thrilled to be part of their journey and are confident in their potential to make a profound impact on patient adherence,” said Andy Lutz, principal at FCA Venture Partners.

Looking Ahead

Headquartered in La Jolla, Patient Partner leases office space next door to growth investment firm Blueprint Equity, located on 1025 Prospect Street.

Prior to Patient Partner, Kramb spent nearly a decade working his career in the medical industry, working closely with physicians in the operating room. Frank held several leadership roles in sales and business development. Most notably, he led growth efforts at COMPASS, a residential real estate brokerage firm in the San Diego region.

Looking ahead, the startups which has less than 10 employees, plans to grow its team modestly going into 2025, specifically expanding in areas including product, engineering and marketing.

Patient Partner is available nationwide, and the service is geographically focused.

“We’re heads-down focused on listening and understanding its customers’ needs,” Frank said, adding that the team is using that feedback to steer future product decisions and future roadmap.

“By refining our ability to report patient sentiment and continuously developing our algorithms, we’re enabling our partners to gain deeper insights and create more meaningful patient-mentor connections,” said Frank. “We want to ensure that our platform not only scales efficiently but also meet the evolving needs of the healthcare industry.”

Patient Partner
FOUNDED: 2017
CEO: George Kramb
HEADQUARTERS: La Jolla
EMPLOYEES: Under 10
BUSINESS: Developer of a digital health platform.
FUNDING: $7.5 million
WEBSITE: www.patientpartner.com
CONTACT: contact@patientpartner.com
NOTABLE: Co. has helped thousands of patients find surgery-related information and support.