Nema Health, A Virtual PTSD Treatment Program, Raises $4.1M Seed Round And Launches In 3 States

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Nov. 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nema Health (Nema), a virtual treatment program delivering evidence-based care for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), announced today it has closed a $4.1 million seed round. The fundraise was co-led by Optum Ventures and .406 Ventures, with participation from GreyMatter Capital and additional angel investors. Nema also announced the launch of its care program in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut with a national insurance partner.

Trauma and PTSD are one of the country's most prevalent mental illnesses: an estimated 1 in 11 Americans will be diagnosed with PTSD in their lifetime, suffering from flashbacks, nightmares, self-blame, and significant mood changes after a traumatic event. Although PTSD is often associated with veterans, the most common traumas that cause PTSD are rape and intimate partner violence, and women are twice as likely to develop the condition. While effective treatment exists for PTSD, the majority of survivors go untreated because of cost barriers or a scarcity of healthcare providers trained in trauma care. These survivors then languish, developing related physical and mental health issues that incur a significant cost burden on the healthcare system.

Nema's virtual platform provides access to effective trauma care and wraparound support to survivors, providing them a care team including a therapist, peer mentor, case manager, and psychiatrist when indicated. Nema's clinical approach empowers survivors to reach durable, long-lasting recovery: about 75% of patients no longer meet the criteria for PTSD after just four weeks of intensive treatment with Nema.

"Our current system poses significant challenges to survivors of PTSD and complex trauma: they have the strength within to find healing, but until now, there hasn't been an accessible way for them to reach it," says Dr. Noori, whose early lived experience with PTSD motivated the Yale-trained psychiatrist to become a rape crisis counselor and to start Nema Health. During the pandemic, Dr. Noori teamed up with her co-founder and former Optum executive Mariam Malik and advisor Dr. Isobel Rosenthal to lay the groundwork for Nema.

Nema is currently accepting new patients in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The company plans to expand nationwide and to partner with other commercial insurance plans, as well as Medicaid and Medicare.

About Nema Health

Nema Health provides accessible and outstanding evidence-based care for trauma survivors to promote individual and community healing. Created by survivors and clinical experts, Nema empowers every patient with a dedicated care team and effective treatments that facilitate lasting recovery. Nema partners with insurance plans to ensure affordability of its high-quality care.

For more information, visit www.nemahealth.com.

About Optum Ventures

Optum Ventures is the independent venture capital fund of UnitedHealth Group. Optum Ventures invests stage agnostically in innovative healthcare companies across the globe that use data and insights to increase consumers' access to health care services, improve how care is experienced, delivered, and paid for, and help make the health care system more reliable and easier to navigate. For more information, visit optumventures.com. 

About .406 Ventures

.406 Ventures is a Boston-based early-stage venture capital firm with nearly two decades of experience investing in healthcare, AI, and enterprise technology companies founded by visionary entrepreneurs. The firm has over $1.4B under management. .406 leads, or co-leads, first institutional investment rounds backing the world's best founders to build market-defining companies. Notable healthcare exits include Iora Health's sale to One Medical/Amazon, AbleTo's exit to Optum, Bend Financial's sale to HSA Bank, and Health Dialog's sale to BUPA. Learn more at 406ventures.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X.

About GreyMatter Capital

GreyMatter Capital supports bold founders in building the future of mental health and wellbeing. GreyMatter has established a premier platform to support founders and cultivated an ecosystem that maximizes their success. GreyMatter Fund I invests in promising pre-seed and seed stage companies across mental wellness, behavioral healthcare, and frontier technologies. Its founders, Andrew Barr & Danish Munir, bring decades of experience across investing and entrepreneurship in the mental health space. Learn more at greymattercapital.com.

Media Contact

To get in touch with Nema Health, contact [email protected].