APEX Digital Health Fund reaches first closing in just 6 weeks and invests in Hamburg-based pathology start-up
1.Quarter of the target volume reached in 6 weeks
2. Hamburg-based AI software developer MindPeak as first investment
3. Europe-wide approval
Frankfurt/Vienna, December 18th, 2019 — The European venture capital company APEX Ventures, based in Frankfurt and Vienna, has already collected a quarter of the planned target volume for its second fund, the APEX Digital Health. Due to high demand from investors, the threshold for this “Friends&Family closing” has been doubled. The institutional investors at the launch of the fund are mostly coming from Germany. The approval by the Austrian Financial Market Supervisory Authority under the EuVECA (European Venture Capital Fund Regulation) directive took place at the beginning of November.
APEX Digital Health invests in promising European start-ups and young companies that develop innovative technologies and applications for the health sector. “Our deal flow pipeline is very well equipped. There are a number of exciting deep-tech companies that are bidding for a stake, especially in the DACH region,” says Dr. Gordon Euller, APEX Partner Digital Health. “We are not mere investors but also bring our own medical and entrepreneurial experience to the table. In addition, as a company builder, we support young companies in globalizing and bringing their solutions to the market commercially.”
With its first investment APEX Digital Health is taking a stake in MindPeak, an aspiring Hamburg-based AI software developer in the field of pathology. “Successful start-ups can often choose their investors. That’s why we are particularly pleased that the management has chosen us,” emphasizes Dr. Euller. “With its innovative solutions and algorithms that have already been successfully established in clinical routine, the company has a certain competitive edge in the industry. This makes MindPeak a perfect fit for our investment strategy.”
MindPeak develops image analysis software with the help of artificial intelligence in the medical field and supports pathologists in the digitization and automation of their workflows. The products are used for the automated detection of tumors and pathological tissues for routine use in hospitals, practices and laboratories.
Regulatory support for Digital Health Investments
Regulatory innovations strengthen start-ups in the field of digital health. The Digital Care Act (DVG) in Germany, which was recently passed by the Bundestag, provides that statutory health insurance companies cover costs ofhealth apps, if prescribed by doctors, for their insured.Also, under the new law,public health insurances and pension funds may invest up to two percent of their financial reservesin equity investments for development support.Private health insurers arealso planning to invest millions in digital healthcare applications and venture capital funds.
APEX Digital Health benefits from the extensive know-how of APEX Ventures, which is intensively engaged in digital healthcare. With its first fund, APEX One, the company has already successfully invested in this attractive growth market. “Digital, data-driven technologies are also on the rise in medical developments,” says Andreas Riegler, founding partner of APEX Ventures. “The digital health market in Europe alone is expected to grow to around US-Dollar 170 billion by 2025. This offers enormous development opportunities for young companies with good ideas. For investors, it is an opportunity to make a meaningful investment, because they help to improve people’s health and thus people’s lives.”
About APEX Ventures
APEX Ventures is a European venture capital company focused on technology start-ups based in Frankfurt and Vienna that sees itself not only as an investor but as a “company builder”. The APEX Ventures team consists of the three founding partners Andreas Riegler, Christoph Kanneberger and Stefan Haubner as well as the members of the Advisory Board Hermann Hauser, Peter Hagen and Rudolf Kinsky. APEX Ventures supports young founders with unique technologies to develop and successfully launch their products on the market. The first fund, APEX One, has so far been successfully invested in European technology companies, including AI, Insurtech, Smart Data and MedTech. In Germany, APEX Ventures is supported by its strategic partner, Asset Manager QC Partners. www.apex.ventures
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