PR95882

BERLIN,LAUSANNE,Switzerland,BARCELONA,Spain and MUNICH, May 9, 2022/PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

New investors with a successful track record in digital oncology support German

Digital Therapeutics (DTx) company Fosanis to broaden patient access of Mika –

an app-based DTx platform empowering people affected by cancer.

Berlin-based digital health company Fosanis, the developer of Mika, Germany's

first prescription DTx for all oncological indications, closed a series A

funding round of more than 10 million EUR. Besides existing shareholders such

as Ananda Impact Ventures, three new investors joined in the latest financing

round: lead investor Swiss company Debiopharm Innovation Fund, Ship2B Ventures

from Spain and venture capital firm Equity Pitcher.

As digital therapeutics gain momentum on a worldwide scale, Germany has

pioneered the digital therapeutics regulation. Mika has emerged as the leading

oncological DTx platform in Germany in recent years proving its value to cancer

patients and the healthcare system in clinical trials. The personalised

platform delivers evidence-based digital interventions with a view to

supporting cancer patients in coping with the challenges of the disease and

treatment process.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 19.3 million

people are diagnosed with cancer worldwide. "Cancer knows no boundaries.

Helping people affected by cancer shouldn't either", says Mika Founder and

Managing Director Dr Jan Simon Raue. "We have developed Mika to bring back some

of the control when guidance and support is most needed:­ from diagnosis all

the way through the therapy process. Our mission is to empower everyone

affected by cancer. Knowing that every cancer patient is a human being with

individual needs, Mika provides personalised and comprehensive cancer therapy

support, combining the latest insights in cancer research with 24/7 hands-on

help wrapped up in an easy-to-handle and engaging digital tool."

The capital raised in this series A round will support Mika's expansion into

international terrain. While Fosanis reveals its plan to enter the UK

healthcare ecosystem still in 2022, it also wants to partner with renowned

international cancer research centres to conduct even more studies on the

medical impact of AI-driven personalisation in digital interventions. Mika

Co-Founder and Managing Director Dr Gandolf Finke:

"The importance of digital health and digital therapeutics in particular is

growing globally. This financing round marks an important milestone in our

company history, allowing us to scale our oncology DTx platform and position

our offerings internationally. We welcome our new investors on board and look

forward to working closely with them to take Mika to new heights."

Debiopharm is an experienced investor in the digital health domain with a

special focus on cancer. Tanja Dowe, CEO of Debiopharm Innovation Fund: "We are

convinced that digital solutions can fill many critical gaps in healthcare and,

especially with regards to cancer therapy support, provide tremendous relief

for patients and attending physicians alike. Mika promotes patient empowerment

and enables those affected to cope with their disease and therapy, independent

of time and location. For this very reason, we do not only think of ourselves

as mere investors, but we also support the company in strategy and execution

and are proud to accompany Mika's further growth."

Ship2B, based in Barcelona, invests primarily in start-ups that have the

potential to make a worthwhile and lasting contribution to the world. Impact,

i.e., the aspiration to make a real change, is at the forefront of their

thinking, as Maite Fibla, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Ship2B, points

out: "We are proud to contribute to the internationalization of Mika, which

means being able to improve the quality of life of many more cancer patients.

Not only does its mission meet our parameters of what an impact start-up should

be, but we have felt fully committed to it. It seems especially significant to

us to think that, thanks to what was achieved in the round, there may be the

possibility of giving Spain, among other countries, this innovative proposal in

oncological therapies."

Andrea Buhofer, Partner at EquityPitcher Ventures, moreover highlights the

growing importance of patient-centric solutions in integrative digital

oncology: "Personalized, digital and accessible support in cancer therapy is

becoming increasingly important. Mika has developed an extremely user-friendly

application with in-demand content, and we are very pleased to have been able

to support Mika in continuing to grow and make therapy support available to

more people."

Alongside the new investors, current shareholders contributed to the funding

round, led by impact VC Ananda Impact Ventures and several business angels who

had already joined Mika's mission in a previous seed investment round. Dr Bernd

Klosterkemper, Partner at Ananda Impact Ventures, explains: "We are a home for

entrepreneurs who tackle the pressing challenges of our time in a scalable way.

From the very beginning, Mika has been aspiring to create a positive impact on

the well-being and quality of life of cancer patients. As its meaningful vision

deeply resonates with our ambition to back game-changing and purpose-driven

solutions, we are very much looking forward to cementing ties and helping Mika

achieve global impact."

About Fosanis

Founded in 2017 by Dr Gandolf Finke and Dr Jan Simon Raue, the digital health

company Fosanis GmbH pursues the objective of empowering people affected by

cancer with the aid of digital technology. To this end, Fosanis GmbH has

developed the AI-powered DTx Mika in collaboration with leading oncological

research institutions and cancer centres such as the University of Leipzig

Medical Center and Charité Berlin. An app-based platform with clinically proven

efficacy, Mika became the first and hitherto only 'digital health application'

(DiGA) approved for all cancer patients in 2021. Mika is a personalised digital

therapeutic (DTx) platform in oncology. Accompanying people affected by cancer

over the course of their disease and therapy, Mika combines AI-powered

monitoring and coaching, including scientifically tested methods and therapy

management techniques. Daily check-ups – so-called ePROs = electronic

patient-reported outcomes – allow continuous tracking of distress levels and

symptoms, while a personalised coaching programme provides scientifically

validated multi-media elements and psychooncological interventions. These

include over 800 rigorously validated articles, videos and coping skills

training courses – ranging from nutrition recommendations to physical exercise

training and mindfulness coaching.

Fosanis is based in Berlin and employs more than 40 people. Further information

can be found on www.mitmika.de and www.mikahealth.com

About Debiopharm Innovation Fund

Debiopharm develops, manufactures and invests in innovative therapies and

technologies that respond to high unmet medical needs in oncology and bacterial

infections. Debiopharm Innovation Fund aims to provide strategic funding and

guidance for companies with Smart Data & Digital Health solutions with the

ambition to change the way drugs are developed and the way patients are

treated. Our growing portfolio company achievements include 18 FDA clearances

or CE marks and 2 IPOs along with 3 successful exits from mergers &

acquisitions. Since 2018 Debiopharm has invested over USD 150 million, leading

the investment rounds of 22 of the past 30 investments. For more information,

please visit www.debiopharm.com

About Ship2B Ventures

Ship2B Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in the best impact

startups. As impact investors they seek to generate triple profitability:

economic, social and environmental. Ship2B Ventures combine the best of the

venture capital world with the impact world, maximizing the financial

profitability of their investments with a clear intention to generate, manage

and measure their impact. Currently, the investment team has managed 60 million

€ and has participated in more than 25 investment rounds. Qida, Psious, CodeOp

or Rosita Longevity are startups invested by Ship2B Ventures. For more

information, please visit www.ship2bventures.com

About EquityPitcher Ventures

EquityPitcher is an early-growth Venture Capital firm that supports promising

startups from the DACH region. Through close cooperation with renowned industry

experts, investors and exit partners, we pave the way for entrepreneurs to

attain the three decisive success factors: capital, know-how and network. For

more information, please visit www.equitypitcher.com

About Ananda Ventures

Ananda Impact Ventures is the leading impact venture capital fund with a

Europe-wide investment mandate. Ananda manages €180 million in four core impact

funds and is backed by renowned institutional and private investors. Ananda

funds technology companies that address the most pressing social and

environmental challenges of our time in a scalable and sustainable way. Its

active portfolio includes IESO Digital Health (online psychotherapy), Klim

(regenerative agriculture) and Ororatech (which uses satellite technology to

fight forest fires). For more information on Ananda Impact Ventures, please

visit www.ananda.vc

Note to the Editor: If desired, we will gladly connect you with company

founders Dr Gandolf Finke and Dr Jan Simon Raue.

Press contact Mika

The Medical Network

E-Mail: mika@themedicalnetwork.de

Tel. 040 32 90 47 38 99

Source: Debiopharm International SA