German digital health startup Sympatient has just received €7.5 million in a Series A financing round. In addition to the main investor Verve Ventures and existing investors, two new business angels and former healthcare executives have participated in the financing round. The fresh capital will primarily be used to expand the offering into a so-called ‘Digital Anxiety Clinic’, a comprehensive digital treatment for anxiety disorders.
Based in Hamburg, the startup grew out of a scientific study at UKSH and was founded in 2017 by Christian Angern, Julian Angern and Benedikt Reinke. Its main product is Invirto, the world’s first gold-standard digital psychotherapy for anxiety disorders for home use.
Since 2020, the Invirto program developed by Sympatient has made digital psychotherapy possible, which can also be carried out from home through the use of virtual reality technology. Panic disorders, agoraphobia or social phobias can thus be treated with digital support. While other providers rely on purely digital solutions, Invirto’s treatment is always integrated with psychotherapists or doctors. Since late 2020, Invirto can be prescribed by all health insurers on prescription if the diagnosis is appropriate.
“We are grateful for the trust our investors have placed in us with this round of financing,” Christian Angern, co-founder and CEO of Sympatient, says. “In the past two years, we have been able to help several thousand patients with anxiety disorders – that’s more than many clinics treat in a comparable period of time. By establishing a Digital Anxiety Clinic, we now want to expand our specialization and cover the entire treatment pathway for anxiety disorders – from diagnosis to therapy and aftercare.”
The Digital Anxiety Clinic will be able to offer a wide range of therapies tailored to the individual needs of each patient. This can take place either digitally, classically or hybrid. The aim is to ensure ideal care through tailored therapy options, while at the same time relieving practitioners of standardized therapy elements. In addition to the therapy, a digital aftercare program is already being tested in studies. The part of the treatment for which a digital component is to be used can be freely selected by the treating person. This leaves more time for personal therapy and more patients can be treated.
Prof. Dr. Peter Zwanzger, anxiety expert, medical director of the kbo-Inn-Salzach-Klinikum and member of the medical advisory board of Sympatient GmbH, explains: “The number of anxiety disorders requiring treatment in Germany is quite high – inquiries regarding specific therapy have been steadily increasing for years. Since the outbreak of the corona pandemic, these have increased by another 25%. However, only a small number of those affected can be offered therapy in good time, partly because there are not enough therapists licensed by health insurance funds, for example. Therefore, we urgently need new solutions to eliminate these bottlenecks. Approaches like Sympatient’s, which combine digital technology and personal treatment, hold great potential for the future.”
