MoodSpark buys defunct startup’s IP, minds focused on disrupting elderly veterans’ depression
May 11, 2022 | Startland News Staff
A slew of new patents and tools are now in the hands of a KCK-rooted startup that aims to protect aging military veterans that suffer from loneliness, anxiety and depression.
MoodSpark has acquired assets previously held by California-based Dthera Sciences — an early leader of the digital therapeutics space, known for its innovative quality of life therapies, the company announced Wednesday.
MoodSpark’s digital companion uses artificial intelligence to detect such behaviors, alert family, friends, or caregivers, provide digital check ins and assistance in times of social isolation, provide behavioral health intervention, and share engagement data, activity, and response information with caregivers.
As part of the acquisition, MoodSpark has received a sizable IP portfolio that contains patents, a technology platform, an FDA breakthrough device designation, and clinical pilot research related to Dthera’s system for treating anxiety, agitation, and depression in elderly patients experiencing neurodegenerative diseases that include Alzheimers and dementia.
The publicly traded company ended operations in late 2019 after raising about $5 million in five years.
“Dthera pioneered digital therapeutics targeting geriatric CNS disorders. This deal provides us a significant amount of market validation, broadens our IP portfolio, and gets us closer to our dual-use vision for the MoodSpark digital companion,” said Eliot Arnold, co-founder of MoodSpark and a 2021 Techstars Kansas City cohort member.
The Dethera assets will be used in combination with existing MoodSpark technology — known for its ability to detect sadness and promote (or spark) a shift in a person’s mood using memories, conversations, and video visits from loved ones.
“Some of the brightest minds in digital therapeutics were behind Dthera. We are very excited to bring the combined solution to market and establish ourselves as a market leader in social assistive technology.”
Want to learn more about MoodSpark? Click here to further explore its technology.
As the company rolls its new IP into its existing growth strategy, MoodSpark intends to use its technology to reach aging U.S. veterans, the company said.
“The United States has the largest generation of warfighters quickly approaching or at retirement age,” the company explained, noting the Department of Veterans Affairs lists anxiety, depression, loneliness, and social isolation as on the rise among senior veterans.
“The United States is increasingly turning to advanced technology to not only support independent living among older veterans, but to foster human connections and combat cognitive decline.”
2022 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Cornstalks to cardboard: This KS company is turning farmers’ trash into sustainable fiber packaging
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. WILLIAMSBURG, Kansas — One small town just south of I-35 in Franklin County — population 390 — soon will become home to a new world headquarters, said Mark Majors. Williamsburg’s…
Vine Street Brewing drafts ‘Afrodisiac’ Ale: A tribute to love, Black culture
A cross-Kansas City collaboration crafted specifically for the month of February could become a staple at Vine Street Brewing if customers fall in love with the blend as much as its brewers hope. Kansas City’s first Black-owned brewery — in partnership with André’s Chocolates and The Black Pantry — unveiled ‘Afrodisiac’ last week, offering a…
Fans packed Chiefs rally, one didn’t come home; citywide trauma from shooting won’t heal quickly, grief expert says
Trauma and grief come in waves, said Mindy Corporon, foreshadowing a long road ahead for those impacted — directly and indirectly — by Wednesday’s shooting near the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory rally. Like many across the region, Corporon, co-founder of the Merriam-based nonprofit SevenDays foundation, was watching the Chiefs parade on TV when…
Black leaders need to earn a ‘thriving wage’ before they can help others; an Evergy-backed cohort could help them ascend
A new program backed by entrepreneur support groups and Evergy aims to raise household income by at least 30 percent for participating Black professionals, nonprofit founders, and entrepreneurs, said Craig Moore II. “The ultimate goal is making sure you’re a leader who can do more than show up and talk about community — you have the…