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Venture capital firm closes US$14.5m fund to invest in solutions for underserved populations
The fund is hoped to support early-stage start-ups that address the needs of underserved populations
A US pre-seed and seed stage venture capital firm has announced a US$14.5m fund to invest in software solutions for underserved populations.
Beta Boom has closed a US$14.5m Fund II raised by managing partners, Kimmy and Sergio Paluch, and limited partners including Ally Bank, Pivotal Ventures (A Melinda French Gates Company), Bank of America and Atento Capital.
The fund is hoped to support early-stage start-ups that address the most critical needs of the fastest-growing, yet least-served populations.
“The closing of this fund allows us to continue investing in software start-ups that not only solve real and meaningful problems, but that also have strong market potential,” said Kimmy Paluch, co-founder and managing partner of Beta Boom.
“We see the greatest needs and opportunities in fintech, digital health and the future of work, and that’s where Beta Boom’s focus remains.
“We’ve always seen ourselves as somewhat of outliers in the VC space, and we have so much conviction in that. Not only have we created a sourcing strategy that’s purpose-built to identify incredible founders outside major tech hubs like Silicon Valley, but we are also ludicrously hands-on in the way we support our founders – because our investment in their success is driven by purpose.”
Erin Harkless Moore, senior director of investments at Pivotal Ventures, said: “Beta Boom is doing something different. We’ve been impressed by Kimmy’s deep experience and relationships, allowing the team to have steady, individualised support for their founders.
“Their unmatched growth mindset gives them flexibility to learn absorb and adjust in an unpredictable ecosystem.”
Beta Boom aims to look beyond referral networks and major tech hubs, focusing across America’s Heartland. The company says prospective investments are evaluated on more than 30 dimensions across five categories.
In hopes of taking a closer look at pedigree bias, the VC firm conducted an analysis of the top 10 venture capital firms. After analysing more than 800 seed investments made throughout the last five years, they found that 69 per cent of investments were linked to pedigree.
“Many of our founders tell us that Beta Boom is the first time they feel like they’ve been taken seriously – which is both encouraging and disconcerting at the same time,” said Sergio Paluch, co-founder and managing partner of Beta Boom.
“We don’t care about a founder’s professional background or location; what we’re truly looking for is someone who has persevered in the face of adversity.
“Founders who are intimately connected to the problem they are trying to solve not only have a proven track record, but also have the power to become the next generation of unicorn founders – if given the opportunity.”
Emily Brown, co-founder and CEO of Attane Health, said: “Beta Boom’s approach is truly unique and special. Time and time again Kimmy and Sergio demonstrate their roles as true partners and champions, and not only because they provide critical, actionable support, but also because they see the potential and greatness in founders when they often struggle to see it themselves.
“Simply put, Beta Boom sets a new standard for the relationship investors need to have with their portfolio companies.”
Beta Boom has already invested in 20 companies, supporting impact-driven companies, such as the perinatal mental health support platform Canopie and the digital health and e-commerce platform Attane Health.
Transdermal HRT best protects bone density in women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhoea, a condition that stops periods, a review of trials has found.
The meta-analysis pooled randomised clinical trials involving 692 participants and found transdermal hormone replacement therapy and teriparatide increased bone mineral density by between 2 and 13 per cent.
Functional hypothalamic amenorrhoea can follow anorexia or intense exercise. Bone mineral density measures bone strength and the amount of mineral in bone.
Around half of women with the condition have low bone mineral density, compared with about 1 per cent of healthy women, and their fracture risk is up to seven times higher.
The research was conducted by scientists at Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
Professor Alexander Comninos, senior author of the study and consultant endocrinologist at the trust, said: “Bone density is lost very rapidly in FHA and so addressing bone health early is very important to reduce the lifelong risk of fractures.
“Our study provides much needed comparisons of all the available treatments from all available studies.
“Clearly the best treatment is to restore normal menstrual cycles and therefore oestrogen levels through various psychological, nutritional or exercise interventions – but that is not always possible.
“The foundation for bone health is good calcium and vitamin D intake (through diet and/or supplements) but we have additional treatments that are more effective.”
When FHA is diagnosed, clinicians first try to restore periods through lifestyle measures, including psychological and dietary support, but these can fail. Guidelines then recommend giving oestrogen, though the best form was unclear.
The team reviewed all prior randomised trials comparing therapies, including oral and transdermal oestrogen, and also assessed teriparatide, a prescription bone-building drug used for severe osteoporosis.
They found no significant benefit for oral contraceptive pills or oral hormone therapy.
A recent UK audit reported that about a quarter of women with anorexia-related FHA are prescribed the oral contraceptive pill for bone loss; the study suggests using transdermal therapy instead.
Comninos said: “Our goal is simple: to help women receive the right treatment sooner and to protect their bone health in the long-term.
“We hope this study provides clinicians with better evidence to choose transdermal oestrogen when prescribing oestrogen and so inform future practice guidelines.
“Right now, millions of women with FHA may not be receiving the best treatments for their bone health.”
An AI tool cut interval breast cancers by 12 per cent in a Swedish screening trial of more than 105,000 women.
The study also found 27 per cent fewer aggressive breast cancers detected at screening when AI was used.
Interval cancers are cancers found between routine screening appointments because they were missed at the original scan. They are often more dangerous and linked to higher death rates than cancers found at screening.
The MASAI trial is described as the first large randomised study to test whether AI can improve mammography screening, which uses low-dose X-rays to examine breast tissue for signs of cancer.
The AI tool, called Transpara Detection and developed by ScreenPoint Medical, supported radiologists in analysing mammography images.
Earlier results from the same trial showed that Transpara Detection increased cancers found by 29 per cent and reduced radiologist workload by 44 per cent compared with standard double-reading, where two radiologists independently review each scan.
The latest findings indicate higher accuracy with AI support. Sensitivity, the ability to detect cancer, was 6.7 percentage points higher in the AI group while specificity, the ability to rule out healthy cases, was maintained. Results were similar across age groups and breast density levels.
Women screened with AI had 16 per cent fewer invasive interval cancers and 21 per cent fewer large interval cancers than those in the standard screening group.
The system also helps doctors assess risk more precisely by subdividing suspicious findings into BI-RADS 4 categories A, B and C. BI-RADS (Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System) is a standardised scale that guides whether a patient needs closer monitoring, further tests or treatment.
Ageing anxiety may accelerate biological ageing in women, with fears about worsening health linked to faster epigenetic ageing, according to new research.
The study found that greater anxiety about growing old was associated with accelerated epigenetic ageing, as measured by the DunedinPACE clock, based on biological markers in blood samples.
Epigenetic changes are shifts in how genes are switched on or off without altering DNA itself, which can influence how the body ages and functions.
“Our research suggests that subjective experiences may be driving objective measures of ageing,” said Mariana Rodrigues, a PhD student and the first author of the study.
“Ageing-related anxiety is not merely a psychological concern, but may leave a mark on the body with real health consequences.”
Researchers analysed data from 726 women in the Midlife in the US study.
Participants were asked how much they worried about becoming less attractive with age, having more health issues and being too old to have children.
Blood samples were used to assess ageing with two epigenetic clocks: DunedinPACE, which estimates the pace of biological ageing, and GrimAge2, which estimates cumulative biological damage.
The study was conducted by researchers at NYU School of Global Public Health.
Worrying about declining health showed the strongest links with epigenetic ageing, while anxiety about attractiveness and fertility was not significantly associated with biological markers.
The authors suggest health worries are more common and persist over time, whereas concerns about appearance and reproduction may fade with age.
“Women in midlife may also be multiple in roles, including caring for their ageing parents,” Rodrigues said.
“As they see older family members grow older and become sick, they may worry about whether the same thing will happen to them.”
The authors caution that the study offers a snapshot in time and other factors may influence these biological changes.
When analyses were adjusted for health behaviours such as smoking and alcohol use, the link between ageing anxiety and epigenetic ageing decreased and was no longer significant.
“Our research identifies ageing anxiety as a measurable and modifiable psychological determinant that seems to be shaping ageing biology,” said Adolfo Cuevas, associate professor of social and behavioural sciences and the study’s senior author.
They call for more research to clarify how this anxiety influences ageing over time, to guide support for those experiencing ageing anxiety.
“Ageing is a universal experience.” Rodrigues said.
“We need to start a discourse about how we as a society, through our norms, structural factors and interpersonal relationships, address the challenges of ageing.”
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