TechCrunch has learned that Jasper Health, a cancer treatment platform startup, has laid off a significant slice of its employees. According to posts from employees affected by these cuts, LinkedIn includes engineering and product design departments.
TechCrunch was unable to independently confirm the exact number of individuals cut, but an industry source with knowledge of those affected believed it was about half of the small Jasper Health team. Before the cuts, Jasper Health had about 48 employees, in accordance with PitchBook data.
The company’s co-founder and CEO, Adam Pellegrini, didn’t reply to TechCrunch’s request for comment. TechCrunch’s attempts to succeed in Jasper Health’s chief operating officer, chief development officer and chief marketing officer via email were unsuccessful, with messages returning.
Just over two years ago, in February 2022, Jasper Health raised a $25 million Series A round led by General Catalyst with participation from Human Capital, W Health Ventures, Redesign Health and 7wireVentures. The company announced then that it had collected a total of approx $31 million in enterprise capital.
Most importantly, Jasper is a General Catalyst portfolio company. The VC firm is one of the most lively investors in the healthcare sector. So serious is the approach to bringing recent startup-led technology to the U.S. healthcare system that earlier this yr, a VC firm purchased an Ohio-based healthcare system called Suma Health, an unprecedented enterprise capital move. But in fact, that doesn’t suggest that each one GC-backed health tech startups will thrive upwards and to the right without setbacks.
Jasper is also notable because it was invented and launched in 2018 by Redesign Health, a company and enterprise studio that creates recent firms in the healthcare industry. Led by CEO Brett Shaheen (formerly of Lone Pine Capital and Carlyle Group), Redesign says it has built 50 healthcare startups that have collectively raised $1.3 billion. Redesign, which itself is backed by firms akin to General Catalyst, CVS Health Ventures and Samsung Next, also had its layoffs earlier this yr, This was reported to Fier Healthcare.
Jasper’s digital, human-led platform offers care navigation, patient support and distant patient monitoring. The company also provides psychosocial care. He says about 12% of users are in cancer remission.
Pelligrini, the company’s founder, began his profession as a specialist surgeon in the US Army. He also helped build the American Cancer Society’s website, which provides patients and caregivers with information about the disease. Prior to founding the company, Jasper was senior vp of virtual care innovation and consumer health at CVS Health.
Jasper Health’s competitors include Thyme Care and Reimagine Care.