Aimentia, an invested start-up of BHV Partners that develops disruptive digital health solutions based on artificial intelligence (AI) to treat mental health, secured €500,000 in private funding.
Aimentia’s technology facilitates the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with anxiety, depression, phobias, bipolar disorder and suicidal thoughts for primary healthcare centres, schools and businesses. The AI platform provides round-the-clock tools and services and has more than 31,000 users in Spain, Argentina, Mexico and Chile, with the participation of more than 120 schools.
A quarter of us will suffer from some mental health condition over the course of our lives, according the World Health Organization (WHO). With the mission of helping ensure early diagnosis and offering patients personalized care, Aimentia has created an artificial intelligence platform for identifying and effectively monitoring those experiencing some kind of mental health problem who are potentially at risk.
In the words of Edgar Jorba, CEO and co-founder at Aimentia, mental health conditions are becoming a “silent worldwide epidemic, which needs to be tackled with innovation and the development of new technologies”. The WHO estimates that, between 2010 and 2030, the cumulative cost of treating mental health will total some $16 trillion.
AI for rapid response
Designed with an in-house programming language that integrates a variety of different data sources to create tailor-made solutions flexibly and quickly, Aimentia Health is a cloud-based platform providing mental health tools and emergency services for all manner of users, both patients (adults, children and adolescents) and professionals (specialists, school representatives and other workers).
The platform provides professionals with a technology for the rapid recognition of crisis cases, with the personalization of diagnoses and the monitoring of therapies for patients with anxiety, depression, phobias, bipolar disorder or suicidal tendencies. “Aimentia Health’s future applications will also encompass substance abuse and eating disorders”, added Jorba.
One of Aimentia Health’s standout features is associated with its interview system that, according to the start-up, refers patients to therapy “up to 80% quicker than other methods”. As its CEO noted, their digital solutions “are based on clinical data to ensure the rigour of all their procedures”.
Services for schools and businesses
In addition to being focused on mental health professionals and primary healthcare facilities, Aimentia also offers services for schools and businesses. In the case of the former, the start-up’s solutions are aimed at young people aged between 12 and 18, “the age range with the highest rates of self-harming behaviour, which is one of the warning signs of potential thoughts of or attempts at suicide“, indicated Jorba.
In the business world, the platform is beginning to help organizations in the early detection of workers with stress, depression or anxiety. The company is currently providing a free-of-charge analysis, prior to offering advice to foster a positive work environment, prevent risks and provide workers with the necessary support.
A growing entrepreneurial initiative
Aimentia has successfully completed this funding round to reach more countries and increase the number of mental health conditions addressed. Additionally, to help with its expansion, the start-up has enjoyed the support of BHV Partners, the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), ACCIÓ (Government of Catalonia’s Agency for Business Competitiveness), the Center for the Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technologies (CIMTI) and UNICEF Lab programme.
In 2020, Aimentia won the Ramon Molinas Foundation Prize for social impact.
